At wits end with our scaredy cat.

[bflyha128]

I have been the owner of a fixed, rescued stray named Sadie for about 4 years now. As long as I have had her she has peed on the floor throughout our homes. I'm a college student, so I typically change apartments every year. Up until a year ago, our life wasn't stable for more than six months. I have attributed this, more than anything, to her urinating outside the box. Off and on there have been other cats in the house, depending on who my roommates are. I've taken Sadie to the vet multiple times and they say her bladder is just fine.

She is the biggest scaredy cat I have ever encountered in my life. Absolutely everything seems to cause her anxiety. I was about to ask the vet for anxiety medication for her when about two weeks ago, we moved again. Now she is the only cat in our apartment and I have never seen her more comfortable than she is here; she comes out from under the bed, she doesn't run when we walk into a room. Only sudden, loud noises seem to be the only thing that startle her but Sadie hardly hides anymore, thankfully! Even now she's sitting on the couch with me which she has never been "brave" enough to do at any other home we've had. What a relief that she's not such a scaredy cat! But she's still peeing on the floor.

I should mention that I have tried the Feliway Diffusers in the past and they did not work for us. I tried the collar as well but she freaks out if anything is put around her neck and she hides under the bed until I take it off (once we used a flea collar and I rarely saw her for two weeks. When I took it off, she roamed much more frequently).

I should also mention that we use a covered litter box. The vet yelled at me and told me it was unhealthy for her but didn't say why. I completely scrub it down once a month with an ammonia free cleaner. I also buy her a new box at least once a year, which gets pricy. Should I really have to get a new one or two every year? When I've used uncovered boxes in the past, Sadie ends up getting urine on the area surrounding the litter box. Example, if the litter box is in the corner of the room, I have to put plastic on the walls behind the box because she aims high and ends up urinating up to a foot high up the wall! A covered box is the only way I could think to solve that problem.

While I'm deeply concerned about Sadie's anxiety issues, I'm also concerned about having to pay to replace the carpet when we move out because I've had to do so for every single place I've lived at for the past four years. As a full time college student, I can't afford to do that any more!

I've spent the last two hours researching potential causes for her peeing outside the box. I'm going to move her box into the unused bathroom where she might feel safest and hop that that helps. The current brand of litter I'm using is the only litter she likes. While her urinating outside the box has been an ongoing problem, it does worsen when I change litter brands, so I'm only assuming she likes the one we currently have. But I could be wrong!


My questions for this community are (and thanks for hanging in to read all this so far!!!!):

1) What *specific* cleaners are best to get the pee smell out of carpets?
2) What can I use that might deter her from urinating on the floor more?
3) Is there any way to get her to stop aiming so high when she pees? Could that be a medical issue? The vet didn't think it was important, but he also didn't seem to connect this problem to the need of our covered litter box.


Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions. We really just want to make sure she is healthy and completely happy.

 

[carolina]

My questions for this community are (and thanks for hanging in to read all this so far!!!!):


1) What *specific* cleaners are best to get the pee smell out of carpets?

2) What can I use that might deter her from urinating on the floor more?

3) Is there any way to get her to stop aiming so high when she pees? Could that be a medical issue? The vet didn't think it was important, but he also didn't seem to connect this problem to the need of our covered litter box.



Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions. We really just want to make sure she is healthy and completely happy.

Your vet is correct..... Covered litter boxes are a big issue, and if you want to correct the problem, one of the first things you want to do, is to change that.
They do 2 things: 1- they trap odors. And while you think the boxes are spotless clean, remember that a kitty's nose is hundreds of times more sensitive than ours.... What you can't smell, they can. 2- Makes them feel trapped - and for an already anxious cat, that is a big nono.
Changing the liter box is a must.
One thing you can do to avoid her wall accidents, is to do what a lot of us do - we use sterilite or rubbermaid storage containers instead of the usual litterboxes. They work great! They are large, and they have high walls for the wall peeing cats.

The best cleaner, IMHO, is called Nok Out - unfortunately, you need to buy it online. When using it, POUR - do not spray. You need to remove the excess of urine, really wet the entire are with the cleaner, making sure that it goes down to the padding (under the carpet). Leave it for a good 30 minutes, remove the excess with a paper towel, then leave air-drying. This will take days, if not over a week. During that time, cover the area with some foil (kitties don't like stepping on foil) so the kitty can't go there again. It is important to give the time to air dry so the enzymes work.

Litter: Change the litter for a litter called "Cat Attract Litter" you can buy at any major pet store - Like Pet Smart, Pet Supplies plus, etc. It REALLY works. If you are using pellets (such as Feline Pine, etc. stop and go back to clumping, unscented, preferably to Cat Attract. Here is a rebate form for a free bag - you can use up to a 40lb bag: Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract and Precious Cat Rebate Form

Last but not least..... How have the vets figured out there is nothing wrong with your little girl? Have they done a culture? Have they done a urinalysis? Just a regular exam is not enough.... as I am sure you must be aware......
Good luck!
Oh, for anxiety, Try Rescue Remedy!

 

[orientalslave]

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1) What *specific* cleaners are best to get the pee smell out of carpets?
2) What can I use that might deter her from urinating on the floor more?
3) Is there any way to get her to stop aiming so high when she pees? Could that be a medical issue? The vet didn't think it was important, but he also didn't seem to connect this problem to the need of our covered litter box.

