Hello,
I have female cat (10) who has somewhat recently (within the last month or two) started only peeing outside of her litter box (she will; however, still poop in it). I've taken her to the vet, and she is in fantastic health so the issue is behavioral. I am a seamstress, and I work from home, and, unfortunately, the room she's chosen to eliminate in is my work room where I can spend 8+ hours in on any given day (I also have asthma as well as a handful of other issues with my lungs, so the eliminating on the carpet is turning out to be a serious issue for me as it's starting to make me sick. I'm also very concerned about the issue possibly escalating to her urinating on projects or fabric). The room, and the hallway directly outside of it are the only place she'll pee, and she seems to pee most often while I am sewing (I'm unsure if this is purposeful or not on her part). I should note, I've had her for nearly year, and she's never been frightened of the sewing machine. However, right around the time she began doing this was when I created my work room and set up a very large sewing table. The packet my vet gave me mentioned new furniture could cause cats stress, so I'm wondering if this is the case for her. I also have three dogs, but she's never had an issue with any of them (and we have separate areas for her to escape to when she does not wish to be around them where they cannot access her).
I've tried everything the packet the vet gave me suggested. I've purchased new litter boxes, tried multiple litter boxes, tried new litter, cleaned out the areas thoroughly with the recommended cleaner, put her litter boxes in the areas she pees on the carpet, bought a pheromone plug that's supposed to help calm cats, and I've tried to give her attention while sewing or around the new table just to try to get her used to it/not associate it with anything bad, but nothing is working, and much of what I can find on the internet is simply advising me to do everything I've already done. I'm very new to cats, as in, I've never had a cat before her, and I'll admit my knowledge of them is limited to the research I can do online and from speaking with cat owners (I'm afraid I'm rather young, and this is my first venture into cat ownership), but I'm at my wits end. I do not want to have to re-home her, I rescued her from a family friend whose grandmother could not longer care for her and then she was placed into a home with a cat who attacked her frequently, and I would hate to have to put her through the stress of re-homing all over again (especially when she's having this issue and I don't know how someone would handle it). She's also very attached to me, and I adore her (but if the living situation is stressful to her, such as if there's a chance the dogs are just too much for her and that's the source of the issue, in which case I would have no choice but to re-home her as I've had my dogs for years; I just want to do what's best for her). But I have no idea what else I can do and I'm afraid I can't handle this behavior for the rest of her life when it's impacting my health and I'm afraid there's a chance it could impact my work if it gets worse (as she's peeing on the carpet, which is a soft surface and I would hate for that to one day transfer to fabric).
I am desperate for ideas, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much, and I am so sorry, I'm very upset about this, and I really would like to remedy this in a way that makes it possible for me to live with her properly again.
I have female cat (10) who has somewhat recently (within the last month or two) started only peeing outside of her litter box (she will; however, still poop in it). I've taken her to the vet, and she is in fantastic health so the issue is behavioral. I am a seamstress, and I work from home, and, unfortunately, the room she's chosen to eliminate in is my work room where I can spend 8+ hours in on any given day (I also have asthma as well as a handful of other issues with my lungs, so the eliminating on the carpet is turning out to be a serious issue for me as it's starting to make me sick. I'm also very concerned about the issue possibly escalating to her urinating on projects or fabric). The room, and the hallway directly outside of it are the only place she'll pee, and she seems to pee most often while I am sewing (I'm unsure if this is purposeful or not on her part). I should note, I've had her for nearly year, and she's never been frightened of the sewing machine. However, right around the time she began doing this was when I created my work room and set up a very large sewing table. The packet my vet gave me mentioned new furniture could cause cats stress, so I'm wondering if this is the case for her. I also have three dogs, but she's never had an issue with any of them (and we have separate areas for her to escape to when she does not wish to be around them where they cannot access her).
I've tried everything the packet the vet gave me suggested. I've purchased new litter boxes, tried multiple litter boxes, tried new litter, cleaned out the areas thoroughly with the recommended cleaner, put her litter boxes in the areas she pees on the carpet, bought a pheromone plug that's supposed to help calm cats, and I've tried to give her attention while sewing or around the new table just to try to get her used to it/not associate it with anything bad, but nothing is working, and much of what I can find on the internet is simply advising me to do everything I've already done. I'm very new to cats, as in, I've never had a cat before her, and I'll admit my knowledge of them is limited to the research I can do online and from speaking with cat owners (I'm afraid I'm rather young, and this is my first venture into cat ownership), but I'm at my wits end. I do not want to have to re-home her, I rescued her from a family friend whose grandmother could not longer care for her and then she was placed into a home with a cat who attacked her frequently, and I would hate to have to put her through the stress of re-homing all over again (especially when she's having this issue and I don't know how someone would handle it). She's also very attached to me, and I adore her (but if the living situation is stressful to her, such as if there's a chance the dogs are just too much for her and that's the source of the issue, in which case I would have no choice but to re-home her as I've had my dogs for years; I just want to do what's best for her). But I have no idea what else I can do and I'm afraid I can't handle this behavior for the rest of her life when it's impacting my health and I'm afraid there's a chance it could impact my work if it gets worse (as she's peeing on the carpet, which is a soft surface and I would hate for that to one day transfer to fabric).
I am desperate for ideas, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much, and I am so sorry, I'm very upset about this, and I really would like to remedy this in a way that makes it possible for me to live with her properly again.
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