Peeing in Shoes

[hybriseris]

Hi all -

I adopted my Grandmother's cat two months ago, and for the most part things are going well with a few bumps in the road here and there. The biggest bump seems to be his habit of peeing on anything and everything by the front door.

My main concern is whether he is doing this out of stress/unhappiness, or if it's marking.

He is 8 years old, and neutered. He was feral for a year, and then an indoor/outdoor cat with my Grandmother for 7. He is indoor with me and seems to be adjusting for the most part.

He IS using his litterbox normally. I find pee in there every morning, and pee/poo at night before bed. He doesn't pee on anything else in the apartment, it just seems to be objects near the main entrance. I can no longer leave doormats because he was peeing on them, and he'll also pee on or in any shoes left on the floor. Those elevated on the shoe rack seem safe from his attentions.

I am admittedly cat naive, having gone most of my life just interacting with friend's cats and not living with my own. Does this sound territorial, or anxiety provoked?

 

[hexiesfriend]

I’d first rule out a bladder infection with the vet. 9 times out of 10 it’s that. If that is ruled out remove any mats at the front door with rubber backing for some cats it smells like a litter box. It is a possibility that because the cat lost your grandmother it is now afraid of losing other family members too and is marking them with shoe pee. So yes it may be insecurity which it understandable. 75% of cat ownership is cat psychology.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

By all means, have a vet check him out. Stress in cats is a big cause of UTIs, which leads to inappropriate peeing EVERYWHERE. The other possibility is that there are neighborhood cats out there, he sees them through the window, or smells or hears them, and he's trying to mark this place as HIS. If that proves to be the case, a motion activated air can near the front door will silently blast air into an intruder's face, and quickly send him elsewhere.

 

[sunny578]

This is totally a thing that can happen! It is prob just marking, but always good to check in with your vet. All the stuff by the front door smells like the outside world, so he is most likely trying to make all that stuff smell like him. Another thing that could be happening is that outside animals could be hanging out on the porch and he could be marking there because of that.

Not sure if you are looking for solutions. Some options include: keeping that area very clear, making an effort to spread his scent there by putting one of his beds there or brushing him in that area, Putting a scratching post there (scratching is another way that cats spread their scent) or adding a litter box closer to that spot.

Good luck! Let us know if it becomes more of an issue!