Drowning in cat urine!

[stroutman81]

Hello -

This is my first post on the forum and I want to say thanks in advance to anyone who has any solutions for me. I'm a fitness professional and have found forums like this to be very supportive and educational on the fitness side of things. In a last ditch effort, I'm turning to cat forums to seek help. I'm desperate.

My wife and I have owned 2 cats for 5-6 years now. They were rescue cats and in the beginning they were amazingly cool. Then we moved. Then we bought a dog. Then we had a baby. And somewhere in that time they started peeing outside of their litter box.

We took them to the vet to rule out any health issues. I assumed it was behavioral and the vet confirmed it, but left us with no real solutions.

They've always been inside cats. We're at our wits end though. I'm a true animal lover by nature, and I hate the idea of simply letting them outside when they've never been. But they're ruining our house. They've peed on the baby's stuff. They've peed on our sofa, which we ultimately had to trash. They peed on a brick floor which is impossible to clean. We simply can't do this.

Are there any tricks of the trade? Or is it time for these cats to hit the wild? I've thought about giving them away, which breaks my heart... but maybe they'd like it better elsewhere.

I just don't know anymore and I'm so frustrated.

Thanks,

Steve

 

[frankthetank]

A few first steps, since you have ruled out health issues~
1. get a good enzyme cleaner and clean any fabric/carpeted area they have peed on. If they can smell it, they will do it again. Cover the area w/ a carpet runner (nubby side up) or aluminum foil. Cats don't like the feel of these and won't want to walk on it. Once the smell is gone, if it is covered long enough they should associate the area w/ the feeling of whatever you put down and not want to walk on it.
2. Feliway-it is a cat pheremone. The cats are probably stressed due to the changes they have dealt with, both a new animal and child. We have a feliway diffuser in our living room and in our bedroom, I believe they cover up to about 100 sq ft? but I am not sure. They also sell feliway spray and natures miracle no stress spray. Natures miracle also has a "no mark" spray. We use all of these. We spray no stress spray on our couch/bed. We have a waterproof mattress cover under our sheets on our bed to keep the mattress clean. We also cover our couch at night/when we are gone, with waterproof throws. We just moved in andf are trying to keep the cats stress level down but also keep our house protected from the accidents they might have due to stress~and we have a blind cat who has accidents sometimes.

We have also tried "calming collars" and they seem to work decent but only last for about 30 days.
Hope some of this helps. You can use a blacklight to see where the cat urine is to know where you need to treat the most.

 

[feralvr]

Hi Steve!!!

Welcome and sorry to hear the "drowning in urine"

. Here is what I would do. You have to do something, and fast before this really becomes a habitual problem. This can be corrected, and that is the good news

!!

I would put the cats into a smaller room and start over with litterbox training immediately. The stress of the dog, moving, baby etc. has led them astray from the box. Get the Dr. Elseys Cat Attract litter and fill two large open boxes in that room. You can also pick the Cat Attract Attractant, which is a green herbal looking mixture and sprinkle about 1/4 cp. into the litter and mix it around. Then, get some plug-in Feliway diffuser or the Feliway spray (spray has to be spritzed every twelve hours). Put some new toys, treat balls and play with them in that small room with wand toys periodically throughout the day. I would not let them out of the room until they are using that litterbox regularly and each and everytime they need to pee. Then you can start to let them out for short periods and then back to the room with a very special treat. When you do let them out again, pick up all dirty clothes, yours and the babies, so the cats don't regress back to peeing on clothes. Also, pick up some Nok-Out (online) or Stinkfree (sold at Petsmart) and douse all the areas they have been peeing on. You can also get the Stinkfree black light so you can find all areas. Soak the brick at least a couple of times, allow drying in between. You might have to put a rug over the bricked area. You are right, brick is hard to treat as it is so porous. Wash any peed on clothing/bedding using some white vinegar in the load as well.

Here are just a few things to think about as well. Does the dog chase them, ever? Does the baby crying set them off? Do you have at least three large open litterboxes spread around the house? Are the litterboxes in private, quiet areas? Are you using hooded boxes (a no-no for alot of cats)? What type of litter are you using, have you changed it recently? Are you able to still give the cats some quality attention each day?

I do not think they should be put outside. They have always been indoor cats and that would be very dangerous for them AND very stressful to have to live outside. This will not solve the problem or correct it, and just might makes things worse for them

.

