My cat pees on everything!! HELP!

[Camdynlyn]

A little background:

I got DARLYN in Oct 2002, she was born in August. She is almost 3 years old. We got our Shih Tzu (Grits) in April. About a month or two ago, she started peeing on everything: Couch, chaise, clothes, towels, you name it! NOT on the floor though! :confused:

We have brand new furniture that I have cleaned with stuff from Petsmart but I am clueless as to what to do!! :mad: I am at my whits end and ready to give her away. She is spayed and declawed, she sheds like crazy!!

Please help me! Give me suggestions because we are moving to our new home the end of the year and if this hasn't stopped, I am giving her away. I don't want my new home ruined! :mad: :rolleyes:

[jesvet]

Have you taken her to the vet yet? You want to make sure she doesn't have a urinary tract infection, crystals, or something else medical going on.

If the health check is clear, you need to distinguish between spraying and inappropriate elimination. I would do some research on the two because people use them interchangeably but they are two separate issues. Spraying is a marking behavior, most common in but not limited to males. IE happens when a cat decides not to use the litterbox, for whatever reason. Most common reasons are:

1. litterbox not cleaned often enough (doesn't mean you are negligent, just some cats like it SUPER clean)
2. Cat doesn't like litter (most often the litter is too strongly scented or too dusty)
3. Litterbox too hard to get to- too far away, or maybe there is an obstacle such as an intimidating dog that the cat doesn't want to go by.

Good luck!

[boilermaker]

About a year and a half ago, my cat started doing the same thing. After taking her to the vet and ruling out anything medical, the vet decided she just had an attitude problem (there were no issues with her litter box...we did start there as jesvet mentioned).

Anyhow, if she gets mad at me for something, she'll pee on the couch/chair whatever. So now I have to keep her in the basement while we aren't home (there isn't anything down there she can hurt). I never figured out how to "fix" it. The latest incident was in March when IL were taking care of her while we were on vacation. MIL let her free in the house the whole time (they stopped by to feed and take care of her) and she peed all over the place. I was beyond pissed!

SO I guess I am not much help but I certainly sympathize with you. I have managed it by basically keeping her from anything she could damage, but I'm thnakful to have a place I can do that.

[Camdynlyn]

Well, she doesn't pee on things when we are watching (she waits until we are in bed or not home) and she doesn't poop on things, just pees. She does use her litter box while we are here. It is just strange.

I bought new litter this week so we will see what that does. She DID pee on my towel today that had fallen off the towel rack. :mad:

[tlew12778]

Did you guys just move into an apt while you're waiting for your new house to be ready? Maybe she feels the need to mark her territory.

[solongtogo]

I suggest taking her to the vet..sounds like a UTI.

[kam]

Sommer was doing the same thing - anything that remotely resembled a litter box. She had a UTI. What kind of food does he eat? If it's like a cat chow or the like and he's developing crystals, chances are your kitty needs a prescription food that doesn't have as high a Ph level as most store-bought foods.

[Camdynlyn]

Thanks. I don't buy cheap food (I actually switched to a better brand with less junk in it) but I will call the vet to see. I did move into a small apartment while we are building so that could have something to do with it also.

[katiadarling]

I don't have a cat, but I do work at a humane society, so we counsel people about cat issues. Besides the issues that Jesvet mentioned, major changes can also trigger a change in litterbox usage. I would definitely take her to the vet to have a UTI ruled out, but if it isn't that, it could be linked to a change in her/your life (like moving to the apartment).

We recommend that when people bring a new cat home, and when they move with a cat, that they start the cat out in one room with it's litterbox to let it get used to things. Then, as they start to get more used to their surroundings, you can let them out little by little into the rest of the house.


Hope that helps!

[pride&prejudice]

My cat does the same thing.

Once it was becuase of the litter box, but I think I'm getting her to the vet just to be sure.

[jesvet]

I missed that you just moved into an apartment. Was there a cat living there previously?

Lots of things could be coming into play, but before you diagnose a behavioral issue you have to make sure there is not a medical condition. Crystals can happen even with high quality food, and stress can be a trigger for not only behavioral changes but medical problems.

[Camdynlyn]

What are crystals?

[kam]

jesvet can answer this much better than I can, but crystals essentially form which can cause UTIs and/or kidney stones. They are bad news.

[Zelda Von Yitz]

It could even be a jealousy issue because a new arrival's joined the family.

Tell your vet about this problem. It could also be a urinary problem.

[jesvet]

Crystals form when the normal salts in the urine collect and form into crystals. Diet and hydration play a big role in preventing their formation, but some cats just get them. They act as little bacteria magnets, so often you get infection along with them. They can also all clump together and form stones (like kidney stones in people), a painful condition.

[seaturtletattoo]

My male cat does the same thing, it drives my DH mad. He didn't always do it, but about 2 years ago he started pooping outside of the litter box and then eventually graduated to peeing on the carpet.

The vet said it was purely behavior and offered these suggestions. I have tried them all.

1. Try all types of different litter. Some cats have super sentivite noses and hate litters that have fragrence to them. Try the crystal, the cedar chips, heck, shredded newspaper.

