We have three cats. We have found cat pee in a few different places in the past week and are trying to figure out which cat did it so we can pay a visit to the vet. One time I did catch a cat in the act, and it was our usual culprit who has a history of doing this, so it is probably her. But our other female cat has been acting off/maybe sick lately so it could be her. How do you figure out which cat is the trouble maker if you have mutliple cats?
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If you have multiple cats, how do you figure out which one is peeing outside the litter box?
- Thread starter orchid
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Process of elimination. Pun intended. You might want to start by taking the kitty that's acting "off" to the vet for a check-up, including a urinalysis and possibly a urine culture and sensitivity test (to determine if there are bacteria present and what antibiotic would be most effective). If she checks out okay, then take in the usual suspect. And so on.
I'll isolate the cats one by one in a room by their own. If you are still finding pee outside the room, you've narrowed it down.
If there is a urinary tract infection involved, quite often the other cats will spend a lot of time smelling the sick cat's rear. My Muddy has chronic urinary issues, and I always know when he has a flare up by the behavior of the other cats towards him. He goes to the vets immediately when this happens and my other cats have always been right. Of course this method doesn't work if it is a behavior problem and not a medical problem.
If there is a urinary tract infection involved, quite often the other cats will spend a lot of time smelling the sick cat's rear. My Muddy has chronic urinary issues, and I always know when he has a flare up by the behavior of the other cats towards him. He goes to the vets immediately when this happens and my other cats have always been right. Of course this method doesn't work if it is a behavior problem and not a medical problem.
This is the "obvious" thought, but since you didn't mention it... how many litter boxes do you have?
Some cats pee outside because they aren't happy with the litter box condition.
The standard recommendation is one box per cat plus one,
but many times, just adding one more can fix the problem.
Some cats pee outside because they aren't happy with the litter box condition.
The standard recommendation is one box per cat plus one,
but many times, just adding one more can fix the problem.
My mother has this issue with one cat in particular. We know because we've all caught her in the act. It's totally a behavior thing for her. The thing is; since she has done it so much, one of the other cats (she also has 3) has taken to peeing in different places around the house. We've also caught him red-handed.
When I have this problem, it is usually because someone is sick. This was mentioned above but worth repeating. The other reason I have found is sometimes the litter box is too dirty and one cat is protesting that it needs to be cleaned more often.
This is exactly the way I would handle it Mom. Luckily I've never had this problem except with my male cat, Ramsey. But his was a really bad behavioral issue and he was not missing the litter box, he was peeing on the couch. A change in my behavior and Feliway fixed the problem. If it had been some other type of issue, I would have done the isolation routine you described.
Yes! The general rule of thumb is having the same number of boxes as cats... +1 is excellent advice. I'll also add that sometimes one of the cats will become possessive of the litter box and not allow the other to use it. So the additional box(es) is a simple deterrent to this issue.
well - i usually end up catching one of them... but each of them have a slightly different smell. Pixel's is very, very low odor - i usually find a spot [if there is one] because i feel the rug is wet. Cable, otoh, is quite pungent. Java's kinda in the middle.
If you have one cat that is peeing out of the litter and you think she is sick, get her to the vet quick. I just lost a very loved female cat because I didn't get to the vet soon enough. She had kidney infection and a bad cold. She was 12 years old. My vet checked her every 2 hours and thought she was well enough to come home. She checked her at 4 am and she was gone. She said she thought she died in her sleep. Her and I both cried alot about it. I still do. I have her son he is 8 years old and just took him for a check up. She said he's fine. He is lost without her. He stills goes through the house crying for her. So please have your cats checked when they act different than normal. We all love them and it really hurts to lose them. I'm just lucky that my vet has a place where she buries our babies for free.
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May I suggest, with multi cats...,a kitten of ours was play/attacking the cat in the litter box
with the covers on them. A few remedies..have a few boxes without tops on so the one in
there can see and feel safe when he's in it. Another....to have boxes in different areas so
the area he goes in isn't as busy.
with the covers on them. A few remedies..have a few boxes without tops on so the one in
there can see and feel safe when he's in it. Another....to have boxes in different areas so
the area he goes in isn't as busy.
The thread you have replied to has been dormant since March of last year. The original poster has not made any posts since the first one.
