inappropriate toileting

[kiraaguma]

Hi all,

I’m having a slight well major issue with my cats toileting. she’s 11 months old but around 2 months ago started urinating on my clothes and floor. more recently she’s began urinating on my bed and my baby sisters blankets which has become extremely strenuous.

I took her to the vet when this all began and they put it down to stress and gave her antibiotics and anxiety medication which did not help.

I identified a stressor could’ve been the building work we had going on but this ended in april and there’s been no change in her behaviour, since the work stopping. could fleas or mice in the house cause this change in her behaviour ?im vey unsure about all this stuff. i’m 20 and she’s my first ever kitty.

I love her dearly but it’s becoming very stressful for my family and my mum is suggesting we give her up. but i don’t want to do that till i know i’ve tried everything i possibly can

 

[ArtNJ]

I have a theory about this that is slightly different from most folks. I think sometimes they just start peeing on what I'll call high value targets (to them) and it becomes a sort of habit. And that you can extinguish by preventing access to high value targets for a few weeks.

What is a high value target? To a cat, its anything that is kind of soft, that can be needed beneath the paws, simulating burying waste. Especially if its on the floor or the bed. Clothes cant be left on the floor, or even on a dresser the cat can jump too. Bathmats may need to be hung up after use. Access to the bedroom needs to end for a few weeks, or at the very least, put the blankets and loose top sheets in the closet in the morning -- ie nothing on the bed that can be kneeded. A surprising number of things can fit into the high value target category, like a kids backpack, or a garbage bag full of stuff your storing. Nothing on the floor, especially nothing that isnt hard, is a good tactic.

I hope this theory helps you. As I mentioned, its not exactly shared by many here I think -- they lean more towards UTI, stress, cleaning the box more, adding a box, changing the litter, things like that. And it can be those things. I just think sometimes its a habit, and you can potentially starve the habit by depriving it of fuel for a few weeks.

 

[kiraaguma]

Thank you so much for responding to my thread. This is a very interesting take and thinking about objects she has been urinating on this theory makes a lot sense, i’ll definitely trial the theory alongside others, and see how how she gets on.

In respect to bedding and just the bed in general what do you suggest in terms of restricting her access to it. maybe restricting access to rooms with beds in them when she is not being closely monitored ?

Again thank you so much !

 

[ArtNJ]

In respect to bedding and just the bed in general what do you suggest in terms of restricting her access to it. maybe restricting access to rooms with beds in them when she is not being closely monitored ?

Yes, close the bedroom doors. Beds are the #1 spot for "accidents".

The only warning on that I have is, that sometimes, not always, they will actually pee in the bed when someone is in there trying to take a nap or sleeping. People have been essentially pee'd on. So when you said "closely monitored" sleeping with the cat may or may not count.

 

[maggie101]

Hi all,

I’m having a slight well major issue with my cats toileting. she’s 11 months old but around 2 months ago started urinating on my clothes and floor. more recently she’s began urinating on my bed and my baby sisters blankets which has become extremely strenuous.

I took her to the vet when this all began and they put it down to stress and gave her antibiotics and anxiety medication which did not help.

I identified a stressor could’ve been the building work we had going on but this ended in april and there’s been no change in her behaviour, since the work stopping. could fleas or mice in the house cause this change in her behaviour ?im vey unsure about all this stuff. i’m 20 and she’s my first ever kitty.

I love her dearly but it’s becoming very stressful for my family and my mum is suggesting we give her up. but i don’t want to do that till i know i’ve tried everything i possibly can

So the vet did a urinalysis? Is she acting ok healthwise? I scoop litter boxes made out of storage bins with no cover every day. Also unscented litter. What kind of litter do you use? My cats do not like the smell of pine. They poo in one,pee in another so more than 1 litter box. Use an ultraviolet black light in the dark to spot any pee you may have missed

 

[kiraaguma]

Yes, close the bedroom doors. Beds are the #1 spot for "accidents".

