cat marking behavior-advice please!!

[disneygals]

Long story kinda short....

My female 3 year old cat starting marking/urinating 2 years ago when my now 20 yo cat had kidney disease and starting going all over the house.

We have exhausted every bit of advice short of the pet psychic and medication. I just purchased a Feliway plug-in that is supposed to mimic cheek pheromone and stop unwanted behaviors. Well, she peed 2 more times on the brand new not even paid for yet couches. (we've had them for 4 months)

It is clearly a marking behavior and not against us or dislike of her box. Taking her Wed to the vet to talk about medication.

Has anyone ever had success with actually stopping this behavior??? My dh is ready to get rid of her. She is perfect in every other way and the kids would be devastated.

Vivienne

 

[luvwinnie]

I am so sorry. Have you cleaned the areas with Nature's Miracle? As long as she can still detect the urine odor, she will go there again. I hope your vet has answers!

 

[tiggersmom2]

Good Luck
I had a much beloved persian that started doing this after several years! We tried EVERYTHING!!!!! Unfortunately, nothing worked for us.

BTW - our vet told us that once a cat starts this type of behavior, it may well never stop.

 

[Microcell]

My cat is a neat freak, so this may or may not work for you. She got mad each time we brought our kids home from the hospital and she seemed disgusted with herself on the first one and just quit. For a week when DS (2nd) came home she started up again and we cleaned the entire carpet with a steam cleaner with Natures Miracle mixed in ( Sounds obsessive, but I will not live in a house with cat pee odor, no matter how much I love the cat). Then there was a spray that we could use to deter her from going in to the more common areas that she would urinate, so after a couple of days she stopped doing it altogether. It might have been luck.

I say she is a neat freak because we got her at 6 weeks old the day before a 6 hour driving trip, so we took her along and she slept on me the whole way! Anyway we stopped an hour in to get gas and set up her litter. DH was getting gas and She got off me and went into the back seat and began to HOWL. If a cat could cry she would have! We realized that she needed her litter NOW! before we could set it up for her and she went #2 on the floor and continued to howl until we got it cleaned up and got her litter so she could urinate. She is now my oldest girl, and the best potty trained!!

 

[Rajah]

I'm assuming she's spayed? If not, that'd be the biggest thing to do to stop her.

And as already asked, have you tried Nature's Miracle?

You might try asking a feline behavioralist (as opposed to psychic ). There's one available at www.ivillage.com at the Think Like A Cat message board. They might have more advice for you.

 

[disneygals]

She's spayed, she's been treated with antibiotics, we have thrown out 2 couches (old, so no loss), ripped up carpets in our living room and toy room when repeated attempts with Nature's Miracle haven't worked. We have lived with an uncomfortable futon for 6 months to try and break her before we bought these new couches. (didn't mark that). She has peed all over the toy room, but it's cleanable, she has peed in laundry baskets and I have had success with Nature's Miracle (at $28 a gallon) for my clothes. Recently, she peed in the rubbermaid cotainer that I keep all my kid's jackets in. I have 3 cat boxes and she uses them fine.

We have come to the conclusion that her marking behaviors occur because of our 2 other male cats, when there are too many people in "her" house, when other cats visit at the door way. I have 3 kids, it is impossible to keep the house with "nothing" on the floor that may intice her. The other listed events that trigger her are also unavoidable.

Tiggersmom...what did you do about your cat?

I am just at wit's end...thanks for listening!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Did you try retraining her? My sisters vet did suggest this for her cat. Put her in a confined space a large crate for example (with litter) and see what the issue is?

 

[disneygals]

I've thought about this, but not sure it will work. We keep our 20 year old in a exercise pen set-up with his box, food and bed, because he also vomits all over. When we have let him out and he gets away from us, we THINK he has also peed, which may have re-started April. This works for him because he can longer jump and after much agonizing to put him in, he actually enoys his little space.

The reason I don't think it will work for her is that she still uses her boxes, this is more a series of episodes. Even if we did, how long do we keep her in, etc. She is clearly marking, it's not a box issue.

Another option is to let her be an outside cat, but I know she get in fights, gets ticks, etc. BUT she is more apt to do this in spring/summer.

 

[Rajah]

Seriously, try talking to a feline behavioralist. Especially before you make her an outside cat. It does sound like something mental instead of medical, and a behavioralist might be able to help.

 

[tiggersmom2]

disneygals,
It was a heartwrenching decision but we finally had to put that persian outside. My husband constructed a huge backyard fence and she lived out there. She was allowed to come in the house and visit but she would pee everywhere as soon as she stepped foot in the house!
I just couldn't allow her to ruin my furniture and carpet (we had to replace all of our carpet because of her pee). Before she was put outside she had started peeing on our beds and on the
STOVE , it was just out of control.

We literally tried EVERYTHING. The vet thought she might have an infection so we tried antibiotics. Then the vet thought it might be kidney stones - so we put salt tablets in her food so she would get thirsty and drink more water to flush the stones out. No luck. The vet put her on at least 10 different meds. We finally decided the best thing to do was make her an outside kitty. I hated to do this because I truly believe persians should be inside cats only.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I'm about to have my cat spayed because she has started doing this same thing. What is weird though is she only marks items that belong to my hubby! I know she loves him and thinks he belongs to her, maybe that's why. She is almost a year old. I hope she'll stop after this.

 

[disneygals]

Okay...thanks to Rajah bugging me p ), I did call the behaviorist. I had called her last summer before we got rid of the rugs and couch and decided to wait. She charges $150 and at the time I just couldn't justify the $$. However, if I just take her to the regular vet, I'll be paying, too. Plus I forgot that she is a vet and could prescribe meds if necessary. SO, I'll let you know what happens...

Tiggersmom, thanks for the info...it IS heartbreaking and April is the sweetest little calico who just loves us! I have never had to give away an animal and couldn't stand to do it to her.

 

[Rajah]

Let us know how it goes?