inappropriate behavior

moo's mommy

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HELP! my roommate's 5 year old male sibling cats have started peeing all over the house. on her bed, on the couch and the other day on her head while she was sleeping. she has taken them both to the vet and they have ruled out UTI's in both.

any idea what could be causing this behavior? she is ready to kill them.
 

graciecat

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Just to add to Jen's question....how often are the litterboxes cleaned and how many litter boxes are there?
Have there been any changes in the household?
Anyone move in, move out?
Did she buy new litterboxes, is she using different litter, or did she move the box/boxes?
 

tarasgirl06

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Well, if you're at all serious in that comment, I do hope someone removes them from this person!!!

How clean are their litterboxes? Is the environment calm and peaceful, or is it chaotic and noisy? Cats are sensitive beings and they do not like the latter kind of environment, especially when using the bathroom. Are they territorial? Sometimes one cat will prevent others from using the box by "ambushing" him or her. This can be changed with patience and consistence, and/or by having enough boxes so that the territorial cat can't "police" them all at once.
 
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moo's mommy

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Both of the boys are neutered. They boxes are kept very clean (scooped 2x daily). There have been no changes in the household. She (the roommate) lives by herself in a cottage with the two kitties. They have been together since birth.
 

goldenkitty45

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Ok seems the major issues are ruled out (mainly the UTI in the boys).

Sometimes if there is a strange cat OUTside that is hanging out, the inside cats can become upset and start "marking" territory even if they never go out. Is there any other cats around outside?
 

sassy42

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Originally Posted by moo's mommy

Both of the boys are neutered. They boxes are kept very clean (scooped 2x daily). There have been no changes in the household. She (the roommate) lives by herself in a cottage with the two kitties. They have been together since birth.
Sorry, confused here. She is your roomie but lives alone in a cottage?

Peed ON HER HEAD? I've never heard of that. Has anything at all changed in the dynamics of the house?
 

tarasgirl06

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Two times a day is better than once or none, but I scoop mine much more often, whenever someone goes if possible. Cats are extremely clean; some just won't go in the box if there is anything in there at all. Maybe she needs to clean more often. And if the litter is soiled at all, change it out completely after cleaning the box with hot soapy water (and I use some pine disinfectant in it, or bleach, making sure the box is completely dry before letting the cats near it, and filling it with clean litter). btw, the enzymatic cleaners (I use Nature's Miracle Just For Cats, available at Petco, PetsMart, and other "pet" supply stores) do a great job, when used as directed, of not only removing the stain and neutralizing the odor, they actually "eat" the contaminant using enzymes, so the area becomes clean. And for "accidents" on carpeting, the home-use shampooers can be wonderful -- and they pay for themselves in time!
 
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moo's mommy

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her cottage is in my backyard. i call her my roommate.


there haven't been any changes inside her home, food or litter wise.

we both use the exquisicat litter crystals and the clever cat litter boxes. they only thing i can think of is that maybe they don't like the litter anymore.

there are neighborhood cats that pass through our yard sometimes, but she has been in the cottage for 2 years and this behavior has only been going on for about a month.
 

jen

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it could just be one particular cat that passes through that they don't like. It could just be one of your cats with the problem, but the other follows along.

also, does she know the exact day that the marking started? it could be some silly little trigger like a new shampoo that smells different, maybe someone came to visit that had an animal smell on them, maybe the furniture was moved around, something was painted inside or outside, etc... some cats are really sensitive to particular things.
 

tarasgirl06

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Originally Posted by moo's mommy

her cottage is in my backyard. i call her my roommate.


there haven't been any changes inside her home, food or litter wise.

we both use the exquisicat litter crystals and the clever cat litter boxes. they only thing i can think of is that maybe they don't like the litter anymore.

there are neighborhood cats that pass through our yard sometimes, but she has been in the cottage for 2 years and this behavior has only been going on for about a month.
So what has changed in that time, at around that time? There must be something different that is making them do this -- if they've checked out healthy, it has to be an outside stimulus of some kind. I don't have any experience with those crystals or boxes, but you're so right -- they may not like the litter for some reason. Maybe it has reached a point where YOU can't smell it but THEY can and they don't like it for that reason. Possibly the texture is unattractive to them. We use Petco's Pet Gold Plus Scoopable cat litter (in the 30-lb. refillable tub -- for nine, we use one a week) in a variety of "clean-'em-yourself" boxes, and it seems to work just fine, most of the time. For the other times, Nature's Miracle Just For Cats.
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by moo's mommy

HELP! my roommate's 5 year old male sibling cats have started peeing all over the house. on her bed, on the couch and the other day on her head while she was sleeping. she has taken them both to the vet and they have ruled out UTI's in both.

any idea what could be causing this behavior? she is ready to kill them.
I have to ask, sorry...but how were the UTIs "ruled out"? Were urinalysis tests done? Or did the vet just examine the cats?
 
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