The only warning on that I have is, that sometimes, not always, they will actually pee in the bed when someone is in there trying to take a nap or sleeping. People have been essentially pee'd on. So when you said "closely monitored" sleeping with the cat may or may not count.

Thank you so much since following to it advice my belongings have been cat pee free !!! and i no longer have to give up my kitty !!! so thank you thank you !!!

 

[Alldara]

This is also a really helpful resource regarding urinary issues.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) | International Cat Care

 

[Kris107]

I had a cat who would pee on the bed (even if someone was in it) to send us a message. It was her way of telling us she was unhappy with something. First time was when I was trying to toilet train her (to use human toilet) and the other was when we had a wild puppy in the house. She was not having it and that was her way to say that. In the past some cats I've had are finicky about the litter texture too. Some liked the hard/bigger granules, some liked the fine sand.

 

[cocobutterfly]

So sorry you're dealing with this issue. I've been there with several of my foster cats and my resident cat. A few weeks after we adopted Coco, she started peeing out of the box. I took her to the vet where she was cleared of any medical issues, so I started analyzing her litter and litter box situation with the advice of a cat behaviorist. With Coco, she suggested that it was most likely something about the litter, litter box and/or the litter box location that was bothering her.

I got her many different types of litter and five litter boxes and spread them all over the house. Turned out, she hated the original litter box location. It was inside a guest bathroom, far removed and away from her socially important locations. And that was the box in the living room where the entire family socialized together. And although she's a tiny cat (8 lbs fully grown), she didn't like the smaller litter boxes. She preferred the large box with one lower wall portion that made entry into the box easy.

We use these litter boxes for Coco:
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Miracle-Advanced-Corner-Litter/dp/B004N1NAMW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2KMG6Y227BJKI&amp;keywords=nature%2527s+miracle+high+sided+litter+box&amp;qid=1689359362&amp;sprefix=nature%2527s+miracle+high+sided+litter+box%252Caps%252C147&amp;sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=remysref-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=db7c929c9295bd98c1c0e5f84e0fc2d3&camp=1789&creative=9325">Cheapest Low Entry Litter Box</a>


We narrowed down the litter, and the one that really worked to lure her into the litter box was Cat Attract. It has pheromones that attract the cat inside the little box. It's expensive, but it worked wonders for our cats. Plus, we only ever needed to buy one bag. Once it attracted her into the box, she got used to using that box in that particular location, so we eventually replaced it with natural wood pellet litter.

Cat Attract:
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Elseys-Attract-Problem-Training/dp/B000PKY7YA/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29AXTBD1BOJ49&amp;keywords=cat+attract&amp;qid=1689360351&amp;sprefix=cat+attract%252Caps%252C168&amp;sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=remysref-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=e1d9790c1d861ed56e2e96ab30e713be&camp=1789&creative=9325">Cat Attract Pheromone-Based Litter</a>

Hang in there! I think this issue can be resolved with some modifications and patience! Keep us posted!!

 

[CatMom311]

Hi all,

I’m having a slight well major issue with my cats toileting. she’s 11 months old but around 2 months ago started urinating on my clothes and floor. more recently she’s began urinating on my bed and my baby sisters blankets which has become extremely strenuous.

I took her to the vet when this all began and they put it down to stress and gave her antibiotics and anxiety medication which did not help.

I identified a stressor could’ve been the building work we had going on but this ended in april and there’s been no change in her behaviour, since the work stopping. could fleas or mice in the house cause this change in her behaviour ?im vey unsure about all this stuff. i’m 20 and she’s my first ever kitty.

I love her dearly but it’s becoming very stressful for my family and my mum is suggesting we give her up. but i don’t want to do that till i know i’ve tried everything i possibly can

Possibly a health issue. Could be kidney problem or urinary tract infection or other. Hopefully, some can help based on their experiences with cats that have done that.