I've got spraying!

lawguy

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I don't know who did it. It seems fresh because it was wet.

I assume Ollie because he's the male, but I don't know for sure.

Possible reasons IMO: I recently switched litters on them. They've been using it for days though without a problem. This was a surprise. Just in case that was the reason, I placed a second small litter box with the old litter next to the new litter.

Other reasons? Maybe Ollie isn't happy? I don't know what the deal is. He seems happy.

It's definitely spraying. I found little spurts here and there throughout my room.

What do I do?
 

Willowy

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Wow. I didn't think either of yours were old enough to start that kind of thing. Maybe a Feliway Plug-in would help to keep it from becoming a habit. You can find them cheaper on eBay or some online stores.

How old are they exactly? Are they spayed/neutered yet? Were the "spurts" against the walls or on the carpet?
 
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lawguy

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the spurts were on the carpet.

Ollie is neutered, Ally is scheduled to get spayed exactly 1 week from today.

Ally is 4 months. Ollie is 3 months.
 

missymotus

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Girls often spray when calling, which can happen from 4 months old.

Or, you might need more litter boxes. The general rule is one per cat plus one, so you could need 3 boxes for your cats.
 

Willowy

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Maybe she's in heat....Dot went into heat at 16 weeks. But Dot didn't pee anywhere she shouldn't have, though some cats do mark when they're in heat. Small amounts of urine in several places can also be a sign of a UTI. If that's what it is, you should catch the offending party peeing somewhere soon. They just can't hold it for long and squat wherever they are at the time. Then you'd need to see the vet for medication.

Boys usually whiz against the walls when they're spraying. And they really aren't old enough for that yet. So I would guess it's either a protest against the new litter or someone has a UTI.

Ditto on the number of litterboxes.....if you don't have enough, you'll eventually have issues. They might not mind sharing right now, but it's a risk.
 
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lawguy

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They were both finally using the same litter box without a problem.

This isn't full-out urinating on the carpet. It's little spurts every few feet.
 
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lawguy

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They just can't hold it for long and squat wherever they are at the time. Then you'd need to see the vet for medication.
We're talking really a teeny amount of urine in each place. Maybe a few dots of it, and the spurts were spread out every 2 feet or so.
 

Willowy

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A UTI could cause dribbling. Like I said, if it is a UTI you should see it pretty soon. That really doesn't sound like any spraying I've ever seen. And I've had plenty of experience with spraying
.
 
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lawguy

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I just cleaned it and I was wrong before.

It was a near constant stream of clusters of 6 dots of urine or so over a straight line of 25 feet or so.

Pet urine.... yet another way to ruin a night's sleep. It's only a big deal because the carpet was just cleaned and if I didn't clean it before the family wakes up, you might as well place an obituary for me.
 
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lawguy

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I'm so frustrated. I want to know what is wrong here!

If it's a UTI, I need to know ASAP. If Ally has gone into heat, I need to know ASAP.

I switched the litter back to what they both were comfortable using.
 

mrblanche

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It could be that one of them was interrupted in the litter box by the other one. It could be a UTI.

But if it's on the carpet in a continuous line, it's not spraying.
 
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lawguy

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If it was a UTI, it would continue wouldn't it? I'd see it again soon?
 

nance

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I've had cat spray/pee and there are several reasons why...the main one for me with my cats is stress....I have one cat who never goes outside his litter box....until ...I have a dinner party ....I have company over that gets loud....I bring home another pet.....its almost expected for him...I have another that sprays/pees outside his box ....in the spring...it starts...and can last sometimes thought the summer...then it stops...til the following spring....You have these cats at the vet so often ...I would tend to think its more behaviour...but keep an eye out and like others said add another box....to see if it helps
 

catmom2wires

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If it's a UTI, I'd suspect your little girl, since the baby boy has been on antibiotics recently. It does sound very strange, tho.

Keep an eye on things! Pets can sure drive you crazy!

Cally
 

white cat lover

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First thing you need to do is get them both to the vet to test a urine sample for a UTI.

Second - Feliway diffuser. If it is behavior, given the small space you are in, there is a limited number of things you can do. Add another box, use cat attact litter.

It's possible on is bugging the other when in the box - so they bolt (creating a litterbox aversion).

You may have to go back to keeping one kitty in the crate at all times, until you move & can re-introduce them in a larger space. The longer the litterpan issue goes on, the harder it will be to break.
 

ckblv

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If the carpet just got cleaned, could that be it? Could the cleaning chemicals upset the cats?
 

hissy

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As a rule younger kittens don't get UTI's it is quite rare if they do. The tip off is if there is just tiny spots of urine and no pool or stream- UTI's block the flow of urine, making going quite painful so the cat will sit and squat, move off, sit and squat, move off etc...

If they are marking their territory then you need to get rid of the urine and the odor and regular carpet cleaning isn't going to work. You need some product like Tuff Oxy, Urine-Off, Zero Odor or another neutralizer, a black light then you wait until midnight, douse your lights, turn on the black light and search for urine. Mark each spot with masking tape, then turn on the lights and go to work getting rid of the odor. I would also get these girls in for a spay if your vet does them at a younger age.
 

threecatowner

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Originally Posted by LawGuy

Pet urine.... yet another way to ruin a night's sleep. It's only a big deal because the carpet was just cleaned and if I didn't clean it before the family wakes up, you might as well place an obituary for me.
Oh, you poor guy! This is so undeserved when all you wanted was a couple of kitties. I agree with the others about two litter boxes, and that it sounds stress-related.

I quoted the above because I know EXACTLY what you mean: I've had to hide MANY accidents over the years from certain members of my family.

I hope it changes for the better for you guys!
 

ldg

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I agree with Nat - it sounds like litter box interruption. I'd add another box (or two) and use the Kitten Attract litter. They're just too young for UTI or spraying, though it could be that Ally went into heat, even though she is young for it.

Also, with all the changes about to happen in their lives (you leaving, then moving, etc.), I would invest in a Feliway diffuser for your room. Plug it into an outlet that is farthest from the boxes.

And yes, you MUST use an enzyme cleaner to clean up any pee. It doesn't matter how it smells to you, it matters how it smells to them, and the ONLY thing that will work is some type of enzyme cleaner. Zero Odor is the best but the most expensive. We use http://www.nokout.com/odorelim/pets/

Laurie
 
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