Cat peeing-- need help

[suzcruz]

I have had cats my whole life but never had this problem before & i am sick of constantly washing everything. Had a boy cat age 3 & brought home a kitten (3 month old neutered boy) about a month ago. He used the shared litter box right away with no problems. Little cat (LC) gets along great with the older cat, who is pretty mellow.

All of a sudden, LC starts peeing on my dd's bed. He does not seem upset; in fact, he seems pretty happy while doing it. Took him to the dr. who tested him for a urinary tract infection but he was fine.

Since then, he has peed numerous times on DD's bed & is no longer allowed to sleep with her. Today he peed on my bed, which is where he sleeps. He also peed on her sheets when they were on the floor of the laundry room waiting to be be washed. I have put his face in it & told him no & also have sprayed him with water but nothing seems to work. He is a great cat but not sure if I can go on like this for the next decade or so.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, thank you!!!

 

[hambirg]

I have had cats my whole life but never had this problem before & i am sick of constantly washing everything. Had a boy cat age 3 & brought home a kitten (3 month old neutered boy) about a month ago. He used the shared litter box right away with no problems. Little cat (LC) gets along great with the older cat, who is pretty mellow.

All of a sudden, LC starts peeing on my dd's bed. He does not seem upset; in fact, he seems pretty happy while doing it. Took him to the dr. who tested him for a urinary tract infection but he was fine.

Since then, he has peed numerous times on DD's bed & is no longer allowed to sleep with her. Today he peed on my bed, which is where he sleeps. He also peed on her sheets when they were on the floor of the laundry room waiting to be be washed. I have put his face in it & told him no & also have sprayed him with water but nothing seems to work. He is a great cat but not sure if I can go on like this for the next decade or so.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, thank you!!!

Well, one thing to consider is if the litter box is big enough for both cats. Some cats are really funny about this and do not like a dirty box or to share the box. I think I would try offering another box, in a separate place. Also keep it very clean, use unscented clumping litter and see if that doesn't help.

You'll also have to get some kind of enzyme cleaner to get the scent out of where he's going now. Otherwise he will want to keep going back to those spots.

ETA-Here's a pretty good website with some good info. About 2/3rds of the way down she talks about the number of boxes and locations. . .I suspect that's what you're dealing with.

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=litterbox

 

[Shmily1]

Cats are so picky about where they use the bathroom that it's possible that you would need more little boxes. You should have one more than the number of cats you have to make them all happy.

 

[shortbun]

Boy cats, if neutered too early, often have damaged euretheras. Ask your vet about this. You said he was 3 months and already neutered, right? Keep the bedroom doors shut, don't let him in and keep your laundry off the floor. This is a fight I have never known anyone to win unless they had a cat sick with a curable problem-ie, infection. I would definitely get a second litter box too.

 

[luvavacation]

When you find out how to solve this, please let me know! We have had the same problem for 5 years now!

The culprit is my daughter's cat. This is a spayed female 6 years old, she uses the litter box, we have kitty attract-type litter in it, but she also enjoys urinating on silky clothing (undies, nightgowns, etc.) and fresh laundry. Bring up a basket of clean laundry, she is peeing in it before you put all the laundry away. Leave a silky nightie on the ground, she is on it.

We have tried all types of behaviour modification, including the scented pheromone type things you plug in the walls, the special pheromone litter, confining her to a room with her litter box and no items to pee on, etc. Doesn't matter, she just loves to urinate on clean laundry and silky things. We have multiple litter boxes, they are cleaned every day, but nothing helps.

My vet finally said there was nothing more to change, this is just her. It is a good thing we love this cat! And while we have become quite good at keeping things away from her that she loves to pee on, there is still that errant shirt you decide to put on one day and realize it smells like cat pee, but you have no idea how she managed to find it and pee on it. I think she has started peeing up into the closets!

 

[ckay87]

This is the single reason we won't get a cat. It's so sad because I'd really like one, but we had a male cat who did this for years. He was fine in our first home, but when we moved to our second home, he would pee where he pleased, especially on any laundry on the floor. They are so difficult to teach when the don't want to be taught.

 

[Duchie]

When you find out how to solve this, please let me know! We have had the same problem for 5 years now!

The culprit is my daughter's cat. This is a spayed female 6 years old, she uses the litter box, we have kitty attract-type litter in it, but she also enjoys urinating on silky clothing (undies, nightgowns, etc.) and fresh laundry. Bring up a basket of clean laundry, she is peeing in it before you put all the laundry away. Leave a silky nightie on the ground, she is on it.

We have tried all types of behaviour modification, including the scented pheromone type things you plug in the walls, the special pheromone litter, confining her to a room with her litter box and no items to pee on, etc. Doesn't matter, she just loves to urinate on clean laundry and silky things. We have multiple litter boxes, they are cleaned every day, but nothing helps.

