Cats are destroying my house

[laureen227]

aw, honey

i would feel the same way - & i'm not near the housekeeper you are! take some deep breaths, ok?
now, i know you had them checked for UTIs, but did they check for possible inefficient neutering? maybe hormone levels or something would show what's going on

never had this problem, so i'm just brainstorming, here.
even once the problem [if there is one] is diagnosed & fixed, you'll need to retrain them to use the litterbox. i recommend the Cat Attract litter - it's done wonders w/my male's occasional 'bed dump'.
are the females eating their food/drinking the water? most cats wouldn't if there was urine on them...
also, does the urine of the boys smell worse than that of the girls? if so, there's something strange going on - my male's urine is identical in smell to my females'. [all neutered]. tomcat urine, otoh, is about 10-20 times worse than regular [as if that weren't bad enough!].
hopefully, some of this will be helpful

 

[butterflyy]

Originally Posted by laureen227


i recommend the Cat Attract litter - it's done wonders w/my male's occasional 'bed dump'.
are the females eating their food/drinking the water? most cats wouldn't if there was urine on them...
also, does the urine of the boys smell worse than that of the girls? if so, there's something strange going on - my male's urine is identical in smell to my females'. [all neutered]. tomcat urine, otoh, is about 10-20 times worse than regular [as if that weren't bad enough!].
hopefully, some of this will be helpful

I checked the local pet store here today for the Cat Attract litter, alot of the users here seem to have had good success with that and I am definitley going to find a pet shop in my area that carries it.

The poor females, I feel terrible now, because they don't leave that room at all so they really had no choice. As I said I do clean those dishes every day, but the walls behind and around them are just disgusting. I don't want to trap them in there by closing the door but once I get that room cleaned out I think I have no choice. At least it will keep the boys out, I will just have to spend plenty of extra time with them.

I have always thought that the males urine smelled way worse than the girls, but then again the girls use their boxes and it is much less potent than the urine sprayed all over the house.

I just spent the last hour and a half cleaning the kitchen. JUST the kitchen

as I said above it was way worse than I had ever expected, they had even peed on the curtains from the counter where they were spraying onto the kitchen table. This blacklight was a good idea but I have spent the last hour and a half gagging almost non-stop lol.

pee-cleaner: This mixture you recommended, it does clean the enzymes from the urine too, right?

I am going to give this til tomorrow night, and sweep that room again and see if they are doing it over. I cleaned all the areas up VERY well, so well my back feels like it is going to break lol...so if they pee again I am just going to lose it.

As far as the cats neutering going wrong, that will have to wait until after our vacation sadly, since a vet visit right now just isn't in our budget. But once we get back they are both going in for a full evaluation.

I did buy some Rescue Remedy tonight while I was out, I figure its worth a shot I have blown so much money on it now, if its a slim chance it can help til I get them to the vet I may as well try it. Right now I feel like downing the whole bottle myself, my nerves are shot.

Thank you again for everyone who keeps replying. I am willing to take any and all suggestions at this point.

 

[monaxlisa]

Dont expect them to stop peeing just because youve cleaned it up. Also once you clean it up make sure to check it again with a black light to make sure that you havent missed a spot. Hopefully once you clean it up they will pee less and maybe you'll be lucky and they'll stop completely but mine still pee. I did mop out one room the other day and it has been less peed in since (yay!). Maybe the boys need to be quarantined in one or two rooms?

 

[butterflyy]

Originally Posted by MonaxLisa

Dont expect them to stop peeing just because youve cleaned it up. Also once you clean it up make sure to check it again with a black light to make sure that you havent missed a spot. Hopefully once you clean it up they will pee less and maybe you'll be lucky and they'll stop completely but mine still pee. I did mop out one room the other day and it has been less peed in since (yay!). Maybe the boys need to be quarantined in one or two rooms?

