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My kitty has started peeing again

post #1 of 13
Thread Starter 
backstory:

I just moved in with my BF and he has a dog so we keep the cat in a back bedroom, but let her out while we're at work (dog is in the dog run) from 9am-6pm and then she is out at night and the dog is crated in our bedroom 12am-6am. She also hangs out with me while I study in the office from 9pm-12am so we try to make sure she gets her own cuddle time and the dog goes on playdates every few weekends so the cat has the run of the house. We're slowing introducing them...but the dog isn't too keen on it, yet.

She has peed twice in the past 3 weeks, once on some blankets in the closet, and then again in the closet (2nd time there may have been leftover smell). Both times I cleaned with petsmart cat cleaner (this is my fave- I've used nature's miracle and a few others before). I also have a feliway plugged in. I put foil over the peed on areas and I could put an upside down carpet runner in the closet...but her box is in one corner of the closet.

I'm going tonight to pick up more cleaner and litter attractant (ran out so her box was not treated). I think she may be stressed from the dog, but she seems fine and she's bold around the dog, ie runs out of the bedroom in front of the dog, stands up to the dog, etc etc. She is not a timid or scared cat by nature, but maybe she doesn't have physical signs of being stressed except the peeing. Anything I can do for stress? I'm 95% sure it is not a UTI because there are no UTI signs and she's had one before and I know what to look for.

Any help is appreciated and sorry for the longwinded post!!
post #2 of 13
I dont have much advice but two things my gut tells me. Either kitty is trying to "mark" her territory or she does have the beginnings of a UTI. Id get get checked for the UTI just in case better safe than sorry. The territory thing honestly Im not sure what to do because Ive never dealt with my cats marking their territory they just like to pick on each other.
post #3 of 13
I second the suggestion, get her checked out. Better safe than sorry.
post #4 of 13
Thread Starter 
I just really can't afford to do it all the time because my cat likes to pee on bathmats and littler mats (no litter mats anymore and I close bathroom doors) and getting her checked out once a month or more at $200+ a pop is just out of the question. If it keeps going I totally will...but being that they are isolated incidents I have a gut feeling that it's not a UTI. I got a black light and cleaned any spots I saw in the room so hopefully that helps.
post #5 of 13
Maybe the brand of enzyme cleaner you are using isn't getting out the smell completely? I don't think they are all equally effective.

How many litter boxes are there? Is there a chance that the litter box is maybe in an area where your cat feels unsafe to use, so will resort to using somewhere quiet and safe (like the closet?) Maybe it's a location thing?

How often is the litter box scooped and how often is litter changed?

for your kitty
post #6 of 13
Since your cat has been treated for a UTI before there is a good chance it has come back, or never cleared completely from the last time.

Stress like moving or any change in a cat's routine can bring on a UTI, or cause symptoms of one to return that has not been completely knocked out. And if she hasn't been tested for crystals she needs that, too.

UTIs and crystals hurt. I would not want to make her wait.

(and do be sure the boxes are kept clean, and in a place she feels comfortable using them)
post #7 of 13
Maybe this is an odd suggestion. But she's peeing in the closet and you keep her litter box in there - correct? Closets trap smells, maybe she's getting a bit confused. If you can move the box out of the closet (and keep the closet door closed), then do so. Add another box if she doesn't already have 2-3.

IMO, I've never been a big fan of hiding litter boxes away. It just makes more trouble for the cat, and more trouble to clean it.


If you haven't asked for dog and cat intro tips already, do so. And if suggestions here aren't able to help, talk to your vet and see if they have/know a behavioralist who can help. There's really no doubt that it's stressed out your cat, especially if she's not used to dogs.
post #8 of 13
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by killerapple View Post
Maybe the brand of enzyme cleaner you are using isn't getting out the smell completely? I don't think they are all equally effective.

How many litter boxes are there? Is there a chance that the litter box is maybe in an area where your cat feels unsafe to use, so will resort to using somewhere quiet and safe (like the closet?) Maybe it's a location thing?

How often is the litter box scooped and how often is litter changed?

for your kitty
the one UTI she had was 3 years ago and she's been checked about 6 times since then and been cleared each time. My vet thinks she has anxiety from other animals. Her box is in the closet. I think I'm going to try taking off the lid for a little bit, but in the past she hasn't shown improvement with the lid on vs. off. I use pet enzyme, it's petsmart brand. In the past I've used natures miracle, simple solution and the baking soda/detergent/peroxide mix and I like this the best so far. I also use a black light to look for spots. I scoop once a night and change the littler usually every 2-3 weeks depending on how bad it is.

I've cleaned out the whole closet and I moved all of the littler and cat cleaning items away from the closet (incase they had some kind of scent) so we'll see.
post #9 of 13
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
Maybe this is an odd suggestion. But she's peeing in the closet and you keep her litter box in there - correct? Closets trap smells, maybe she's getting a bit confused. If you can move the box out of the closet (and keep the closet door closed), then do so. Add another box if she doesn't already have 2-3.

