I have 5 cats, all fixed. I have 4 litter boxes for them, and they are cleaned often. I have a major problem of them eliminating both pee and poop outside the box. My oldest cat has had UTI's in the past, so I had the vet check him out last friday and all is fine. She says it is behavioral. I am not convinced he is the only one doing this though, simply because of some of the off the wall places they have peed, where I know he can't get because he's a fat cat and won't jump up on things much anymore. Yesterday, I got up to find someone had peed across my desk, and onto my paper shredder in the floor beside it. Today, someone has peed on my sewing table on clothing I've made and fabric. This morning, my son's pillow fell out of his bed in the middle of the night and someone pooped on it!! When my fat cat pees on something, it's usually an article of clothing the teenagers left in the floor. But, this peeing and pooping on odd things is brand new and it's getting worse by the day. How do I deal with this? I have a Feliway in the hallway. I can't have every cat tested for a UTI but I know this is not health related. It is certainly behavioral, even the vet agreed. What do I do? One of my cats is indoor/outdoor and I may have to keep her out until this gets sorted out. I suspect she might be to blame. HELP!!
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About to lose my mind with eliminating outside the box!
- Thread starter katina128
- Start Date
The first thing that pops out at me is you might just not have enough boxes. I realize 4 boxes probably seems like a lot to you, and depending how big your space is you might think it would be difficult to fit more, but the recommended number of boxes is the number of cats you have + at least one more, so in your case you should really have 6. Some cats just won't share boxes, some want different boxes to pee and poop in, some won't go in a box that is at all dirty. You increase your chances of the cats all being happy if you just have more boxes.
We do have many articles on this topic that might be helpful to you. I'd suggest you read them over and come back and let us know if you have any questions when you're done
Hopefully you'll be able to find some good and useful advice in them that you can apply to your own situation.
About the problem itself:
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-solve-litterbox-problems-in-cats-the-ultimate-guide
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-choose-the-right-litterbox
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-choose-the-right-cat-litter
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-often-should-i-clean-the-litter-box
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-many-litterboxes-should-you-have
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/litter-box-maintenance
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/litter-box-location-secrets
About how to best clean up:
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/combat-cat-urine
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-remove-cat-urine
About some potential behavioral triggers and how you may be able to deal with them:
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/is-your-cat-stressed-out
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/six-surefire-strategies-to-reduce-stress-in-cats
Best of luck- I know this can be very frustrating.
We do have many articles on this topic that might be helpful to you. I'd suggest you read them over and come back and let us know if you have any questions when you're done
Hopefully you'll be able to find some good and useful advice in them that you can apply to your own situation.About the problem itself:
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-solve-litterbox-problems-in-cats-the-ultimate-guide
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-choose-the-right-litterbox
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-choose-the-right-cat-litter
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-often-should-i-clean-the-litter-box
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-many-litterboxes-should-you-have
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/litter-box-maintenance
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/litter-box-location-secrets
About how to best clean up:
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/combat-cat-urine
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-remove-cat-urine
About some potential behavioral triggers and how you may be able to deal with them:
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/is-your-cat-stressed-out
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/six-surefire-strategies-to-reduce-stress-in-cats
Best of luck- I know this can be very frustrating.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
I'm sure I probably need more, but I absolutely have no more space for anymore. We have 5 people in 1100 square feet. I may be forced to just rehome one or two of them if this doesn't stop. They aren't even hitting the same things twice, which is really frustrating. At least if it were the same things over and over, I'd know it was because scent was left. But it's not, and it's random and I can't have them ruining my things. :/
More boxes is the only sure way to deal with this issue. The only other option that MIGHT work (along with stress relief andscrupulous cleanup after accidents - NEVER use bleach btw 
) is to scoop the boxes really frequently...as in every time they're used, or very close to it. Making certain the cats ALL have a clean box to go in could help considerably, but it doesn't help if all boxes are in use and cat number 5 needs the loo! It also doesn't deal with any potential 'guarding' of boxes by a dominant cat. This is why its SO important to have more boxes than you have cats, and to make sure they're well spaced throughout the house.
I'm sure there will be a way through this - you just may have to make some compromises
Do read the links that
tulosai
posted. There's some great information there
) is to scoop the boxes really frequently...as in every time they're used, or very close to it. Making certain the cats ALL have a clean box to go in could help considerably, but it doesn't help if all boxes are in use and cat number 5 needs the loo! It also doesn't deal with any potential 'guarding' of boxes by a dominant cat. This is why its SO important to have more boxes than you have cats, and to make sure they're well spaced throughout the house.I'm sure there will be a way through this - you just may have to make some compromises
Do read the links that
tulosai
posted. There's some great information there
Last edited:
Since you suspect the indoor/outdoor cat is to blame, is it possible to have her tested for a UTI? I know you said you couldn't have them all tested but what about one more? Also, has anything changed in the dynamics in your family - human and feline? It sounds to me like you might have a territorial or dominance struggle going on.
