Unfamiliar Territory with innappropriate urinating

I've read all of the past forums from 30 days ago to current. I've probably dealt with almost all of the questions about a cat urinating out of the box.

I have two cats, both fixed, one 7-year old male, Nigel, and a 11.5 month old kitten, T.C. Nigel is probably the epitomy of the perfect cat. I've never had one problem with him since we got him from the shelter. T.C., however, is like entering the unknown in space. She is fearless, and I think at this point, untrainable. She was less than six months old when she started peeing on our beds and the bathroom carpets. Since, I have removed the bath rugs, and bought new comforters for my daughter, and had our down comforter professionally cleaned and treated. Now, our bedroom doors are closed, except at night.

Here's the problem that may make or break her stay...I found just two days ago, she has been peeing under my dining room table. Who knows how long or how old the stains are. I had the area professionally cleaned and deodorized yesterday, placed a few large bath towels over the area and sprayed it with repellant. This morning, I find that she did it again on top of the towels, even with the repellant.

We keep our litter boxes immaculate and they are in easy to get to areas and in quiet areas. Short of locking her up in the upstairs bathroom all day, we are at our wits end about how to get her to stop this. I've spent,literally, hundreds of dollars on her already, and am taking her to the Vet next week to check for infections.

Any help is GREATLY appreciated and desperately needed. We don't want to let her go just because of this... but we are running out of options.

An infection would be my first guess on that situation. I would definatley rule that out for sure. They are all classic signs.
Next, how long have you had the two together? How old was she when you got her and do you know her background? Do these 2 get along all the time?

Okay, I've taken my cat in for tests, and the vet is pretty sure that she doesn't have an infection. He is going to send some samples to the lab to make sure, but just by feeling around, he doubts it.

He says that it may be behavioral or psychological. I shudder to think that that is the problem, because I don't think my husband is going to go for that. The vet also said something about "kitty prozac". Exactly what is that?

She hasn't peed under the table since I covered with aluminum foil, and heavy towels sprayed with repellant. I can't always do that, especially since we entertain a lot and use the dining table.

I'm thinking that I may have to buy a plastic shower curtain and cover it with a cheap throw rug to keep her away, but what if she starts peeing somewhere else? What do I do then? My daughter would be heart-broken if we had to give her up, as she is "her" cat. Also, since my older cat is practically perfect, the little one seems like such a burden. Advice, please?

If the test comes back okay then I would try and re train her. You should put her in a bathroom..no rugs just her bed, litter box and food. Keep her in there for about a week and make sure she is using her litter. Once she has used it the whole time, you can try letting her have free reign again. Kitty prozac is the same thing as human prozac. It is an anti depressant. I would not use drug therapy until you have tried all the other behavior modifications first.

Sandie,

Do I let her out when we are at home? For her first few days with us (she was 8-weeks old) she stayed in the bathroom full-time. It was hard when she cried. When she cries, she really cries. I don't know if we can stand it, or not. I'll try. I've been keeping her in when we are not at home, and at night when we sleep. When we are home, we let her out and keep tabs on her. Is that good enough?

Really the only way to potty train them is to keep them in there 24 hours a day. I would go sit with one of mine every half hour or when I could. I know it's hard but it's the only way they get the idea that the litter is the ONLY option. Once they have that notion it is usually for good. Giving them a large room is too much. They have other places to choose from. A bathroom is ideal because they wont go where they eat or sleep and usually those are the only other places in the bathroom.

My vet seems to feel very strongly about putting her on Prozac. She hasn't peed under the table since I covered it with aluminum foil, towels, and sprayed it with repellant. I've been following her around when I can't see her and she is on the move. Each time, I've seen her go to the box. It is a positive move on her part, but I'm worried about what is going to happen when the carpet cleaners come tomorrow, and the area will be uncovered again. For how long do you think I should keep the area covered before she gets the hint?

I would keep it covered for at least a few weeks. I would also invest in a good neutralizer like NOK-OUT. This will save on the cleaning bills down the road if it happens again. If she starts again, I would try to re train before going straight to the drugs. I would exaust all other sources first. I wouldnt put my child on something that quickly any sooner than I would the cat. Let us know how she's coming along.