My vet finally said there was nothing more to change, this is just her. It is a good thing we love this cat! And while we have become quite good at keeping things away from her that she loves to pee on, there is still that errant shirt you decide to put on one day and realize it smells like cat pee, but you have no idea how she managed to find it and pee on it. I think she has started peeing up into the closets!

I am right there with you. Our cat was a 4-week old stray when the kids found him. He did great at first but now he just pees on everything. He'll pee on jackets, backpacks, towels, plastic bags, papers, books, shoes.... whatever is in his way. He even peed on top of the washing machine the other day. We've taken him to the vet and he's fine physically.

My brother and his family recently moved into their new house. Before moving in, they had all of the carpet replaced. Well their cat, who was perfect before the move, suddenly started not using the litter box. So we've been swapping suggestions and information for the past several months. Their cat has totally ruined their brand new carpet in one area.

We've used the cat-attract litter with the added stuff on top, the plug-in diffusers, have multiple litter boxes all over the house, all the stuff suggested in this thread and more. So far, nothing works. The last time we took him to the vet about this was about 2 months ago. I'm planning to call the vet again soon to talk about next steps. In the packet she gave me the last time, Prozac was mentioned. Not sure who would take that - the cat or me.

 

[LuLuO]

You need at least three litter boxes for two cats. Make sure they are kind of out of the way. A lot of cats won't go if it is in a high traffic area. Also, make sure you scoop the litter daily. Take him to the vet and get him checked out for a UTI or other infection or kidney problems.

Another thought, have you changed the type of litter recently or added any odor covering up fresheners? A lot of cats don't like those. Also, are your litter boxes covered? If so, try uncovering them. We use big rubbermaid containers. They are high enough that they can't pee over the side.

 

[Denine]

I have had cats my whole life but never had this problem before & i am sick of constantly washing everything. Had a boy cat age 3 & brought home a kitten (3 month old neutered boy) about a month ago. He used the shared litter box right away with no problems. Little cat (LC) gets along great with the older cat, who is pretty mellow.

All of a sudden, LC starts peeing on my dd's bed. He does not seem upset; in fact, he seems pretty happy while doing it. Took him to the dr. who tested him for a urinary tract infection but he was fine.

Since then, he has peed numerous times on DD's bed & is no longer allowed to sleep with her. Today he peed on my bed, which is where he sleeps. He also peed on her sheets when they were on the floor of the laundry room waiting to be be washed. I have put his face in it & told him no & also have sprayed him with water but nothing seems to work. He is a great cat but not sure if I can go on like this for the next decade or so.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, thank you!!!

Welcome to my world!

We have had Hera for 6 years. We cannot keep the bedroom doors open. I have piddle pads on the guest bed. I cannot have throw rugs for the most part. I cannot have rugs in DD's bathroom. She pees on everything. NOw she is peeing on the basement carpet. We have tried everything short of euthanasia. I don't have the heart. She has major issues!!! She is afraid of everyone. She is a very sweet cat though and loves to be petted.

 

[Swalphin]

I just had this problem, my eight year old cat peed on the dog bed, sofa, and our bed!!!!! The poor dog got blamed for the dog bed, luckily I have about three covers on the sofa and it did not go through and the bed I was in the room and threw out what she had wetted.

I went the next morning to the vet, no medical issues at all.
For whatever reason she no longer wanted to use her single cat litter box in the basement. I bought 3 new boxes put them in different areas of the house and let her choose. I am down to 2 boxes in the powder room. And thank god no more accidents.

I think she got spooked by something in the basement and associated whatever scared her with that. People next door were doing work on their home so maybe a loud noise from the construction.

I would try several litter boxes at different places. Maybe new litter, and no hoods on the box. Good luck I really feel for you it is so frustrating.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Shovel?

 

[FergieTCat]

My cat did that when she had a urinary tract infection. I'd take him to the vet.

One of the few reasons a cat would urinate outside of the box is if they associate it with pain.

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

Any hints to get rid of the stains and odors? My cat is having significant urinary issues (again). Started meds on Monday, I came home from out of town Wed to see bloody urine spots all over the bedroom carpets. I made my bed and he jumped right up there and urinated on it (luckily I got it off quickly enough so it didn't soak through), and he's pee'd on both the kids' beds. He's now locked downstairs and there are spots all over the concrete and on the sofas down there. I hate to clean it all too much until he's better and (hopefully) not doing it anymore.

