Uhh...I am having complete trouble with my neutered male cat. He wont stop peeing on the carpet!! I think he might be spraying. He does go pee and poop in his box...because I see him do it. I always see pee spots on my carpet and I cant stop this constant issue! I'm getting frustrated but I love my cats and would never punish them in any way. Yes I do have 2 cats and they are both males and they are both neutered. The older one is the one that pees/or sprays. The younger one is 4 months and the older one is 5 months. They are the loves of my life. I spoil them both but I cant help but think Lucius(the one who pees) is so depressed...I called the vet last week to get him an appointment, but then I cancelled it because I thought the issue had stopped. I will be scheduling another one tomorrow. I know some of the people on this site are vets and I need some help so please reply!! There is no blood in his urine. Thank goodness! But he has had some issues before. He had a fever the first time I took him to the vet and lately he has been getting sick and vomiting which I know is not his fault. See, I adopted them at PetSmart and they were eating a specific food. We stuck to that food until I went to the same pet store and they were out at the moment and so I had to get adult cat food instead of kitten food. It is still the same brand. But now they have more of the kitten food and I will begin feeding them that again. Hopefully he stops getting sick. If he does have a medical problem of some sort, I hope its minor. It seems like I give them both enough attention but maybe he feels like I am giving my little Pepper more attention. Yeah thats my other kitties name. So if any of you have any advice I would love to hear from you. I would especially love to hear from Hissy because you seem like you know alot about cats. Thank You!
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Ugh Peeing Problem
- Thread starter kittyluver27
- Start Date
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #2
I just got a littermaid today and I also have 2 other boxes. I think he may be spraying because hes doing it along the wall and does it in the same are constantly. I need help! Got any advice? I have 2 cats so it might be about dominance but I dont understand why he would want dominance because he and my other cat are like brothers and they play together and they lick each other. They simply adore each other. Do they like the same type of litter in ech box they have?? Because they have Scoop away in 2 boxes but have multi-cat scoopable litter in the littermaid...I NEED SERIOUS HELP!! I DONT want to give him away! He is my sunshine. I love them both to death! I would honestly die for my kitties! I would do anything for them! So please give me some suggestions!!
Stopping Inappropriate Urination
First, we need to know for sure that the problem is urinating rather than spraying. If the cat is standing and the urine shoots straight back so that he/she is aiming high on the wall or side of the couch, it is spraying. If the cat squats while urinating, it is normal urination. This hand-out is for urination problems rather than for spraying.
The first and most important thing to do is to take the cat to the vet! You need to specify that the cat is urinating outside the box so that the vet knows what to look for. Urinating outside the litter box is the #1 symptom of urinary tract problems! A urinary blockage can quickly kill a cat! (Please note that it is almost always impossible to see blood in the urine with the naked eye. So, not seeing blood is not proof that there is no illness!)
If the vet says she is okay, then consider making a few changes:
• If you use a covered litter box, take off the lid. Many cats refuse to use covered boxes.
• Most cats prefer fine-grained unscented litter. So, try changing litter even if she liked this litter in the past.
• Most cats prefer to poop in a different box than the one in which they pee. So have at least two boxes for one cat.
• If you have more than one cat, make sure you have at least one litter box per cat PLUS one extra box. So, if you have two cats, three litter boxes is ideal. Do not place the boxes right next to each other. Two boxes that are together is the same as just one box in the cat’s mind!
• Make sure you scoop the litter box daily, and with multiple cats, scoop twice daily. Cats often refuse to use dirty boxes. Most of us avoid toilets that are full of pee and poop. Cats are even more fastidious than us humans and certainly have more delicate senses of smell, so of course they do not want to step in a box full of old feces and urine! A clean rug is much more attractive than a dirty box!
• If your litter boxes are old, they may have absorbed odors even if you regularly clean them. So, try buying new boxes.
• Make sure your litter boxes are in a place where the cat feels safe while going potty. If she is disturbed by you or your kids or another cat or dog while she is trying to potty, she will choose to use a safer location. So, move the litter box to a location where she can see the comings and goings of the other people and animals in the house. You can set up the box in the corner of a room, then surround the box with nice house plants. It will be attractive and open enough for the cat to feel safe!
• Put a litter box on each level (floor) of the house.
• Make sure you thoroughly clean all old urine spots on the rug and elsewhere. If she can smell the old urine she will think that place is a good place to potty. Use a flourescent black light to find old urine and treat all old spots with an enzymatic cleanser.
• Try putting a plastic carpet runner upside down on the places she likes to urinate....most cats don't like to walk on the "spikes" so they will avoid the covered spots.
• Put something real smelly where she likes to urinate...most cats hate the smell of citrus, so try putting citrus scented air freshener or orange peels or citrus potpourri where she urinates.
• According to Cat Behaviorist Amy Shojai- if your cat is peeing on personal items the cat is probably stressed out over something. Urinating on some object that holds your scent is calming to him. If you can eliminate the stressor, chances are good that the potty problem will end.
• If your cat is standing inside the litter box and aiming outside the box, you simply need a larger box! Try a Rubbermaid under-bed storage container as a litter box instead of the typical small box.