Good luck and I am sure the cats can be retrained again. But the longer you let this go on, it can become a habit.

 

[stroutman81]

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply both of you.

Unfortunately, this has been happening on and off for a year now. We can't pinpoint specific triggers. But yes, sadly, our dog does chase the cats from time to time. However, that was happening long before they started peeing. It wasn't until the wife got pregnant that is started happening. I suppose this was the tipping point for them.

We've tried locking them in a room for a week at a time. We'd treat them with tuna, spend time in there as much as we could, etc. We never let them out in doses though... we'd simply open the door once the week was up and that was that. Maybe we should try the dosage thing.

We've tried aluminum foil where they've peed more than once and they peed right on top of the aluminum foil. What's worse is there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to where they pee. They did pee on the dog bed... and that was logical. They don't like the dog. They peed on the baby's diaper bag and that made some sense too. Beyond that though, it's beyond random. It can be simply on the bare floor, which more often than not is the case.

We have 2 litter boxes in one room, and this might be part of the issue. I think I'm going to put another litter box on a different floor of the house to give them more access. The litter boxes we have now are enclosed... but that's what they've been using since we first got them years ago.

We use Feline Pine pellet litter, and they use it a lot. Even when they're peeing in the house, both litter boxes are always full. We clean it daily, obviously. I'm not opposed to trying a new litter... however I'm afraid that might cause even more anxiety. We switched to Feline Pine a few months ago and hopping from brand to brand can't be good. Seeing as how they are using it a lot... do you think I should change?

We've been cleaning the messes with Nature's Miracle, which gets expensive but it does seem to work. If you guys think something else is better... it'd be worth a try. I see the recommendations for Nok-Out and Stinkfree... do you know if these are better than Nature's Miracle? I ask because I just bought a new gallon jug of NM.

We have tried Feliway before... the thing that you plug into the wall and it emits stuff at timed intervals or whatever. To be honest... we only used it once in one room (2600 sq ft house) so it probably wasn't adequate and it'll probably be worth trying again. But from what I read... it only lasts 4 weeks and that can get very expensive if you need to refill multiple plugins.

 

[bastetservant]

Sorry you are having the problems with the cats peeing inappropriately. These problems are very common with the changes that have occurred in the house (dog and baby). But, this problem can be solved. BUT, you must do certain things that have been recommended above, because they really do work. If you read previous threads on this forum (as well as stickies and articles), you will find that people write about this kind of thing (very similar), very often, and the problem does go away, once people finally follow the directions already given on this thread.

You must use 3 OPEN litter boxes in different places in your house (doesn't matter that the hooded ones worked in the past). You must use Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter. Other litter is not going to help. Changing to Cat Attract litter may be the most important thing (doesn't matter what you are now using or how long). Another thing of major importance is cleaning up previous soiled places correctly. For that you must use Nok Out (Stink Free may work, but I read many fewer testimonials about it here). Nature's Miracle does not work for a lot of people, as reported here over and over. You need to use a black light to find the places soiled. You need to soak the areas in the Nok Out (buy a couple gallons on line) and let the area dry thoroughly, which will take a few days.

Your cats need to be confined for an extended period of time in a room with the litter boxes (to be moved to various places in the house once they are integrated back into the house again gradually). They need interactive toys (best are Da Bird or Go Cat Dancer and treat balls). In that room you need to play with them and cuddle them. Eventually, once they are using the litter boxes all the time, bring them out into the rest of the house when you can supervise them. Put them back in the room when you can't. And make the visits out (supervised) longer and longer, until you can trust them.

Clothes need to be put away at all times. And the dog must be trained to not chase the cats. Letting them outside would be cruel. They are not prepared for that. You will soon have dead or lost cats.

Feliway diffusers and spray (must be resprayed daily) will help a great deal. But you have to have enough of them.

All of this will cost a lot initially (but the Feliway and Dr. Elsey's may not be needed indefinitely). But aren't your pet cats worth it? These problems were not of their making. They are sensitive creatures and their lives have been disrupted dramatically. I'm not saying you shouldn't have a dog or a baby (of course), just that conditions need to be adjusted to make this work for them and your family. They are acting out because they are stressed and don't know what to do to make their lives better. They are relying on you.

It is very, very difficult to rehome adult cats. I know as I volunteer at a shelter. And letting them out may very well result in their death.