That is the next step. I am going to keep checking the rooms I am cleaning over and over with that black light. If they keep peeing in excess, I am putting them in the basement. Its huge down there, and while I don't want them peeing on the things down there either, its better than all over in the parts we actually live in.

As it is, it will take me a few days to get all these rooms cleaned, and some of my belongings are ruined to the point I have to throw them out.

What did you use to mop up with MonaxLisa?

 

[cococat]

I have no advice other than parrot what the others have said about cat attract litter, many Feliway diffusiers, and cleaning your house to the best you can. I am so so so sorry you are going thru this experience

It sounds like a nightmare! Hang in there and I hope you can fix this issue. I have no idea why they might be doing this, some people use animals communicators for behavioural issues, some use cat behaviourists when the vet rules out medical conditions. There are other medical conditions that can cause this I think, besides just UTI. But I am not a vet.
I only have one cat and posts like this make me scared to ever consider getting another. It seems like cats have a lot of issues that are hard to correct. But a lot of people have success helping kitties with their various issues, there are so many different methods and I wish you the best in your situation. Hugs to you

and kudos to you for sticking in there, loving your kitties, doing your best to help them, and being open to all suggestions that is admirable. There has to be something that works.

 

[pee-cleaner]

The peroxide mixture will clean everything.

This situation sounds like an emergency. I'd have them locked in a room (such as a bathroom/laundry room) pronto. You are being held prisoner by their rogue urethras and it's sightly, smelly and unsanitary. They definitely do not need the run of the house right now.

 

[monaxlisa]

I clean up everything with lysol wipes, better than water but not super expensive like enzyme cleaner. Plus the whole disinfecting thing is good. You could always put plastic over the stuff in the basement so they pee on the plastic and not on your stuff. When you use the peroxide check with the black light after you clean it and make sure there are no traces, with enzymatic cleaner you can spray it right on the pee and it goes away under the black light. (does that make sense? I havent had my morning (noon) coffee yet, lol)

 

[butterflyy]

I don't need the black light to see that they have already peed in the kitchen

If anyone saw me last night they must have thought I was insane, it was midnight and I had to take those curtains down in the kitchen because there was pee on them, and here I am cleaning by black light lol. When I was done, there was not a trace left of urine. I even used q-tips to get into the baseboards.

I think I am going to move their kitty condo, food and water into the basement today. Is it bad I feel bad about even having to do this? The basement is huge and all, but I just feel bad about having to lock them away. But there is no point in me breaking my back cleaning for them to go right behind me and do it all over again. Plus I still have the whole rest of the house to clean, and 2 rooms of carpet that have to be ripped up now!

We did try 1 Feliway diffuser and it seemed to have no effect. I am thinking if I try them again (if I let them back in the main house) that each room would need 2.

As someone said above, there are so many "whys" to this...I don't want to keep them prisoner in the basement forever. I want to get the house cleaned up, and maybe after our vacation after we take them to the vet again and anything else that could be medical is ruled out we could try again. How would you guys suggest doing that? 1 cat at a time? I also think I should throw out all my litter boxes and start with fresh ones with the Cat Attract litter when I decide to do this.

Ugh I am just so upset and stressed out. You all are wonderful here, thank you for helping me keep my sanity.

 

[hissy]

Sounds a lot like territorial spraying. To many cats in one area having to live together can trigger this. They aren't trying to upset you, they are leaving their messages for other cats. I suspect too, if you take your black light outside and shine it on the walls outside, you will find cat pee outside as well. It is the season where the toms get aggressive and they will pee on walls and windows of homes with inside cats. This scent carries indoors and oftentimes causes a power spray contest to occur.

Forget the homemade recipe given in this thread and contact www.urine-off.com and order their product. It comes in a kit so follow the directions exactly. Use masking tape to mark the urine spots and don't forget to look up on the ceiling as cat urine travels.