#1 - I would use a warm solution of biological washing power or liquid, saturate well, then use a wet/dry vacumn cleaner to get the carpet as dry as possible.  There are various special sprays and so on, but they all seem to contain the same ingredients and this is also the advice of the FAB.

http://www.fabcats.org/behaviour/spraying/info.html

#2 - this is the really hard question.  Suggest you area the stuff at the FAB, but not using the tray (since you've eliminated medical issues) can be all sorts of things - tray too dirty, tray too clean, litter too coarse, litter too fine, litter dusty, litter is scented, tray is too public, tray is too private, and plenty more.  However since this has been going on for a long time I suspect it will take a long time to resolve.  I'm feeling that what a timid cat needs is some stability in her life - living in the same place for more than 6 months.  It might help to confine her where the floor is easy-clean (bathroom?  kitchen?) when you are out and overnight.

#3 - some cats simply want to stand up to pee so you need a litter tray that's high enough to contain it.  One of my cats does this, one of my friends does, mine is a boy and hers is a girl and both are healthy.  Putting the litter tray inside a big card box is useful if you have a cat with this habit.  Some cats will only use a covered tray but if you have always used a covered tray, try a deep uncovered one to see if she likes it better.

 

[rad65]

I second that. My cats not only avoid peeing over the edge, but they actually like having to jump into the box.

 

[bflyha128]

Thanks so much for all the advice! We'll try some different things and see what happens. One of my friends is a vet tech and said worst case, Sadie just may need kitty prozac on top of not moving so much.

 

[sadiecat]

You are a saint for loving your kitty so much!! 

Another thing you could try is a second litter box.  Cats are happier if they have two and will peep in one and poop in the other.

Good luck!

 

[ritz]

Ritz (female) pees standing up, always has.  Like Sadie she is a stray, rescued cat.

I tried everything, including dome covered litter boxes.  I thought that would keep the urine in; nope, it just leaked out where you put together the dome covered litter box.

Finally one day I measured how high she peed (on the oven door....) and bought the tallest sterilite or rubbermaid storage container I could find (19" tall).  Although I knew she could jump up into the box, I decided to cut a large square in it so she could more easily go in and out, and so that was not yet another change she had to get use to.  Also, Ritz hates being confined, so I bought a clear storage container so she could see in/out of.  No more problems.

The box is in the kitchen next to her food, I know, contraindicated, but she's never had a problem eating where she poops. And only one box.  I do scoop at least twice a day, and wash the litter box about every second or third week.  I use a very small amount of liquid detergent and an even smaller amount of bleach sometimes. 

Ritz is prone to stress-induced UTIs.  Feliway works for me.  Have you tried Rescue Remedy; it's a homeopathic herb mixture you can either add to water or (since Ritz drinks very little water) to food.   I use the Feliway 24x7, and Rescue Remedy when I know something is going to happen that will stress her, like repairmen coming over.  She did not have a recurrence of the UTI when I went away on vacation or when I had painting done in my condo.

Good luck!

 

[orientalslave]

I avoid using bleach as a cleaner, as it gradually destroys the surface finish - what was smooth becomes rough, so it gets harder to clean.  Ditto scourers.  My litter tray I do in the back garden with the hose - no hosepipe bans in Scotland!  I used some liquid biological laundry detergent, the very cheapest, and rinse really well, then leave the two halfs to dry in the wind / sun - and sometimes the rain!

I do have some peroxide bleach for wine stains on clothes...

 

[qatz]

My female kitty Shadow likes to pee standing up.  Unfortunately a plastic storage container than was tall enough to contain

the pee was also too long and wide for the area where the box is.   So, I bought the largest one I could fit in the space

and then added plastic 'splash guards' to the two sides where she stands and pees.  I used plastic quilter's

template(http://www.joann.com/quilter-s-thicker-plastic-template-12-x18-/prd37964/ ) and a hot glue

gun.  I did two boxes like this and they're still  going good after more than four years.

 

[ziggy'smom]

The peeing elsewhere in the house may not be a litterbox issue at all. I would try getting a second litterbox as that may help but it sounds to me like her problems are mainly psychological. Since she's a nervous cat to begin with and has had to change environment and family members so many times I think her main problem is feeling unstable. Cats are extremely territorial and having to change territory can truly rock their worlds. I think Sadie is trying to make herself at home and signify that this is her territory by putting her scent all over the house. In addition to fixing any litterbox issues I would also do what you can to make her feel safe and stable. Putting her on prozac for a while may not be a bad idea. I'd get some more feliway too even though it hasn't helped before. It may just help in combination with other things. If you can afford it it may be a very good idea to consult a behaviorist on how to make Sadie feel secure.

Have you seen the Animal Planet show "My cat from hell"? The cat behaviorist in that show recommends that you provide places high up, off the ground across the main area so that the cat can move around the room without setting foot on the floor. This is supposed to be helpful for nervous cats and I think it makes a lot of sense. In the wild cats stay high up for safety. Predators can't get to them and they can see a long distance so they know when the predator is coming. Of course Sadie doesn't have to worry about predators but being able to stay up high may make her feel safe and more relaxed. If she feels more relaxed she may not feel the need to put her scent all over. And of course, try not to move anymore.