Suki peeing on covers and careting

[jeannem]

Move this thread if it isn't in the right forum.
Suki is 5 years old. We got her from the humane society. The litter box is the one that came with the 'starter kit'. We use Arm & Hammer scent free litter in it. Suki just started doing this a couple of weeks ago. I usually scoop the box 2-3 times a day.
We feed her dry kibble. Her water bowl (Replaced daily) is about 6" away. She isn't due her yearly check up for about a month and a half.
Any clues to help us solve this? She likes to drink from the toilet bowls too. So the lids are always down now.
J

 

[Koda&Jack]

Hi! I don’t have a definite answer for you, but when I first got my kitten, Koda. She didn’t use the litterbox either. It was very on and off. She would use it for pooing and occasionally peeing, but we always found pee elsewhere. I ended up switching litters to a clumping clay litter (we had her on pine) and keeping her confined in a room for around 2 weeks until she was consistently going in the litterbox. She hasn’t had an accident since! If you feed her dry kibble, I would highly recommend not free feeding. Give her meals to her a fixed times each day. I would recommend putting the water with her kibble so she gets more hydrated. This way she has a routine she can go around and it will be easier to predict when she will go to the bathroom. Make sure that you have at least 2 litter boxes around the house and make sure that they are big enough for her to comfortably fit. Cats are very picky. Ask the humane society what litter she was on and if you can switch her to that. I hope this helps!

 

[gilmargl]

How long have you had her? If this behavior is new then an earlier trip to the vet will be necessary to clear up any health problems. Or has something changed recently - your routine, new residents, is someone under stress?

If she's only been with you a few weeks, her behavior is probably a reaction to her treatment over the past few weeks, months or even years. She's very unhappy, insecure and probably frightened of what is going to happen next. If this is the case, then the most inportant thing is to try to keep calm and not to scold her.

Would it be possible to keep her in one, easy to clean room until she's got used to her litter box and the sounds and smells of her new home?
You will need an enzyme cleaner to get rid of the smell of urine on the furniture and carpet. When she comes back into the rest of the house you could put aluminium foil on the sofas as that usually deters a cat from peeing there.

During the first 6 weeks in my house, Lilly regularly peed on my bed and I was seriously thinking about giving her back to the shelter. But, fortunately, she settled down and we never had that problem again.

So, perhaps patience and good luck are all you need.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I am kind of repeating some of what has already been said, so forgive me for redundancies. If you have had her for a while, and this inappropriate peeing only just started, you can't rule out a UTI. Watch her to see if she is peeing more (or less) than normal, if there is any straining going on, and/or if her urine smells stronger than usual. All are signs of a possible infection. I would suggest you move up her check up and have an urinalysis/urine culture done.

Adding more water dishes around the house might help to get her to drink more water. Maybe even one of the many water fountain options that are available, And, as said above, if she will tolerate some water added to her dry food, that is a plus as well.

Another litter box in a different location might also beneficial. If there are specific locations she repeatedly pees on, enzymatic cleaners are needed to remove the urine smell so that she doesn't consider her scent an invitation to go there again and again. Also, until you can get this matter cleared up, buy some puppy pee pads to place in applicable areas to help reduce clean up - and, they might help to replace the 'soft' stuff she is currently peeing on.

 

[jeannem]

We've had Suki almost a year. I think we rescued her in May 2020. She peed on that cover again and I washed it. I think we have enzymatic cleaner with our dogs.
Rascal died on April 22nd 2020.
j

 

[jeannem]

Continuing the saga...Today I am washing the sheets and 2 blankets. I have applied the enzymatic cleaner as per the the directions. The sheets are in drying now, the blankets are in washing. I certainly hope the rest of the day goes better! I am getting blood drawn and my 2nd Covid shot!
j

 

[FeebysOwner]

Are you considering taking her to the vet sooner than her scheduled check up so they can perform a urinalysis on her, just in case this is a UTI or some sort of bladder inflammation?

Also, did you buy any puppy pee pads in order to at least try to redirect her to those instead of your sheets and blankets? Another thing to consider is buying a plastic tarp or even a shower curtain to place over the sheets and blankets she is peeing on. Sometimes, the plastic will discourage a cat from wanting to be on it. If the plastic is newly purchased, just air it out first as it tends to have a strong odor when just taken out of the packaging. If she has soaked through the sheets and blankets to the surface underneath, it also needs to be thoroughly cleaned as well.

 

[di and bob]

She may need to be confined to a smaller room until she consistently uses the box. You might try changing litter or setting up a different kind of box too, she may not like the litter/box. Cats pee on things you use to mark their territory and claim you as theirs. You might get a waterproof mattress pad and throw it over your bed in the daytime to see if that will stop her, or lay strips of clear plastic carpet protector with those little nubs on the back nub side up until she learns not to go there anymore and gets out of the habit. Make sure you are using CAT urine destroyer, it is a little different.

 

[profcat]

Please take her to the vet for a urine test! Usually when cats pee outside their box they are telling you something is wrong. She could have a UTI, or crystals, or both.

One thing that works for us is using outdoor plastic tablecloths. When our cat had a UTI issue last year, we covered the bed with one (and even got a floral one so it looked pretty). It was an easy solution. Then once his UTI cleared up, we didn't need it anymore.

 

[jeannem]

We got rid of the main small blanket Suki was peeing on and she hasn't done it again. When rainy weather is over I will wash the electric bed pad and dry in the back yard in the sunshine. Thanks for all the suggestions.
j