I just finished testing a new cat urine remover here. I have several cats and although the males have all been neutered, they were neutered to late and they had already mated. Once they mate, they can't help but spray especially during kitten season. The cleaner is called Wee Cleaner and the website is www.weecleaner.com Seems to work fairly well- I treated my drapes after it had been hosed down and so far the other cats aren't coming up to refresh the area.

Another option for you would be to contact Kerry Hyde www.catpsych.com and let her help you.

Provide places like cat condos and caves where the cats can get up off the floor and get away from the other cats when the need arises. Be sure you have enough litter pans- you should have one pan per cat plus one.

Don't use scented litter, use plain clay litter and be sure that you have at least 2 inches of litter in the pan.

Good luck

 

[laureen227]

Originally Posted by Butterflyy

I think I am going to move their kitty condo, food and water into the basement today. Is it bad I feel bad about even having to do this? The basement is huge and all, but I just feel bad about having to lock them away. But there is no point in me breaking my back cleaning for them to go right behind me and do it all over again. Plus I still have the whole rest of the house to clean, and 2 rooms of carpet that have to be ripped up now!

We did try 1 Feliway diffuser and it seemed to have no effect. I am thinking if I try them again (if I let them back in the main house) that each room would need 2.

first off - Hissy knows the straight

so, listen to her...
secondly - if the basement is huge, don't feel bad. just do it!
third - feliway definitely has a square footage limit - i use 2 in my house, & it's under 1000 square feet... but i needed one in my bedroom plus one in the main living area - the circulation's not the best, so the main area wasn't really getting treated.
here's the info i found: If the cat marks several rooms (with a total surface area of more than 650 sq ft), place another plug-in in one of the other rooms that have been marked.
Active Area - 500-650 sq ft. One vial lasts approximately four weeks. Odorless and non-toxic, does not affect humans. Use as directed. Not a drug or tranquilizer.

 

[butterflyy]

Thank you Hissy for all this information!

I know for certain that outside cats pee on our front and back porches. We live in a downtown very busy area where there are businesses everywhere and tons of stray cats and tomcats around. I spray down the deck in front every weekend and mop it as well, since we spend a lot of time out there in the spring/summer/fall...I know that doesn't get rid of the enzymes and there is nothing I can do to keep all those cats out of our yard really.

We have 4 cats and 6 litter boxes. I know that they are just doing what nature tells them they should be doing, even though I am very sad and frustrated over all of this.

I am ordering the stuff you mentioned in your post, I am willing to try anything so that everyone can live happily in the house, but for now the bad boys will have to move into the basement. With the weather warming up, it amplifies that urine smell x's 100000 it seems like. It's just disgusting, and I need to get this whole house cleaned, with them just peeing over everything I will make no progress.

 

[hissy]

I suspected it was the outside cats triggering the indoor spraying. Would also suggest strongly to order a new book out written by a good friend of mine- Cat Wrangling Made Easy by Dusty Rainbolt. Honestly, I have been living in a multicat household for over 20 years and this book is now my Bible. My cats even peed on it while I was at work the other day- that's how much I use it! Some of my own experiences are in the pages, and Dusty also talked with other multicat owners to get the straight scoop, even though she herself fosters and has over a few cats.

To get rid of the indoor spraying you need to treat the outside as well. Urine-off, Wee Cleaner, Anti-Icky Poo are some of the better cleaners out there. But if you don't remove the odor the cats come every three-four days to refresh the message.

Trust me, I know what you are dealing with. Last year, a feral got loose here in the house and powerwashed my living room. He also sprayed our heater

Talk about nasty and long-lasting smell- Yuck!

Buy the book- Dusty talks about this issue in several chapters, because if someone has over 3 cats and tells you they don't have a sprayer in the group, they are either in denial, or lying. It is how cats communicate and they communicate in groups through signals (scents) in their urines-

 

[butterflyy]

Originally Posted by hissy

Trust me, I know what you are dealing with. Last year, a feral got loose here in the house and powerwashed my living room. He also sprayed our heater

Talk about nasty and long-lasting smell- Yuck!