It's good you have the Feliway diffuser, but they only cover 700 to 900 square feet, so getting a second one might help. Also, if you can identify the main culprit, you could try calming agents that act on that cat specifically. These include Composure treats or liquid, calming collars, Bach's flower remedies and Spirit essences. As a last resort, you could even ask your vet about medicating the problem cat.
Another possibility is consulting an animal behaviorist. An animal behaviorist will come to your house and view the cats in action and develop a custom made plan for you. You can get a referral from the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants: https://iaabc.org/consultants
And finally, are you cleaning up with an enzyme cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle? I know you said they aren't going in the same place over and over, but just in case, it's good to ensure all waste molecules are broken down by enzymatic action.
I really wish you the best in solving this problem. I know how incredibly frustrating and irritating it can be, having had two males who sprayed everywhere. Good luck!
It's good you have the Feliway diffuser, but they only cover 700 to 900 square feet, so getting a second one might help. Also, if you can identify the main culprit, you could try calming agents that act on that cat specifically. These include Composure treats or liquid, calming collars, Bach's flower remedies and Spirit essences. As a last resort, you could even ask your vet about medicating the problem cat.
Another possibility is consulting an animal behaviorist. An animal behaviorist will come to your house and view the cats in action and develop a custom made plan for you. You can get a referral from the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants: https://iaabc.org/consultants
And finally, are you cleaning up with an enzyme cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle? I know you said they aren't going in the same place over and over, but just in case, it's good to ensure all waste molecules are broken down by enzymatic action.
I really wish you the best in solving this problem. I know how incredibly frustrating and irritating it can be, having had two males who sprayed everywhere. Good luck!
I'm so thankful it's just ONE cat I've had a problem with. Have you tried Cat Attract litter by chance? I've been having semi-success with that, although in her case we're also thinking there's an anxiety component involved. So, she's being started on Prozac. I also have five cats and until recently only had three boxes. I added the fourth which I put in my bedroom (where Maple mainly resides) so I could have one with ONLY Cat Attract. The Cat Whisperer (that's what I call the patient coordinator) at my vet helped me to fashion a 30-gallon bin into a litter box. She's also a big girl at 17 lbs so wanted to be sure that the size of the litter box wasn't a factor.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
I'm worried I have more than one cat causing troubles. Ollie is a bully, and I think him bullying Miss Kitty caused her to spray my desk in pee yesterday out of fear. This happened overnight, so I didn't see it. I am afraid he's peeing to mark although it's not spraying. But he's being dominant maybe. I haven't tried that cat attract litter but will try to find some and will get a 2nd feliway. We have 2 adults, 2 teens and a 5 year old so we are super cramped for space. I know I have too many, but I rescued all of them and was trying to do the right thing and save them. In turn its stressing us all out.
The Cat Attract Litter has helped a lot of people. Here's their website - they have some other products as well that might help. http://preciouscat.com/product/
Is there any way you can keep Ollie away from Miss Kitty? I realize this might seem a stupid question since you have a pretty full house, but thought it worth asking. If she peed in fear, there might be some serious bullying going on.
What about cat trees? Do you have room to put in a nice tall tree where Miss Kitty could get away from Ollie? Adding vertical space sometimes helps with territorial aggression in general. If you don't have room for a tree, consider putting a series of shelves on the wall where Miss Kitty can safely distance herself when Ollie starts to throw his weight around.
Below is an article on cat furniture that might give you some ideas:
[article="22386"]Cat Furniture [/article]
These two threads show cat shelves on the wall. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/298335/needs-some-advice-about-cat-shelves http://www.thecatsite.com/t/204590/cat-shelves-a-great-idea
Is there any way you can keep Ollie away from Miss Kitty? I realize this might seem a stupid question since you have a pretty full house, but thought it worth asking. If she peed in fear, there might be some serious bullying going on.
What about cat trees? Do you have room to put in a nice tall tree where Miss Kitty could get away from Ollie? Adding vertical space sometimes helps with territorial aggression in general. If you don't have room for a tree, consider putting a series of shelves on the wall where Miss Kitty can safely distance herself when Ollie starts to throw his weight around.
Below is an article on cat furniture that might give you some ideas:
[article="22386"]Cat Furniture [/article]
These two threads show cat shelves on the wall. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/298335/needs-some-advice-about-cat-shelves http://www.thecatsite.com/t/204590/cat-shelves-a-great-idea
