cat peeing on carpet, behavioural

[panda93]

I will try to sum this up quickly.

My almost two-year old female (Charlie) has been peeing on the carpet next to her litter boxes. Her vet ruled out any medical issue, and she uses her litter boxes to go number 2 with no issue.

I also have a 7-month old male who is very playful, and they chase each other and play all day. I don't believe he is stalking her when she is trying to use the litter box.

I have tried different litter types and different locations, steam cleaning with enzyme cleaners the areas she has soiled. I am going to search for some Feliway; I have heard it may help with marking problems.

Other than put her on kittie anti-depressants, which I am very much opposed to, what else could be causing her to do this? I am at my wits end!

 

[ligwa]

I'm sorry. I feel for you. I wish I could tell you what would help. I wish I knew what makes these kitties do this. Have you changed any thing at all? Moved anything? No new people in the house? Have you tried a different litter? Yes, I know she goes #2 but sometimes a change in little does the trick. Did the vet check her for UTI? A lot of questions I know.

 

[elayman]

Originally Posted by Panda93

I have tried different litter types and different locations, steam cleaning with enzyme cleaners the areas she has soiled. I am going to search for some Feliway; I have heard it may help with marking problems.

What enzymatic solution ? You probably confirmed the area was successfully treated with a black light test, but couldn't steam cleaning set the odor further in the fibers of the carpet and actually make it smell worse (to the cat...)?

 

[panda93]

Charlie had two urine samples analyzed and both came back clean.

Also, the enzyme solutions I have used are "Nature's Miracle Advanced Just For Cats", and this other one which I can't remember the name, but it was specifically steam cleaners to remove pet odors. I wouldn't be surprised if it has made the smell spread...

I have made several changes to substrate type and litter box location.

Asides from trying to find some Feliway today, I may have to put down some plastic sheeting over the carpet and see if that discourages her from going outside the box.

She is such a loving kitty, I hope she snaps out of this eventually

 

[just mike]

Originally Posted by Panda93

Charlie had two urine samples analyzed and both came back clean.

Also, the enzyme solutions I have used are "Nature's Miracle Advanced Just For Cats", and this other one which I can't remember the name, but it was specifically steam cleaners to remove pet odors. I wouldn't be surprised if it has made the smell spread...

I have made several changes to substrate type and litter box location.

Asides from trying to find some Feliway today, I may have to put down some plastic sheeting over the carpet and see if that discourages her from going outside the box.

She is such a loving kitty, I hope she snaps out of this eventually

I sure hope you get this problem corrected. You mentioned "boxes" so I assume you have more than one litter box for both cats. If possible, 3 litter boxes would be ideal. Rule of thumb states one box for each cat + 1 more. She may be trying to mark the boxes as hers.

You might try some Cat Attract litter or the Cat Attract sprinkles to add to your current litter.

Feliway has helped me with a couple of different behavioral issues. It might very well help you with this one. Please post an update if you have time.

 

[panda93]

Yes, there are three litter boxes. Cat attract litter sounds like a good idea. I've read a bit about it on these forums.

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I'll update if there is improvement

 

[benrie]

I've had two similar problems with two of my cats.

Kaida, my female would mark her territory by peeing all over the place. Once I got her fixed, the behavior stopped immediately.

The second situation happened when I adopted a feral kitten. He had absolutely no litter training. After initial training, he would sometimes use the box, but other times would both poo and pee just outside the litter box. He knew that he was supposed to do his business in that area, but didn't know that it had to be in the box. So like when I litter trained him, I watched him like a hawk. Whenever he went near the litter box, I would pick him up and put him in it, before he had a chance to go elsewhere. In addition, instead of throwing out any feces he made outside the box, I would put it inside the box, so he could smell it next time. You can use litter to soak up urine from outside the box (before cleaning it up), and placing that litter in the box, for the same effect. (Like paper training a puppy). It took a couple weeks, but he eventually caught on, and we haven't had the issue with him since.

I personally have 4 cats that all use the same box. I usually clean it twice a day, and use clumping litter that allows me to remove the urine as well as the feces. If I let it go more than a day without cleaning, or use non-clumping litter where the urine remains until a complete litter change (once every 4 - 7 days), all four of them will refuse to use the box because of the smell, and will instead go just outside, or create a new litter box out of my bath tub.

If your cat isn't fixed... you should invest in that. There are many benefits to getting your cat fixed, besides correcting behavior issues regarding marking territory. Clean the box often, and try clumping litter if you haven't already. Keep a good eye on your cat, and watch him as much as possible. If he starts wandering around the area of the box... especially if he's sniffing the ground, put him in the box, and watch him. If he jumps out right away, let him go. He may not have to relieve himself at that time... and constant reinforcement when they don't have to go, may cause further problems.

 

[feralvr]

Hi and thanks for coming to the site

. Hope we can help

. Is she spayed??? Nature's Miracle Advanced Just For Cats did not work well for me. Use Stink Free (at Petsmart) and start about one foot out from the center of the pee area and circle the StinkFree in towards the center. Blot it up. Repeat again and leave it really doused with it and let it air dry. This will take a couple of days to totally dry out. You may have to repeat once more after a couple of days. Stink Free also sells a black light (at Petsmart too) to check for any spots you might have missed. I would suggest placing that rubber clear carpet runner with the spikes turned up in the areas next to the boxes where she was going. Also, I would recommend Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter AND get the herbal additive. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup into the Cat Attract litter and mix it in. Most will say you don't need the additive on top of the Cat Attract, but I have done it this way and it REALLY draws the cat to that box quickly. You only add the herbal additive when you have to add more litter and just a few sprinkles. Much luck with this kitty and I hope all of our suggestions help out.

 

[teamcarp33]

One of my cats is very particular about having a clean litter box. If it isn't clean enough for her, she will pee in the bathtub. Scooping at LEAST once a day has helped. I also switched to using a large tupperware tub- one of the kind thats about 1.5 feet wide, 2.5 feet long and 1.5 feet tall. Then you can keep the litter really deep, scooping is easier, and it stays pretty fresh for much longer. I also read that if a cat starts peeing in an area outside the box, you can clean the area as thoroughly as possible, then move their feeding station to that spot. It will discourage them because they don't like to pee or poop near where they eat (read it in a book called "Cat vs. Cat")

 

[tkaner]

I had a very similar problem and ended up cleaning the two boxes twice a day. My femail spayed kitten seemed to be very critical of having a clean box.

 

[panda93]

I hope I don't jinx this, but it's been 2 days since I switched 1 box back to the original store-bought litter Charlie started with as a kitten, and there have been no stray pee spots!

To those who asked, she is fixed and so is my other male kitten.

 

[momofmany]

I just caught this, but will add my thoughts in case she has a reoccurance. I've also found that Nature's Miracle doesn't work very well. The best product out there (IMO) is Nok Out - sold online only. You saturate the spot and let it sit before you blot up the excess. Repeat as necessary.

I know your vet has ruled out UTI's as a cause of this, but also realize that any illness can trigger inappropriate urination. My Pinky goes outside of the litter box when his chronic rodent ulcer flares up. My Stumpy started to go out of the litter box when he first got stomatitis (gum disease). They do this because they have no other way of telling you that something is wrong.

Find the trigger and you will resolve this permanently. I hope it was just the change in litter as you described earlier.