Inappropriate Peeing Problems Answered

[hissy]

I would suggest a Feliway plug in to start, as well as interactive play time with Jasper every day for about 10 minutes at a time. And although you believe you know the cause, I would still schedule a vet check for Morgan. It could be health related, and down the road develop into something quite serious.

Try the tin foil trick of covering the couch, or feed the cats on the couch-cats will not do their business right where they eat. It is unfortunate that you will not even try a second litterbox, even if you have to empty out a cupboard in the bathroom and put it there, it really does help to have more than one litterbox for two cats.

 

[jellicle_cat]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll be sure to try them out.

 

[missygjo]

Well, as some of you may know, when I came here I was lookin for some help on my kitties potty problem. I took her to the vet on your advice and it turned out to be a UTI. I'm just glad that she is getting her meds and will soon be better. Plus, she got a new litter box out of the deal.

 

[catmagnet]

I have the same sort of problem. I took in a cat about six months ago and if it sees a stray cat or dog outside it sprays from one window to the next in my living room. I have followed the advice here and used the enzyme cleaners, neutralizers, citrus sprays and the black lights and nothing seems to be enough. She is still spraying. I leave the blinds closed almost all the time to help discourage her from sitting on the window ledge or seeing outside. She still continues to spray. I'm about at my wits end. My son is just so attatched to this cat I hate to get rid of her but I can't even stand to sit in my living room because it smells of cat spray. I have used several products and gotten rid of old carpet, couch, and cleaned the walls with enzyme cleaners but she still continues to spray. I usually get one or two days spray-free before she starts it all over again. I have never actually seen her do it. I do have two other cats but she has a particular scent to her and I'm sure it is her. When she was in to be spayed and was isolated for 10 days, the smell in my living room was gone She was out and about for two days my living room didn't stink to high heaven. Please help us find a way to reclaim our livingroom and keep our cat.

 

[lotsocats]

Click here for a lengthy thread on stopping spraying. It is very long, but you will see many suggestions and what worked and didn't work for this member. For some reason the initial post on that thread is not there, but you will soon see that it was written by someone in a similar situation as yourself.

 

[kristys]

Well, I came to this site seeking advice for my female cat unappropriately peeing on our furniture items and after reading this thread I am now releived that this could all be because of a urinary tract infection. But her peeing has been going on for a couple years already on and off but now it's getting really bad. I will definently take her to the vet as soon as I can to get this checked out as I don't want to loose my baby because of this

This site has helped me loads already and I just got here! Thanks in advance for probably saving my cat!

Kristy

 

[attackcat]

My cat Mozart seems to pee on things that are out of place. For example, if we leave a gym bag or coat on the floor he will pee on it. This doesn't happen all of the time. We have had him checked by the vet and while he has had urinary health problems in the past, he is on Rx food and has been cleared by the vet as healthy. He may go 6 months without an incident but then he does it again. When people visit we have to tell them to keep the guest room door closed at all times or keep their suitcases off the floor or he is likely to pee on them. My parents are visiting now and they kept the door shut for 5 days but forgot once, and he peed in there suitcase and then did it on a deflated air mattress that was folded up on the floor in another room.

How can we stop him from peeing on things that are left on the floor. Keep in mind that he never pees on rugs or bath mats or anything that is "permanent" in the house. Only things that are left out of place. And not only when we have company.


Thanks.

 

[catsplay.com]

Yipes!! Simba just peed in my dining room. He is a 14 week old male. We have one other 1.5 year old cat. They both share (to date, I thought happily) a Littermaid cat box.

He peed (not sprayed) on a computer printed picture that happened to be lying on the floor. The carpet in that room also happens to covered in a drop cloth that is kind of a muslin fabric (we are getting ready to do some work).

The litterbox resides in the laundry room.

I have read the info here and understand he may need to be seen by a vet to rule out a UTI.

However, I wonder

a) could the computer printout have some kind of smell that attracted him?

b) might he be scared to go in his box because the washer and dryer were both running?

c) might the 'rough' muslin drop cloth feel like 'sand'?

Yipes!!!!

 

[hissy]

Most of the time when a cat is peeing on personal items it is in response to stress. Have you thought about purchasing the Comfort Zone Feliway Room Plug In? That may help to calm your cat as would Aspen or Beech one of the many flower remedies available.

Here are two links:Farnum Pet

Spirit Essence

 

[catsplay.com]

Hissy

I have the Feliway spray that I had been using but I had quit. I will go spritz up the house now!!

It wasn't really a personal item, but a piece of paper that had a printout of a picture on it, that was done by our printer. I wondered if the computer ink had a scent.

Thanks!

 

[lotsocats]

Originally posted by catsplay.com
a) could the computer printout have some kind of smell that attracted him?

Yes...there are certain things that seem to entice cats to pee on them. Bathroom rugs with rubber backing, clothing washed in bleach, and plastic are the ones I hear about the most. Perhaps the ink in the photo has a scent that smelled good to the kitten.

[b) might he be scared to go in his box because the washer and dryer were both running?

This is the likely culprit. Many cats are frightened by the sounds of washing machines and dryers (just like they are afraid of vacuum cleaners). It doesn't surprise me that she needed to go but couldn't because of the noisy machines, and so she went in a place that smelled right instead.