2. On that note, if you have a lot of those glade plug in things in your house (I did...heck, to cover up cat smell...) take them down. Some cats cannot smell their litter box since those things overpower a cats nose and they can't smell the litter box.

3. Clean litter box. At all times. If needed, scoop 2 to three times a day. This is a royal pain. But can work wonders. Cats hate dirty litter boxes.

4. Have a choice of litter boxes the general rule vets say is one litter box per cat, plus one. I have two for my two cats, but really should have three. I have a tiny place, so that is hard.

5. Some cats really really dislike covered litter boxes. Try one without a cover.

6. Try a bigger litter box. Somecats hate those smaller pans. I actually box a long plastic tub used for storing stuff This has worked WONDERS. I have a big cat, he needs to move around to be able to cover his stuff. Plus I put a decent size of litter in so he has a lot of room to bury.

7. Placement, placement, placement. Cats hate having their litter box somewhere where they feel "trapped" or can be ambushed by another animal. My other cat always ambushes my boy in there and he can't escape.

8. "punishing" a cat after the fact doesn't help. They have no idea why you are yelling and don't associate your anger with peeing on the floor... all they do is associate you with yelling and are scared.

9. reinforce your cat...when you are home and she uses her litter box praise her, give her a treat right after she does it (when you can catch it.)

10. Consistent. You have to always do it (i.e. like cleaning the litter box) if you get lazy, the cat will too. They are picky picky creatures)

I have tried all of these things after trial and error. (I even locked up my cat with the litter box in a bathroom when we were not at home, it worked int he short term but in the long term he just reverted to his old ways) And it is working! After 2 plus years, I am very excited! I love love my pet and want him happy.

Good luck!

[Heidi9771]

Don't you wish they could talk to us in our language? Trying to figure out what is provoking this would be so much easier! :)

[Little Angel '77]

Ok, one day DH and I were leaving, and the cat wanted to go out, but we couldn't let him out. She turned and pee'd on the door. She was pissed.

We too thought she had a UTI... we went to the vet to be told she had "behaviroal issues."

Is there another cat in the area? Because they will spray to mark their territory. maybe a cat is coming near the house when you are not home. You might need to see an animal behaviorist, and maybe move the litter box to the upstairs when you are not home to encourage her to use it.

[Camdynlyn]

I really hope this doesn't happen we we move into our bigger house. We are in an apartment that is a little less than 900sq. feet and will be going to our new house that is 2711sq. ft. We just moved from our 1600sq. ft home and we had no peeing problems but she did puke some white substance infront of every door frame... how's that for odd??

She didn't start the puking until we got our puppy but now she doesn't puke, she pees on our stuff. I have found she doesn't pee on our stuff (clothes and all) when we are here and I have started shutting our room door. She hasn't (knock on wood) peed on the furniture in about a week so let's hope that says. I have been giving her extra love and changed her litter box.

Keep the suggestions going. I am going to wait a couple weeks to take her to the vet so I don't look silly. I just took my dog 2 times in the last week!:o

[Sabriel]

Just MHO, but I really wouldn't wait. UTI's are painful and crystals are very painful! (Imagine tiny pieces of glass in your bladder and while you pee. :eek: ) Also, a medical problem could turn into a behavioral problem if it goes on too long. Don't worry about looking silly. Your vet is there to help you and your pets. That's what you pay them for! Good luck!

Edited to fix my smilie.

[southhavenjen]

Please don't wait! You owe it to your cat to get this checked out. We had a cat once that got a urinary infection/crystals and the vet said it was good we brought her in when we did. Apparently the crystals make it hard for the cat to pee, and if it gets too bad, the cat won't be able to pee at all, and could die.

[pride&prejudice]

I wanted to bump this up and post waht happened to my cat.

She is unusually small. Had been most of her life. Well she's always acted crazy when she gets in heat and has been in heat way too often. I thought soemthing might be wrong, but DH said its just because she's strange. Well the peeing started, and I just couldn't stand it. We took her to the vet.

Well, the tests came back adn it turned out that she had blood and crystals. Plus the vet said that she might also have anxiety. So now she is on meds for anxiety and antibiotics, and we are switching her food.

She is starting to get better, but I cannot help but laugh (I know its not funny) that my cat has anxiety. :rolleyes:

[Little Angel '77]

augh, I had to bump this post....
anyone have any more ideas for behavioral issues???

My cat wanted to go out again on Friday night ... and I said NO.. and went upstairs to cahnge (we were going to the game, )
She came in my room and went in my closet and peed in my laundry basket.........


Grosss. .... but thank GOD it was the laundry basket that I was giving all the stuff in it away :)

I just threw it out, but now i am well convienced this cat just has a attitude problem, as soon as she did it, I picked up the shirt and put it in her face, (which she didn't like)


If its not one cat peeing, the other one is puking, and now we have hairball issues.... ahhhhhhh I love them, but for the love of pete!

[Heidi9771]

I would get a second oppinion from another vet... behanvior issues is the easy way out excuse from a vet who may not know what is really up. We had to go through this too, and we finaly found a vet who could properly treat and diagnose our cat, Tig.