• Many cats are frightened by the electronic self-cleaning litter boxes (like Littermaid). So, if you are using one of these boxes, replace it with a regular box.
First, we need to know for sure that the problem is urinating rather than spraying. If the cat is standing and the urine shoots straight back so that he/she is aiming high on the wall or side of the couch, it is spraying. If the cat squats while urinating, it is normal urination. This hand-out is for urination problems rather than for spraying.
The first and most important thing to do is to take the cat to the vet! You need to specify that the cat is urinating outside the box so that the vet knows what to look for. Urinating outside the litter box is the #1 symptom of urinary tract problems! A urinary blockage can quickly kill a cat! (Please note that it is almost always impossible to see blood in the urine with the naked eye. So, not seeing blood is not proof that there is no illness!)
If the vet says she is okay, then consider making a few changes:
• If you use a covered litter box, take off the lid. Many cats refuse to use covered boxes.
• Most cats prefer fine-grained unscented litter. So, try changing litter even if she liked this litter in the past.
• Most cats prefer to poop in a different box than the one in which they pee. So have at least two boxes for one cat.
• If you have more than one cat, make sure you have at least one litter box per cat PLUS one extra box. So, if you have two cats, three litter boxes is ideal. Do not place the boxes right next to each other. Two boxes that are together is the same as just one box in the cat’s mind!
• Make sure you scoop the litter box daily, and with multiple cats, scoop twice daily. Cats often refuse to use dirty boxes. Most of us avoid toilets that are full of pee and poop. Cats are even more fastidious than us humans and certainly have more delicate senses of smell, so of course they do not want to step in a box full of old feces and urine! A clean rug is much more attractive than a dirty box!
• If your litter boxes are old, they may have absorbed odors even if you regularly clean them. So, try buying new boxes.
• Make sure your litter boxes are in a place where the cat feels safe while going potty. If she is disturbed by you or your kids or another cat or dog while she is trying to potty, she will choose to use a safer location. So, move the litter box to a location where she can see the comings and goings of the other people and animals in the house. You can set up the box in the corner of a room, then surround the box with nice house plants. It will be attractive and open enough for the cat to feel safe!
• Put a litter box on each level (floor) of the house.
• Make sure you thoroughly clean all old urine spots on the rug and elsewhere. If she can smell the old urine she will think that place is a good place to potty. Use a flourescent black light to find old urine and treat all old spots with an enzymatic cleanser.
• Try putting a plastic carpet runner upside down on the places she likes to urinate....most cats don't like to walk on the "spikes" so they will avoid the covered spots.
• Put something real smelly where she likes to urinate...most cats hate the smell of citrus, so try putting citrus scented air freshener or orange peels or citrus potpourri where she urinates.
• According to Cat Behaviorist Amy Shojai- if your cat is peeing on personal items the cat is probably stressed out over something. Urinating on some object that holds your scent is calming to him. If you can eliminate the stressor, chances are good that the potty problem will end.
• If your cat is standing inside the litter box and aiming outside the box, you simply need a larger box! Try a Rubbermaid under-bed storage container as a litter box instead of the typical small box.
• Many cats are frightened by the electronic self-cleaning litter boxes (like Littermaid). So, if you are using one of these boxes, replace it with a regular box.
How to Stop Spraying
If the cat is spraying...he is marking his territory. Basically, he's saying this is my place, not yours! This can be a difficult habit to break but it is absolutely possible to do so.
Try the following ideas. Hopefully they will help!
1. Use Feliway to help him not want to spray. Feliway mimics the friendly marking that cats do when they rub their faces on things. When a cat smells a friendly scent, they are unlikely to mark with urine. The Feliway box will give detailed instructions on how to use it....follow the instructions carefully.
2. Hang aluminum foil or bubble-wrap on the places the cat likes to spray. Cats usually will not spray on foil or bubble-wrap because it makes an unpleasant sound when hit with the urine and it makes the urine splash back on the cat. Each day that the cat does not spray, tear about an inch off the bottom until the foil or bubble-wrap is completely gone. Don't remove the whole strip all at once because the cat may interpret this as you saying it is okay to spray here again. (No one ever wants to do this because is looks so bad to have aluminum or bubble-wrap hanging all over their houses – but, once they give in and try the aluminum or bubble-wrap, they find it works wonders. Try it, youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll like it!)
3. If you see the cat getting into the spray position, say "No!" firmly and then (gently) grab him and put him in time-out (in the bathroom for example) for only 2-3 minutes. Do the same if you caught him in the act.
4. Also check out this handy gadget www.sprayalert.com which works by making a loud noise when the cat sprays. This lets you know that the cat sprayed AND the sound startles them which makes them not want to spray on that spot again..
5. Check to see if there are stray cats hanging out outside your house. A cat will often spray in response to strange cats around the house. Make sure you don't walk through outside cat spray and track that smell into the house.
6. Be patient and persistent. Breaking the spraying habit can take a while, but it should work.
Good luck!