Also, keep in mind that at 14 weeks, her little bladder might not be able to hold it in when she needs to go. With her little legs, she just may not have had time to make it to the litter box when her bladder said it is time to go. When they are that young, it is wise to have a litter box on each level of the house, so that a box is always close by in emergencies. When they get older you can always remove the inconvenient boxes, because she will be able to hold it long enough to get to the utility room.

 

[lotsocats]

Originally posted by AttackCat
How can we stop him from peeing on things that are left on the floor. Keep in mind that he never pees on rugs or bath mats or anything that is "permanent" in the house. Only things that are left out of place. And not only when we have company.

It sounds to me as if your cat is marking the items rather than simply peeing on them. If they are on the floor he cannot do the traditional spraying, so he is marking by squatting on them instead. Basically, he is saying, "this new thing is mine." I would recommend (as Hissy said) getting a Feliway Comfort Zone diffuser and leaving that plugged in. Also, when guests come over, I would have a bottle of Feliway spray and I would spray the suitcases and anything else that might be on the floor with the Feliway. Feliway has a pheremone which mimics the friendly marking that cats do with their cheeks. When the cat smells this pheramone they are comforted and feel no need to mark.

I think that with the combination of the Feliway spray for guests and the Feliway diffuser for the house, your problem should greatly deminish.

Good luck!

 

[catsplay.com]

Hi lotsocats,

Thanks for your advice. I am really thinking it was the washer and dryer running too as my daughter and I had just earlier noticed that Simba 'scrammed fast' once I started them up.

My husband also thought that Simba was just 'too little' and 'too busy' to take a break and run to the bathroom -- like a little kid.

So far, no more incidents so I'm hoping I've got it figured out!

 

[kristys]

Sorry if this is sort of interupting the convo before mine but I took my cat to the vet to see if her innapropriate peeing was because of a UTI but it's not. She's clear. So now I have this problem with my cat

The vet reccomended me putting litter boxes everywhere where she was peeing and said that cats are very sensitive with textures and such. And then when she knows the texture where shes supposed to be peeing I remove the boxes slowly. Has anyone used this technique? If so, how has it worked?
Thanks for any advice

Kristy

 

[annie777]

Honestly I can't tell you how greatful I am for this forum. My Sasha has been spraying since day one, 9 years ago. We've tried everything imaginable including the spray and the plugins and in fact, the vet just put her on an anti-depressant in hopes that would help. We have a vicious cycle going here. She sprays, the other three cats get mad and beat her up, so she sprays more, and they beat her more. She used to confine her spraying to our unfinished basement on the cement floor. That was easy enough to clean up. But the past year and a half (we had changes then that upset her) she has decided my office works well too. I've blocked the areas, (she find a niche), I've sprayed her with the spray bottle of water when I catch her in the act, and virtually everything else I can think of.

I am going to try the foil and putting food in the spots she is spraying in. Wish me luck. I am at my wits end. She is precious, very sweet natured, but very passive/agressive.

 

[lotsocats]

Kristy,

I am so glad you had her checked by your vet and I'm glad she is healthy.

If I were you, I would go back to the very first post in this thread and read the suggestions there. I think if you try these suggestions, you probably will not have to put litter boxes all over the house. I think I would save your vet's suggestion to be the last resort if the other ideas don't work.

Good luck!

 

[lotsocats]

Annie,

Also, please get some Feliway spray, then follow the instructions in the Feliway box, making sure that you use the spray every morning and night. The Feliway, in combination with the foil and antidepressants should do the trick for you.

Also, you should put Feliway Comfort Zone diffusers in various rooms in your house. The Comfort Zone serves to make all of the cats mellow out. This too should help tremendously.

Unfortunately the Feliway spray and the Comfort Zone are pretty expensive, and you will go through a lot of the Feliway before the spraying stops, but it is very much worth the money.

You can find the Feliway spray and Comfort Zone at PetsMart or most other pet supply stores.

Good luck and keep us up to date on how it is going with your girl.

 

[annie777]

I tried it and the little devil backed right up to it and sprayed directly on the plugin. All the while looking at me with adoring eyes. I was just waiting for electric shock to hit her. We used it for about two months, I swear she got worse. It was almost as if she was determined not to let it overrule HER territory!

I have a little feral cat who is always rubbing his cheek (the good hormones) on everything. He is very sweet natured and the last to go after her. The day she did that, even HE took off after her. We are all very exasperated with her. Anyway, I am venting. thank you for the warm welcome. I will keep her on all of the above and see if it works.

 

[lotsocats]

Originally posted by Annie777
I tried it and the little devil backed right up to it and sprayed directly on the plugin. All the while looking at me with adoring eyes.

Sasha sounds like quite a character!

I think you have your hands full with this one!

 

[mrshotdog]

My 2 kitties (16 yr old female, 12 yr old male, both neutered)have developed "peeing problems", are currently being boarded and are on antibiotics for UTI's. I am reluctant to bring them home until this is resolved, and miss them terribly. My vet has suggested Paxil, but has stressed there are no guarantees! Has anyone out there heard of this therapy for felines? Help, I am desperate!