Frustrated! Peeing Cat!! In Desperate need of Help!

I know I have posted about this before but I am now at my wits end.. I got some great advice last time I posted about this issue. 

So far my roommates and I have cleaned all the areas that she has been peeing, we now have a litter box downstairs and upstairs..
She stopped peeing on the floor and rugs  for a while and we all thought that she was over this nonsense.. But she is back to peeing and attempting to bury it in the carpet. 

My roommates are done with her in the house and I don't know what else to do to stop this behavior.. I am basically at the breaking point here because my friends are getting angrier and angrier with me and my cat.. I love this little girl more then anything and if I cant get this to stop I am afraid that they are going to tell me she can't stay in the house anymore.. I do not want to give her up, but I am not sure what else I can do to break this habit.. 

Help Me Please!

maes20 said:

 
I know I have posted about this before but I am now at my wits end.. I got some great advice last time I posted about this issue. 

So far my roommates and I have cleaned all the areas that she has been peeing, we now have a litter box downstairs and upstairs..
She stopped peeing on the floor and rugs  for a while and we all thought that she was over this nonsense.. But she is back to peeing and attempting to bury it in the carpet. 

My roommates are done with her in the house and I don't know what else to do to stop this behavior.. I am basically at the breaking point here because my friends are getting angrier and angrier with me and my cat.. I love this little girl more then anything and if I cant get this to stop I am afraid that they are going to tell me she can't stay in the house anymore.. I do not want to give her up, but I am not sure what else I can do to break this habit.. 

Help Me Please!

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OK since this is a new thread and your previous threads don't give me the full picture I'm going to start by asking questions:

- When did this start?

- Has she been medically checked out?

- Is she fixed?

- How old is she?

- What type of litter? How often cleaned? How many boxes and on what floors of the home are they?

- Are there still dogs in the house and do they all get along with the cat and her with them?

- Only cat in house?

- Where does she pee in the house?

- Does she also pee in the box? Any odd behaviors in the box when she uses it?

- Does she poop exclusively in the box?

- When peeing outside the box does she let you catch her doing it or does she do it in secret?  Does she do it when you are home or away?

- Is she otherwise well adjusted? Not nervous or anxious?

If you can answer all these questions it may lead us in a direction.  Also given how serious this has become I would also recommend the Cornell Vet School of Medicine behavior consultation service.  First call to the front desk is free, then they give you a behavior specialist for $115.  Details in this link below.

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_resources/camuti_service.cfm

Alright, well I shall start by answering all the questions

- When did this start? It started at the beginning of the year I think. She did stop a couple months ago but has apparently started up again

- Has she been medically checked out?She was at the vet for her yearly exam a in june and they said she was healthy, no concerns

- Is she fixed?She is fixed. got it done about the time it is said to be safe to fix a kitten

- How old is she?she is over a year and a half now 

- What type of litter?Worlds best litter  How often cleaned? once a week, unless it looks like it needs to be done more  How many boxes and on what floors of the home are they? We live in a two story house, there is a litter box in the basement and one on the second floor

- Are there still dogs in the house and do they all get along with the cat and her with them? we still have dogs, and they all get along really well. 

- Only cat in house?she is the only cat

- Where does she pee in the house?  besides the litter box she does it next to the door that leads to the back yard

- Does she also pee in the box? Any odd behaviors in the box when she uses it? she has never had an issue using her litter boxes, and she is still using both regularly. 

- Does she poop exclusively in the box? she has never pooped anywhere but in the boxes

- When peeing outside the box does she let you catch her doing it or does she do it in secret? my roommate has walked downstairs and caught her peeing once. but we usually do not catch her doing it.   Does she do it when you are home or away? This one I am not too sure. as we have only caught her doing it once. but that means there is a good chance she is just doing it whenever

- Is she otherwise well adjusted? Not nervous or anxious?  she is not anxious or nervous.    I wont lie she can be mean at times, she is not overly fond of being touched unless she wants you to touch her and she likes to bite you if she doesn't like what you are doing. We are trying to correct this.. but right now it is taking a backseat to this issue. If I dont get this solved I think my roommates are going to make me give her away, which wont happen so I will have to move out.. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to ask all these questions and try to help me. I cant give up my cat she is my baby. ive had her since she was a few weeks old.. I need help to learn how to fix this..

Melissa

Some clarification about the cleaning of the litter box?" Once a week", does it mean washing the box and refilling it with new unused litter? or scooping out the feces and urine only? Because the scooping has to be done at least once a day or the cat will do its business somewhere else.  

Hi @maes20

Ok some follow up questions, and thank you for all the great replies.  As @yayi asked, are you scooping at least once daily in addition to a weekly cleaning?

- Did something happen when she started peeing? Anything change in the home, to people (present or not present) or people's schedules? Anything with the outside? I ask because she pees by the door.