 

[FergieTCat]

Any hints to get rid of the stains and odors? My cat is having significant urinary issues (again). Started meds on Monday, I came home from out of town Wed to see bloody urine spots all over the bedroom carpets. I made my bed and he jumped right up there and urinated on it (luckily I got it off quickly enough so it didn't soak through), and he's pee'd on both the kids' beds. He's now locked downstairs and there are spots all over the concrete and on the sofas down there. I hate to clean it all too much until he's better and (hopefully) not doing it anymore.

Nature's Miracle (available at most pet stores) works OK on non-porous surfaces.

When my cat was ill (she was an old cat with renal failure), she was peeing on almost anything she could find that was soft and had my scent on it. I was recently cleaning out a closet and found a duffle bag that I though I had cleaned but I could smell her urine. You may have to toss anything that soaked through.

 

[suzcruz]

thanks for all the suggestions, i didn't realize this was such a common and difficult problem. i have 2 litter boxes but will try different locations & keeping them cleaner. what kind of cleaner should i be using on the sheets, etc.? what is an enzyme cleaner?

 

[Swalphin]

Any hints to get rid of the stains and odors? My cat is having significant urinary issues (again). Started meds on Monday, I came home from out of town Wed to see bloody urine spots all over the bedroom carpets. I made my bed and he jumped right up there and urinated on it (luckily I got it off quickly enough so it didn't soak through), and he's pee'd on both the kids' beds. He's now locked downstairs and there are spots all over the concrete and on the sofas down there. I hate to clean it all too much until he's better and (hopefully) not doing it anymore.

Urine Gone, it actually worked. It has enzymes in it that break down the urine doesn't just cover them up. I used it on the dog bed cover( from the cat) and the flooring underneath. It worked, I did some research before I bought I picked up a bottle at target. Just get the bottle, they have a kit with a black light that I read was useless.

 

[pl71]

You have my sympathy, I totally understand how horrible this is to deal with. I'm guessing it's a marking issue due to the new second cat. Although un-altered males are most likely to mark, all cats can do it. My spayed female cat had the same problem. They will pee in places they like to claim it as theirs, apparently the smell doesn't bother them. Don't bother with rubbing noses in it, that won't help at all. You really want to reduce stress, not add to it.

These are the things I see as mandatory changes:
1) Clean and treat with urine remover all areas that have been peed on. The products I found to work best were Nature's Miracle* and Stink Free Urine Remover** for sofas, mattresses or carpets. Anything washable will wash clean in hot water in regular laundry without treatment by a urine remover.
2) See the vet and check for a urinary tract infection. If it's a UTI, antibiotics will fix it. They avoid the litter box because it hurts when they pee, so they try to go in different places to see if maybe it doesn't hurt to pee in the new location.

*Nature's Miracle is an enzyme treatment, you must use it appropriately. There are other brands as well, just make sure it says enzyme. It has to be no more than a month old or the bacteria in it that eats the urine odor die in the bottle. Soak the pee area with it and let it sit wet until it dries naturally. It will smell worse as it dries. Once dry, it should no longer smell. This works best on fresh urine.
**Stink Free Urine Remover is NOT an enzyme treatment, it's a chemical treatment similar to what is used in porta-potties. It has an unlimited shelf life and will remove the urine order on contact. It does have a perfume like smell, which is okay if it's a small area but not good if you treat a large area. I treated about a 5x3 area of carpet with a gallon of it and couldn't use the room until the perfume order went away after 6 months. However, there is no odor AT ALL now, it is very effective.
All treatment will only remove the odor but will leave stains. Once they have dried you'll need to steam clean your carpets.

After trying the above items, here's what I recommend (proceed to the next step when there is no peeing outside litter box for several days, ideally for at least a week):
1) Shut peeing cat into a bathroom or a tall cat cage with litter box for about a week, only allow access to the rest of the house when directly supervised.
2) expand to a larger room, but still limit the area that is available, spray Feliway daily on any furniture in the room
3) allow access to the entire house except bedrooms, spray Feliway on any areas of concern
4) allow access to all rooms, use Feliway spray on the beds daily

If that still doesn't work, then see your vet again and ask about drugs for urine marking. My cat ended up on fluoxetine (feline Prozac) for close to a year. It worked best when I used it in liquid form. The liquid was easier to give daily and it was easier to control the dosage, so I was able to gradually wean her off it. After about 6 weeks if there's no peeing, reduce the dose. If peeing occurs, go back to the previous amount. Otherwise, continue at that amount for a week, then reduce the dose again. If there are any slips during treatment, clean the area and then spray it with Feliway spray.

My cat had a severe, long term problem (she'd been doing it in hidden areas of my house for about 5 years, multiple times daily). We were able to fully cure her, but it took about a year on drugs. I honestly think that since we were able to fix her, there's hope for any cat.