Serious problem with inappropriate peeing/pooping

[monie]

I got my cat at 8wks old from a friend who's cat had kittens around june 2015 she was easy to train and didn't cause to much trouble but in September she got fleas , I asked the previous owner why she has fleas if she and her mother are indoor cats and said they are born with fleas, I was not happy at all as they got everywhere and I spent a fortune on cat treatments and house products and it never helped and ended up in a&e from infected bites on my legs,ankles and feet. I started not to want her near me or in any of the rooms as I have young children and they were suffering from flea bites also.

By December we moved house and had to leave most of our furniture behind due to the flea infestation. Momo( cat) was ok for the first few weeks but then started going out side as we now have a garden and once again despite wearing a flea collar she got fleas again and started peeing on everything and even pooing everywhere leaving the litter try clean , iv not changed her litter or her food so I'm confused as to why she is behaving this way, she has destroyed all our shoes with the peeing on them and peeing in the suitcases with our clothes in and on our beds

,I even found her on the dinning table licking herself and scratching and under the table found pee and alot of her poo. I was so disgusted I shut all the doors and confined her to the hallway when indoors with her bed, food/water and litter tray which she doesn't use she just done her business on the floor or found her way into the bathroom and done it everywhere including the bath tub. I'm at my end now with it all, we love her but until this stops she's outside only let in to eat and maybe a snooze. Iv also had to treat outside the front and back door with repellent to stop her pooing there, iv found poo directly outside the front door more than once now. What can I do with her and all this ....???

Need help asap or will have no choice but to give her up

 

[talkingpeanut]

I got my cat at 8wks old from a friend who's cat had kittens around june 2015 she was easy to train and didn't cause to much trouble but in September she got fleas , I asked the previous owner why she has fleas if she and her mother are indoor cats and said they are born with fleas, I was not happy at all as they got everywhere and I spent a fortune on cat treatments and house products and it never helped and ended up in a&e from infected bites on my legs,ankles and feet. I started not to want her near me or in any of the rooms as I have young children and they were suffering from flea bites also. By December we moved house and had to leave most of our furniture behind due to the flea infestation. Momo( cat) was ok for the first few weeks but then started going out side as we now have a garden and once again despite wearing a flea collar she got fleas again and started peeing on everything and even pooing everywhere leaving the litter try clean , iv not changed her litter or her food so I'm confused as to why she is behaving this way, she has destroyed all our shoes with the peeing on them and peeing in the suitcases with our clothes in and on our beds ,I even found her on the dinning table licking herself and scratching and under the table found pee and alot of her poo. I was so disgusted I shut all the doors and confined her to the hallway when indoors with her bed, food/water and litter tray which she doesn't use she just done her business on the floor or found her way into the bathroom and done it everywhere including the bath tub. I'm at my end now with it all, we love her but until this stops she's outside only let in to eat and maybe a snooze. Iv also had to treat outside the front and back door with repellent to stop her pooing there, iv found poo directly outside the front door more than once now. What can I do with her and all this ....??? Need help asap or will have no choice but to give her up

Cats are not born with fleas but they can get them from their mother when they are very little. Fleas can come in from outside from being on your pants. It doesn't have to do with you, your cat, or your home being dirty. Flea collars are often not effective. You should use something like Advantage monthly and also wash or vacuum all fabrics in your house daily.

Your cat needs medical attention from a vet. Peeing and pooping inappropriately are often linked to medical problems. It could be a uti, which is very painful. This should always be your first stop.

After your cat has seen a vet, you should address her litter situation. How many litter boxes do you have? How often do you clean them? You will also need to clean anywhere she's gone with an enzyme cleaner.

Bottom line is that something is wrong with your cat and she shouldn't be punished. It needs attention, and I know that you'd like the symptoms to stop, but you need to deal with the source first. Hope this helps.

 

[alic23]

I got my cat at 8wks old from a friend who's cat had kittens around june 2015 she was easy to train and didn't cause to much trouble but in September she got fleas , I asked the previous owner why she has fleas if she and her mother are indoor cats and said they are born with fleas, I was not happy at all as they got everywhere and I spent a fortune on cat treatments and house products and it never helped and ended up in a&e from infected bites on my legs,ankles and feet. I started not to want her near me or in any of the rooms as I have young children and they were suffering from flea bites also. By December we moved house and had to leave most of our furniture behind due to the flea infestation. Momo( cat) was ok for the first few weeks but then started going out side as we now have a garden and once again despite wearing a flea collar she got fleas again and started peeing on everything and even pooing everywhere leaving the litter try clean , iv not changed her litter or her food so I'm confused as to why she is behaving this way, she has destroyed all our shoes with the peeing on them and peeing in the suitcases with our clothes in and on our beds ,I even found her on the dinning table licking herself and scratching and under the table found pee and alot of her poo. I was so disgusted I shut all the doors and confined her to the hallway when indoors with her bed, food/water and litter tray which she doesn't use she just done her business on the floor or found her way into the bathroom and done it everywhere including the bath tub. I'm at my end now with it all, we love her but until this stops she's outside only let in to eat and maybe a snooze. Iv also had to treat outside the front and back door with repellent to stop her pooing there, iv found poo directly outside the front door more than once now. What can I do with her and all this ....??? Need help asap or will have no choice but to give her up

Dear Monie i am sorry to hear your situation. You say that she was easy to train and then it wasn't until you moved in December that the litter tray problems started. So one theory might be that Momo is stressed from the move and needs time to settle but the change has caused this litter tray issue. I have heard that some people do certain things like place objects with familiar smells in the new house to get them to settle. Another theory may be an underlying problem which is causing this and maybe a check up at the vet would be a good idea.