Definitely got word from the vet that she is not harboring any type of infection. I've been keeping her in the bathroom, and only letting her out when she can be closely supervised (just like her first days with us). My husband thinks that by locking her up, it is confusing her. I have the area covered with aluminum foil and is being deoderized now. I cannot use a liquid deodorizer until I get back from vacation in a few weeks.

The liquid deodorizer that I bought is called "Nature's Miracle" and is made just for cat urine. I squirted it on a small spot, and it works great. The spot I have is huge, and cannot be closed off. I'm worried about what to do with her when we are away for a week. Should I still keep her in the bathroom all alone? I have a neighbor coming in to feed my cats and clean my boxes for me everyday. I will be gone the last week in May.

I'm getting close to just pulling up the carpet and laying hardwood flooring down, but I really don't want to do that, since the carpet is only 4 years old and practically unused. I just shudder everytime I think about the stain that is there, and that the professionals couldn't get it out, and they've been to my home twice now!!

Well, no putting her in the bathroom is not going to confuse her. It is a matter of making sure she gets used to the litter box. Once she is used to the litter box for sure, she will only want to use something that can be covered up. Letting her out supervised is okay, as long as she is using the litter box in the bathroom. Once she is used to the box and you know she is going, you leave the bathroom door open and see if she goes in there to use the litter. If she does this with sucess, then you can slowly move it to a location you prefer. With the vacation, if you arent sure if she's ready, I would confine her to at least one room. For the large area, you can go to a harware store and maybe get a large roll of painters plastic to tape over the spot while you are gone.

Thanks for the tip, I was going to buy a plastic shower curtain, but I think the painter's plastic is a lot cheaper.
Wish me luck!!

IMO it would be very cruel to lock a cat in a bathroom for a week. A cattery would be preferable, at least there would be things going on and people and other cats within sight and/or sound. I guess you've investigated different types of litter and that the cat is not declawed - this causes inappropriate elimination behaviour because digging causes discomfort. Are the litter trays big and the litter deep? Cats able to access the outdoors and natural soil as litter will dig several holes, often quite deep, before deciding on "the one".

There is no way my husband would allow my cat to go outside. Even when they sneak out to nibble on the grass, he freaks out. About four years ago I found a dead kitten on the steps in my backyard, and it was thrown there on purpose. There was no body, just a head. Since then, it confirmed our original beliefs that our cats stay inside...no matter what.

The litter is cleaned everyday, and deep. She is definitely a digger. My male cat only wants to cover, but she loves to dig. I would say that we keep it about 4" deep.

She has been doing better since the area was covered for about two weeks now. I'm finding her little lumps in the boxes now. So when we clean, we look for the little clumps, because she seems to pee less than my big cat.

We're leaving for a week on Friday, so I hope she does okay without me checking on where she is. I covered the area with a large rug from another room. She cant' smell anything but the carpet, so I hope she keeps using the boxes.

The litter sounds fine, some people only put a sprinkling in the bottom of the tray, wanting to economise I guess, and then wonder why their cats won't use it. Also it sounds like you're getting on top of the problem anyway. Re the grass - you probably know this anyway and apologies if you do, but cats do need to eat grass. The reason is not entirely clear but it's probably a source of roughage. Cat grass in a pot can be bought for indoor cats.
Re the headless kitten, some years ago I had a cat thrown over my fence that had been shot through the back. It was dead but I'm not sure whether it would have died instantly or not. I never could work out the reason, maybe some weird protest against cats in general, as my own cats caused no one any harm or trouble. There are some very sick people in the world.
My cats do go outdoors, less so than previously when we lived in a safer area for them, they are confined in quite a large enclosure connected to the house at night, but are allowed outdoors during the day under moderate supervision. I found I was able to train them not to go in certain areas, like out the front of the house towards the traffic, but I make sure I'm around doing the gardening or something. I was surprised how easy it was to train them and urge other people to try it if they have any sort of a yard or garden. Harness and leashes for cats are becoming popular, too, so that they can be taken for outdoor walks.