Cat pees when she's mad at me

[hearingmomo]

I used to be with my cat nearly 24/7, but about three and a half years ago I got a new job that has me away from home for 8 to 12 hours a day, five to six days a week.  This is when the trouble started.

At first, I had trouble keeping up with cleaning the litter box.  Before I got my job, I would scoop twice a day and totally dump and clean the litter box once a week ( I do not use clumping litter. )  A couple times, I missed box cleaning day, and it went two weeks before I cleaned it.  The litter box is located in my bathroom, between the toilet and the bathtub.  At the end of the two weeks, the litter smelled pretty bad, and my cat would pee on the bath mat instead of in the litter box, making cat litter cleaning an EMERGENCY and I would clean it right away, problem solved.

As time went on, her tolerance became worse and worse, until now, if I don't totally dump and clean the litter box every five days she decides it's too dirty and pees on the bath mat.

Additionally, if I work a twelve hour shift, whether I cleaned the litter box the day before or not, it makes her mad because I'm gone too long, and she pees on the bath mat.

If she wants to go outside and I won't let her, it makes her mad, and she pees on the bath mat.

If I have a day off, and go to the store, she thinks I should stay home because I don't have to work, and it makes her mad, and she pees on the bath mat.

One time I just went out to the garage for a minute and she peed on the bath mat.

It's not a UTI, or any health issue.  Putting pepper or other offending smells on the bath mat does not stop her.  She isn't left alone while I'm gone, we have another cat and my mom is with her all the time.  She thinks I should let her do whatever she wants, clean the litter box as soon as she decides it needs it, and thinks I should be home all the time.

She even waits until I go to the bathroom so she can run in there with me and pee on the mat and be sure that I know she's upset.

Does anyone know how to stop this?

 

[margd]

My goodness, she certainly does have an unpleasant way of making a statement!  

   Once an underlying health problem has been ruled out, the next thing to check is the number of litter boxes.  How many do you have in the home?  The rule of thumb is one per cat plus an extra so in your case it would be three.  Since your girl is quite fastidious, the addition of more litter boxes may solve most of the problem.  Here's an article that might help:
[article="32366"]How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats The Ultimate Guide  [/article]
Have you tried hanging the bathmat on the side of the tub or on the shower stall when you're finished using it?  Also how are you washing it?  It's important to use an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle that will break down the urine molecules entirely.  Otherwise she will continue to be drawn to the bathmat.  

You might also try using Dr Elsey's Cat Attract litter.  Many members have had a lot of success with this.  http://preciouscat.com/product  The texture of the litter plus an herbal additive appeal to many cats who have litter box issues.

Since it seems this is stress related, you might consider using one of the calming products on the market.  The following have all been recommended on this site.  

Feliway:  Is available in spray or diffuser form and is based on pheromones that cats emit when they are feeling content and happy.  http://www.feliway.com/us/#redirected  Amazon reportedly has the cheapest prices.  The diffuser is expensive but since it only covers 700 - 900 sq feet, you might need more than one.

Composure:  Is available as treats or liquid.  http://www.vetriscience.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=9008103030

Rescue Remedy:  Is available as drops and has helped many of our members.  http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/

As a last resort, you might want to discuss medication with your vet.  Prozac is known to help with inappropriate urination, as are some of the anti-anxiety medications like ativan, xanax and valium.  

Good luck with this.  

  Litter box problems can be among the most frustrating, but they can usually be resolved.  

 

[zed xyzed]

My guy would poop on the bed when he was mad at me. I had to get extra litter boxes for him and that did the trick. You will also need to get rid of the urine smell completely like Margd posted.

 

[talkingpeanut]

You could also consider using clumping litter. It does help with maintenance. Also agree with all of the above!

 

[hearingmomo]

I've hung the bath mat on the side of the tub, and she's learned to pull it down so she can go on it.  For a mat, I just use an old towel, so I throw it in the laundry and run it through a couple times.  I use a few different towels, so she's done it with no old pee smells several times.

Maybe a different litter would work.

My house is kind of small for three litter boxes, and my other cat is an enthusiastic burrier, the litter sometimes gets out on the floor and everywhere.  I think she would have to try each litter box, therefor making each less than perfect for my hard to please cat.  Might be worth a shot, though.

I'm glad my cat doesn't poop on my bed!  My mom had a cat that would TP the house when she was mad, Mom would come home and find toilet paper everywhere!

 

[cocobutterfly]

Hi Momo! This sounds familiar to me, except our cat used to bomb our leather sofa. I've posted many times on this topic. Long story short, we now have 4 boxes for 1 cat. Yes, you read that right. We just kept testing different boxes and litter, and that's how many we've accumulated. And we finally found the litter that our cat is happy with - Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract. I really didn't want to go the clay litter route because of respiratory issues related to clay dust, but that's what she likes.

When we first got it, she ran right into it. After many trial and error, we finally found the litter that she loves and can't stay away from! We seriously can't keep her away from of it. She constantly goes in there whether she needs to go or not. She often just walks by and scratches the walls of the box just to show her love for it. That's how much she loves going in there. And this coming from a cat that was unhappy with every other litter. 

Her overall demeanor has changed for the better. She is now the most relaxed and happy cat, much less needy and less yowling. We realized quickly that she was constantly anxious because she was probably very unhappy with her litter. 

I also recommend Feliway. We use both the diffuser and the spray.