IMO, I've never been a big fan of hiding litter boxes away. It just makes more trouble for the cat, and more trouble to clean it.


If you haven't asked for dog and cat intro tips already, do so. And if suggestions here aren't able to help, talk to your vet and see if they have/know a behavioralist who can help. There's really no doubt that it's stressed out your cat, especially if she's not used to dogs.
the closet doesn't have doors. and she's just confined to one 10x10 room so I thought 2 boxes would be overkill...but I have a mini one I could put out. I posted here and on a dog forum about intros and we're trying but it's not really progressing very well. I have a friend of a friend who is a dog trainer so we might get her help with the dog. If the cat keeps up with the peeing I might go to the vet and see about her anxiety problems.

Thanks for all the suggestions!
post #10 of 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by venusgirltrap View Post
the one UTI she had was 3 years ago and she's been checked about 6 times since then and been cleared each time. My vet thinks she has anxiety from other animals. Her box is in the closet. I think I'm going to try taking off the lid for a little bit, but in the past she hasn't shown improvement with the lid on vs. off. I use pet enzyme, it's petsmart brand. In the past I've used natures miracle, simple solution and the baking soda/detergent/peroxide mix and I like this the best so far. I also use a black light to look for spots. I scoop once a night and change the littler usually every 2-3 weeks depending on how bad it is.

I've cleaned out the whole closet and I moved all of the littler and cat cleaning items away from the closet (incase they had some kind of scent) so we'll see.
I've seen others on the board recommend Nok-Out odor remover when they haven't had luck with the other brands - http://www.nokout.com/

Where is your Feliway diffuser plugged in? Make sure it's not by the litter box.

You may want to try scooping box once in AM and once in PM to see if that helps.

Batman had a top on his litter box but I ended up taking it off because I thought the smell was awful - even with the little filter thing. If it's really stinky and covered, maybe she just wants to potty somewhere cleaner? Were the accidents when the litter box was fully clean?

Good luck! I hope it's not another UTI
post #11 of 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by venusgirltrap View Post
the one UTI she had was 3 years ago and she's been checked about 6 times since then and been cleared each time. My vet thinks she has anxiety from other animals. Her box is in the closet. I think I'm going to try taking off the lid for a little bit, but in the past she hasn't shown improvement with the lid on vs. off. I use pet enzyme, it's petsmart brand. In the past I've used natures miracle, simple solution and the baking soda/detergent/peroxide mix and I like this the best so far. I also use a black light to look for spots. I scoop once a night and change the littler usually every 2-3 weeks depending on how bad it is.

.
what do you mean by "checked out"?

And I really think you need to keep the box(es) a bit cleaner. They should be dumped and scrubbed before they get to the point where they are "bad".

Quote:
Originally Posted by venusgirltrap View Post
the closet doesn't have doors. and she's just confined to one 10x10 room so I thought 2 boxes would be overkill...but I have a mini one I could put out. I posted here and on a dog forum about intros and we're trying but it's not really progressing very well. I have a friend of a friend who is a dog trainer so we might get her help with the dog. If the cat keeps up with the peeing I might go to the vet and see about her anxiety problems.

Thanks for all the suggestions!
Many cats prefer to do poop in one box and pee in another. Adding a box, and keeping them cleaner may go a long way toward helping your kitty.
post #12 of 13
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
what do you mean by "checked out"?

And I really think you need to keep the box(es) a bit cleaner. They should be dumped and scrubbed before they get to the point where they are "bad".



Many cats prefer to do poop in one box and pee in another. Adding a box, and keeping them cleaner may go a long way toward helping your kitty.
by checked out I mean she had a urinealysis (sp) done which came out clear and the test done where they try to grow bacteria and nothing was found. Her boxes are never bad, I just meant when the litter starts to get darker in color and 2-3 weeks for one cat is reasonable imo...with my other cat we went a month or two. I do add clean litter to keep it at about 3 inches and the litter never smells unless she just pooed.
post #13 of 13
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by killerapple View Post
I've seen others on the board recommend Nok-Out odor remover when they haven't had luck with the other brands - http://www.nokout.com/

Where is your Feliway diffuser plugged in? Make sure it's not by the litter box.

You may want to try scooping box once in AM and once in PM to see if that helps.

Batman had a top on his litter box but I ended up taking it off because I thought the smell was awful - even with the little filter thing. If it's really stinky and covered, maybe she just wants to potty somewhere cleaner? Were the accidents when the litter box was fully clean?

Good luck! I hope it's not another UTI
well, the room is about 10X10 so the feliway can't be too far away but it's on the opposit side of a bookcase about 4 feet away. I can move it too an outlet about 2 feet further...that would help.
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