- Is the area she pees on by the door - is it a hard floor or carpeted, and if carpeted is it wall to wall or an area rug?

- Has she ever been an outdoor cat? Does she want to go outside? Does she see other cats outside that door?

Thanks

Stephen

I put new litter in the box weekly.

We have  boarding dogs that come in and out of the house, but that has been going on since I first brought her home and she has no issues with that. to her they are new playmates. 

I have a new boyfriend as of two months ago, but she only started peeing again weeks ago.

With my roommates and I our schedules for work are always changing, always have been.

she does go outside now and then when the dogs go out, she loves it and she comes back in when they all come back in or when she chooses to. 

The basement is carpet, it was just laid down to cover the concrete floor, not properly installed. 

Hi @maes20

So the door that she pees in front of is in the basement?  and there is only one other floor, and both floors have litter boxes?

The one question asked by me and another person that still hasn't been clearly answered is this:  I know you're replacing the litter weekly, but are you scooping daily?  If not, and you are letting pee/poop accumulate over a week then that's the most likely problem.

The fact that she pees in front of the door seems significant but not in an entirely clear way.  If she had been peeing there because she saw other cats outside, that would be a clear sign, or if she pees there because she wants to go outside, that could be a connection.

With peeing issues, if the cause isn't obvious, i like to perform what I call "behavior experiments" to see if anything I do has an effect on their behavior in a positive way.  If it does, then a more practical long term solution can be devised.  So I am going to suggest a few for you to try.  The worst thing that happens is they don't work, and even that is instructive.  If they do work then you're on the path to success, but doing nothing is the one thing guaranteed bot to work. Some of them may not be super convenient - the point is right now to figure out what works, and worry about convenience later.

She feels a need to pee by the door, so I would for now, indulge that.  First I would make sure the area where she pees is 100% clean using an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle.  Then I would get another box and place it as close as possible to where she pees near the door and see if that affects her behavior. 

Additionally I would keep all the boxes scrupulously clean, scooping twice a day at a minimum or after every time you notice its been used.  World's Best (corn) is not known for being the best at odor control.  Your cat may like it, but it wouldn't hurt to experiment as well with a basic unscented (possibly clumping, but not safe to flush) clay litter in yet another box and see if she shoes a preference.

If none of this helps, then I would consider putting a plastic tarp down where she is going, with that new litter box to the side of it (not on it) and see what her response is.

I would also consider calling the Cornell Vet School referral if you can afford  it and especially if nothing else works.

She is peeing in front of the door in the basement, that leads to the back yard where the dogs play. 

I should have been more specific with the type of house we live in, I apologize. we live in a house with a basement, main floor and second floor. There is a litter box for her on the second floor and basement. 

When I clean out her litter its usually every two days. Unfortunately with my schedule my hours are all over or I am out of the house for over 12 hours for work. I never let the poop/pee accumulate much.

We are trying to break down what happens through a day that could make her want to pee. At this point we are kind of guessing that she wants to be with her brother and sisters out in the yard, siblings being the Aussies. But we have only ever caught her peeing downstairs once, like I said before. 

I will try those options and I thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me. 

I am just going to add in some things that my roommate was talking about with my tonight about Jas

We only noticed that she was peeing in that spot because my roommate went downstairs one day and stepped in the wet spot. she lifted the carpet and noticed that there were stains on the under side of the carpet that were obviously very old, but for some reason we could not smell anything, until my roommate had lifted up the carpet. 

She is still using her litter box daily, so we don't think that she is peeing at the door often.

Is there any way you can put a litter box over that spot? Trying multiple soakings with enzyme cleaner might also be necessary.  

Good luck!  I know it's frustrating when it's not just your home this is happening in. 

@maes20

Ok thanks for the update.  I can't stress enough the urgency of this issue. Litter box problems may be or close to being the #1 reason cats are surrendered and while i am glad that you would move out with your cat rather than give her up, the future is still unknown and statistically your cat is at a greater risk of eventually being given up or even euthanized if this isn't fixed.  I'm not saying you would do either of these things, but the risk, at least on paper remains. So what I'm suggesting is that fixing a litter box problem is really a a big deal, and that a large effort should be undertaken.

Based on your updates, the number one thing I would strongly suggest you do, is scoop the box twice a day every day.  World's Best is a clumping litter and is designed to be scooped.  Put a small covered trash can next to every box with a scooper and a supply of plastic bags, and SCOOP!  Cats have very sensitive noses with 14 times the sense of smell that you have.  You're scooping once every 2 days.  Imagine (sorry this is gross) you have 14 times your current sense of smell and you only flushed the toilet once every two days.  I'd bet you'd be looking for a new place to go as well.