If the cat is spraying...he is marking his territory. Basically, he's saying this is my place, not yours! This can be a difficult habit to break but it is absolutely possible to do so.
Try the following ideas. Hopefully they will help!
1. Use Feliway to help him not want to spray. Feliway mimics the friendly marking that cats do when they rub their faces on things. When a cat smells a friendly scent, they are unlikely to mark with urine. The Feliway box will give detailed instructions on how to use it....follow the instructions carefully.
2. Hang aluminum foil or bubble-wrap on the places the cat likes to spray. Cats usually will not spray on foil or bubble-wrap because it makes an unpleasant sound when hit with the urine and it makes the urine splash back on the cat. Each day that the cat does not spray, tear about an inch off the bottom until the foil or bubble-wrap is completely gone. Don't remove the whole strip all at once because the cat may interpret this as you saying it is okay to spray here again. (No one ever wants to do this because is looks so bad to have aluminum or bubble-wrap hanging all over their houses – but, once they give in and try the aluminum or bubble-wrap, they find it works wonders. Try it, youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll like it!)
3. If you see the cat getting into the spray position, say "No!" firmly and then (gently) grab him and put him in time-out (in the bathroom for example) for only 2-3 minutes. Do the same if you caught him in the act.
4. Also check out this handy gadget www.sprayalert.com which works by making a loud noise when the cat sprays. This lets you know that the cat sprayed AND the sound startles them which makes them not want to spray on that spot again..
5. Check to see if there are stray cats hanging out outside your house. A cat will often spray in response to strange cats around the house. Make sure you don't walk through outside cat spray and track that smell into the house.
6. Be patient and persistent. Breaking the spraying habit can take a while, but it should work.
Good luck!
Excellent advice in the above posts
I might add that it is a good idea to have 2 boxes per cat and locate the boxes in various places, so there won't be any territorial disputes. Also, UNSCENTED litter is the best - fragrance is for humans' benefit; cats have an incredibly keen sense of smell and all those perfumes are an assault on their sensitive noses (my cats are fortunate - scented litter can cause asthma attacks in me). An inexpensive litter is chicken feed (laying mash or krackettes - if your cat has sensitive paws, the mash works best) with about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of clumping litter poured on top to improve clumping; the grains have a mild, fresh "baking bread" type scent that absorb & cover cat odors. As for inexpensive boxes, under-the-bed boxes and "mud boxes" used by tile setters are large & deep and costs much less than cat boxes (in my experience, anyway).
Sending {{{prayers and vibes}}} for good health reports from the vet & that the problem resolves very soon!! Susan
Sending {{{prayers and vibes}}} for good health reports from the vet & that the problem resolves very soon!! Susan
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
Thank you. You guys have been a lot of help...I did put one of those spikey things on my carpet in the spot that he pees but that didnt help. It kept him from peeing against the wall but this time he peed in the middle of that same area. I only use the litter maid because I am going out of town next month and dont want the sitter to have to scoop a litterbox every day. He will be going to the vet tomorrow and hopefully this issue will be solved. What does the citrus do? If you just use peel where would you put it? on the carpet where he pees?
The citrus stinks (to the cat). Since it stinks the cat is likely to avoid the place where it smells like citrus.
Yes, you put it where he pees.
Don't forget to try the other suggestions as well! Most of them will be much more effective than the citrus trick.
Let us know what the vet says after testing your cat's urine.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Well for now we are just going to get a check up...but i might call them and tell them to give him a UTI...hopefully everything is a success...and which is more effective...putting peel on the carpet or using a citrus air freshener?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
If he isnt spraying and is only peeing does that mean hes not marking his territory?
You wrote this in another thread:
Are you talking about a litter box liner? If so, get rid of it. Most cats hate these things and some will avoid using the litterbox so that they don't have to worry about getting caught in the bag like you described.
Yes, that is what it means. If he is not spraying it means that he is either sick or he is unhappy with the litterboxes. If he is sick, you can make all of the changes in the world and he will keep on peeing outside the box until he is well again. A urinalysis is very easy for the vet to do, so please have the vet check his urine when you take him in tomorrow.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #12
ok I will see if the vet can do a UTI..and yes i was talking about a litterbox liner. but the other cat is the one that got caught to it...he loves playing in his litterbox and thats the only time he got caught to it...
I recommend getting rid of the litterbox liners. Just because you witnessed one getting caught doesn't mean that the other one hasn't gotten caught before. Anyway....would YOU like to have to pee in a bag?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #14
i just called the vet and they said that they would do a UTI. YAY thank you for the advice. Umm i will let you know how everything turns out. and keep the advice coming! haha
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #15
haha well when you think about it NO i would not like to pee in a bag.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #16
ok so i went to the vet today and my cat has crystals in his urine. its called crystaluria. whatever that is. lol the vet said that its totally curable. YAY!! so my cat has to take antibiotics 2 times a day and he has to be on a special diet. hopefully it works! i cant wait til hes totally fine again. thank you all for the help i really appreciate it!
Love, Pepper and Lucius's Mommy!
Love, Pepper and Lucius's Mommy!