Regards to fleas - both our kittens came with fleas (we got them separately as well) and it can be a nightmare, we used RIP fleas spray on the whole house and used flea comb to regularly comb out fleas, as well as topical flea treatment from the vet, after about 4 months we are (fingers crossed) flea free. It's not the case that all kittens come with fleas, but that if the breeder allows the mum or dad cat outside, or if they live with dogs etc, it's so easy to pass it on to the kittens. Plus if orevious owner did not bother to treat the cats you end up with a vicious cycle of fleas, gross!

Another thing is if Momo has always been an indoor kitty and she has been restricted from being inside that may exacerbate the litter tray issue, the behaviour may not just 'sort itself out'. Maybe restricting her to certain rooms in the house so you're not getting mess everywhere, so it's more manageable for you, until she gets used to new house, may be the answer. I hope she gets better soon, and hope other forum members with actual experience of litter tray problems can offer more suggestions. Good luck to you and Momo x

 

[monie]

Dear Monie i am sorry to hear your situation. You say that she was easy to train and then it wasn't until you moved in December that the litter tray problems started. So one theory might be that Momo is stressed from the move and needs time to settle but the change has caused this litter tray issue. I have heard that some people do certain things like place objects with familiar smells in the new house to get them to settle. Another theory may be an underlying problem which is causing this and maybe a check up at the vet would be a good idea.

Regards to fleas - both our kittens came with fleas (we got them separately as well) and it can be a nightmare, we used RIP fleas spray on the whole house and used flea comb to regularly comb out fleas, as well as topical flea treatment from the vet, after about 4 months we are (fingers crossed) flea free. It's not the case that all kittens come with fleas, but that if the breeder allows the mum or dad cat outside, or if they live with dogs etc, it's so easy to pass it on to the kittens. Plus if orevious owner did not bother to treat the cats you end up with a vicious cycle of fleas, gross!

Another thing is if Momo has always been an indoor kitty and she has been restricted from being inside that may exacerbate the litter tray issue, the behaviour may not just 'sort itself out'. Maybe restricting her to certain rooms in the house so you're not getting mess everywhere, so it's more manageable for you, until she gets used to new house, may be the answer. I hope she gets better soon, and hope other forum members with actual experience of litter tray problems can offer more suggestions. Good luck to you and Momo x

Thank you, I have tried confining her to the hallway where her litter tray , bed and food where placed separately so not near each other but still she pees and poo's inside and out of the tray and claws the wallpaper off . So atm she stays outside only entering the house to eat . But I am taking her vets at some point in the week .

 

[ginny]

I would suggest looking up Jackson Galaxy on youtube about the inappropriate peeing/pooping.  He has lots of good ideas that are helpful.  And he will be the first to say that cats don't just start misbehaving for no good reason.  Punishing them does no good, nor banishing them to outdoors to "teach them a lesson".  They're cats.  They don't know how else to communicate that there is a problem except by doing things like this.  They're not being bad.  There is a reason for their behavior.  

I agree with @alic23  in that it sounds like the problems started just after the move.  This must have stressed the cat.  Perhaps the litter box is now in not as convenient place as it was before?  The cat doesn't feel safe using it?  Is it too noisy?  

My sister took in my mom's cats for a few weeks but they began peeing and pooping in the wrong spot because she put their litter box on the other side of the house - they had to traverse the busy kitchen and tip toe past a room full of yapping dogs to get to their litter box which was in the small bathroom, just off the laundry which had a door to the garage and to the back yard.  No wonder there were problems!  

Now, I'm not at all saying this is the case with you, but just an example of how moving to a different house really upsets them, more than it does us, and can lead to these kinds of problems.  

Please don't give up on her.  She's trying to tell you in the only way she knows how that she needs your help to solve this problem. 

 

[mani]

@monie firstly, welcome to TCS! 

There is a lot going on here with your little one.   As everyone has said, cats are not born with fleas, and a monthly flea treatment is the best way to go.

The litterbox issues could relate to so many things, but firstly you need to be absolutely certain that you have done everything a cat needs .. We have a really good article on that:  [article="32366"]How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats The Ultimate Guide​[/article]  

Some of the big things are keeping the boxes really clean (some cats just won't go in a used box) and have at least two as many cats won't wee where they poo!  But there's a lot more.  Please do have a look through the article.

Most importantly is that vet visit.   It's really essential as there may be other things going on.  Please do let us know how that goes.