Also, in multi story homes I think there should be a box on every floor if the cat is peeing on a floor that doesn't have a box which i believe is not the case in your home.

Enzyme clean that spot like crazy!  Cats that are marking will return if they can smell where they went before.

I would move the litter box, but the dogs that I live with will use the box as an all you can eat buffet. 

Thank you so much for all the advise. I have been cleaning the area like crazy! I scoop the litter twice a day and the carpets that she has been going on have been cleaned so many times its ridiculous. with the cleaner that you suggested. 

@maes20

Covered boxes should solve the problems of the dogs unless they are really small dogs, no?

We have one covered box and now has been placed in an xpen with an opening big enough for the cat. she uses both no problem. The covered one is still open enough that the dogs get there heads into it. 

Just wanted to update..

Since our crazy amount of cleaning and the continuous cleaning of the litter boxes we have not had any more messes yet. We are however still watching her when she is in the basement and she is spending more time outside, which she loves 

Excellent news! Keep at it and continue to think about ways to make the litter box and peeing the most fun experience this cat can have!

Thanks
I will definitely continue to promote this behavior so that we don't have this issue again!!

I just want to thank you Stephen for all the support and suggestions that you have given me though all of this. I don't know what I would have done without the help!  

@maes20

I'm happy to help!  And while this is all good news, you aren't out of the woods yet, there are still enough variables that things could revert.  There is a really good product called Cat Attract that a lot of people I know personally swear by, and it has great reviews on amazon.  It's an herbal blend that attracts cats to litter boxes. although its now recommended for litters that have their own scent like wheat, corn, pine, etc, but if you try a plain clay or clumping clay, which I think you should consider for at least one of the boxes as they have really good odor control especially the clumping clay litters. In any cazse, if you tried a clay liutter you could also try this product.


Keep in touch and let us know if you have any more problems !

X-O Cleaner and Neutralizer will get smells out of any location and fabric. You can use it in the wash and it's concentrated, a little goes a long way. I have a larger size squirt bottle and mix one part to three parts water. It's made out of natural organic substances. If the cat smells the previous scent, they will always go back. Once clean, buy some lemon or orange extract and wipe the area down with the smell. Cats hate the smell and will not go back to the area. Sometimes, no matter how many litter boxes you have, how clean you keep them, and how many checklists you completed for cats urinating inappropriately, they have a mind of their own. The behaviour can quickly escalate and get out of hand quickly. I have experienced years of problems with my cat and still have issues. She has anxiety issues and remains in an anxious state. I have all sorts of calming herbs for her, but sometimes I forget to give them to her or they don't work. She is good for three weeks and presto...pees again. My couches are covered with SCATMATs. She won't go near them. My house smells great with the X-O and lemon extract. I sprayed everything, chairs, rugs, counters..etc. etc. I feel empowered with a solution. For the last week, she sleeps on floor until I think how I can have somewhere for her to sleep where she won't pee on it. She was sleeping on plastic covered chair pad and peed. I sprayed it with calming aid and didn't work. My Chinese/Holistic Vet told me it's deep rooted, probably going back to before I adopted her. It's an inner soul problem. He also said when an animal forgets it's basic instincts, it's time for strong med's for awhile. I tried a long time ago, but didn't like the idea of big pharm pills for her. I use valerian root when I remember and it works. I am dealing with her allergies and now fighting a cancerous tumor on her with herbs. It has become a love/hate relationship with this cat for fourteen years.

Well I am happy to report that Jasmine, my little baby has not peed downstairs since the mass cleaning of carpet and cement. She still acts kinda weird downstairs in the areas that she used to pee, she likes to sit or lay in the area. But we have not had any issues with peeing again.

We don't let Jas spend too much time downstairs alone yet, just incase our clean was not good enough. I changed her litter to an armen hammer brand, she seems to like it better then the worlds best that I had in her litter box. One weird thing that I have noticed is that she has stopped using the downstairs litter and is only using the small uncovered one upstairs on the top floor. I'm not sure what the reason is for that. or if I chould be concerned about that at all.

That is great news!!  

I'm not sure about the litter box choice.  I would just leave them both available for now. 

maes20 said:

Well I am happy to report that Jasmine, my little baby has not peed downstairs since the mass cleaning of carpet and cement. She still acts kinda weird downstairs in the areas that she used to pee, she likes to sit or lay in the area. But we have not had any issues with peeing again.

We don't let Jas spend too much time downstairs alone yet, just incase our clean was not good enough. I changed her litter to an armen hammer brand, she seems to like it better then the worlds best that I had in her litter box. One weird thing that I have noticed is that she has stopped using the downstairs litter and is only using the small uncovered one upstairs on the top floor. I'm not sure what the reason is for that. or if I chould be concerned about that at all.

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Congrats on the success and what if anything is different between the box downstairs and the one upstairs?