Yeah I know that smell...they peed all over the radiators in the house during the winter. It's just disgusting. Thank you again for the info, I will be ordering that book as well.

 

[monaxlisa]

I know the heater/pee smell too, ugh! I bought a feliway plug in, got all excited that it was going to cure my problems, watched Garfie back up and pee all over it. So you'll probably want to keep an eye on them when you first plug them in, you dont want the outlet getting drenched.

 

[laureen227]

Originally Posted by hissy

Buy the book- Dusty talks about this issue in several chapters, because if someone has over 3 cats and tells you they don't have a sprayer in the group, they are either in denial, or lying. It is how cats communicate and they communicate in groups through signals (scents) in their urines-

hey, i resemble that! no, really - i don't have a 'sprayer', altho occasionally Chip will pee in a cardboard box

only cardboard boxes, which he also likes to play in/with, as they all do. so i just throw it away once he's peed in it...
i've actually seen him do this. i've never seen him 'spray' anything, like Monaxlisa's Garfield did the feliway diffuser...

 

[pami]

I know this must be extremely frustrating. I agree with Hissy 150%. If there are outside cats roaming, your inside cats are spraying inside as result, especially if they are territorial.

As Hissy suggested, you need to clean the outside as well as the inside. I would clean the outside first.

Here is a recipe from another multicat household for an organic spray, to use AFTER you have used the product to eliminate the odor (the product Hissy suggested). You can use this recipe as a detterent to keep the stray cats from coming back in your yard.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...96&postcount=4

After you have thoroughly cleaned outside, put the detterent, cleaned inside. I would either use the rescue remedy or the feliway or both to help calm your cats down and hopefully all of you can find some peace really soon.

 

[cococat]

Originally Posted by hissy

because if someone has over 3 cats and tells you they don't have a sprayer in the group, they are either in denial, or lying.

really?!

 

[butterflyy]

*sigh* Well, today was worse than yesterday...they had peed all over the kitchen again, in about 10 different spots.

While we were eating dinner tonight, I saw Basement spraying the couch. That was the last straw for me. I am soooo stressed out and so upset about all of this. We just moved the kitty condo and their food water and litter boxes into the basement.

I know I shouldn't be upset about having to do this, but I am. And I also have a weird question. The basement has a few small windows, but not many. At night it is pitch black in there. Should I get some kind of nightlight for them? Something that turns off during the day and comes on at night? Will it stress them out to be in the dark is what I am really getting at. I know putting them in there is going to stress them out enough as it is.

At least this will allow me to totally clean the entire house until we can figure out something that really works. My nerves are so shot

 

[pee-cleaner]

A nightlight would be fine, esp if it's in a place they can't reach with a spray. You REALLY have a HUGE problem, as if you didn't know. You'll also go broke buying the expensive urine cleaners. In your case, I don't think it's the smell that's attracting them back--they are just REALLY into spraying. Trust me--use the peroxide mixture---$1 vs $20 will be a lot less stressful on your wallet and unlike one poster's opinion, it really DOES remove the odor.

 

[kit e cat]

Originally Posted by Butterflyy

The 2 males have been together since they were born. This was something that started after they were neutered too. 1 of them started spraying at about 6 months old. They sprayed even before the 2 females came here (see my original post for info about that).

Kit E Cat - Do you think that I would have to physically take the cats into the vet in order to get them on anti-depressants? The more I think about it, I really think that could help, in more ways than just the spraying, and I am certainly willing to try anything at this point. We are going on vacation next week for a week so right now wouldn't be good money wise to spring for 2 cats to see the vet, just wondering if this could be something they could prescribe over the phone. Thanks again for your info and input!!

if you know your vet well, she might be willing to try it and call the rx into the pharmacy. Never hurts to ask, especially if they've been seen recently enough to not warrant a check up. Good luck, and let me know how it goes. I am amazed so far at how well its working!