Good luck to you. Please feel free to ask questions here regarding how to further work on these problems. But saying that you've done this or that, use this or that, and those things not being exactly the advice you've been given, means you aren't really committed, yet, to solving the problem, or you don't believe the advice you have been given. We here really want to help you and your cats and we speak from a lot of experience. We have given our time and effort to write here because we want to help. Please let us help.

Best wishes,

Robin

 

[stroutman81]

Hi Robin. I appreciate the sincerity and forwardness in your post. I assure you I'm committed to resolving this issue - for the good of my house, family, AND most importantly my cats.

Please understand I've been battling this issue for a year. It's not for lack of commitment that things have not worked. I only received the advice about specific products today on this forum and if they come with such strong conviction from a group of people who obviously are passionate about cats... it's certainly worth the try.

As I dive into this, I may have more questions and I'll definitely ask them here.

Thanks again for your time and experience.

 

[bastetservant]

Sorry if I was a bit blunt. I can be tactless sometimes. It comes from passion.

Just hoping it all goes better.

Lots of positive to you and your family, including your kitties, that this is all resolved.


Robin

 

[c1atsite]

oh my i wish you the best. for toys besides dabird i would also recommend the frolicat bolt automatic laser to chase

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by bastetservant

Sorry you are having the problems with the cats peeing inappropriately. These problems are very common with the changes that have occurred in the house (dog and baby). But, this problem can be solved. BUT, you must do certain things that have been recommended above, because they really do work. If you read previous threads on this forum (as well as stickies and articles), you will find that people write about this kind of thing (very similar), very often, and the problem does go away, once people finally follow the directions already given on this thread.

You must use 3 OPEN litter boxes in different places in your house (doesn't matter that the hooded ones worked in the past). You must use Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter. Other litter is not going to help. Changing to Cat Attract litter may be the most important thing (doesn't matter what you are now using or how long). Another thing of major importance is cleaning up previous soiled places correctly. For that you must use Nok Out (Stink Free may work, but I read many fewer testimonials about it here). Nature's Miracle does not work for a lot of people, as reported here over and over. You need to use a black light to find the places soiled. You need to soak the areas in the Nok Out (buy a couple gallons on line) and let the area dry thoroughly, which will take a few days.

Your cats need to be confined for an extended period of time in a room with the litter boxes (to be moved to various places in the house once they are integrated back into the house again gradually). They need interactive toys (best are Da Bird or Go Cat Dancer and treat balls). In that room you need to play with them and cuddle them. Eventually, once they are using the litter boxes all the time, bring them out into the rest of the house when you can supervise them. Put them back in the room when you can't. And make the visits out (supervised) longer and longer, until you can trust them.

Clothes need to be put away at all times. And the dog must be trained to not chase the cats. Letting them outside would be cruel. They are not prepared for that. You will soon have dead or lost cats.

Feliway diffusers and spray (must be resprayed daily) will help a great deal. But you have to have enough of them.

All of this will cost a lot initially (but the Feliway and Dr. Elsey's may not be needed indefinitely). But aren't your pet cats worth it? These problems were not of their making. They are sensitive creatures and their lives have been disrupted dramatically. I'm not saying you shouldn't have a dog or a baby (of course), just that conditions need to be adjusted to make this work for them and your family. They are acting out because they are stressed and don't know what to do to make their lives better. They are relying on you.

It is very, very difficult to rehome adult cats. I know as I volunteer at a shelter. And letting them out may very well result in their death.

Good luck to you. Please feel free to ask questions here regarding how to further work on these problems. But saying that you've done this or that, use this or that, and those things not being exactly the advice you've been given, means you aren't really committed, yet, to solving the problem, or you don't believe the advice you have been given. We here really want to help you and your cats and we speak from a lot of experience. We have given our time and effort to write here because we want to help. Please let us help.

Best wishes,

Robin

Adding to that: Steve, Feline pine was the only litter that made my cat pee in the living room - almost immediately - a lot of cats have this problem with this litter, due to the texture and the scent... it is absolutely the worst for litter training....
Cat Attract is a must for re-training. Here is a rebate form for a free bag - up to 40lbs: http://www.preciouscat.com/pdf/Free_...ll_8-17-06.pdf

Nature's miracle do not work... Nok Out is the best! Make sure to buy a LOT - you really need to soak it - spraying is not the way to go.... You need to remove the urine with a paper towel or cloth, pour Nok Out on the area, leave it for a while, the remove the excess and leave it air drying - depending on the surface, it can take weeks air drying... You need to protect the area from the cat - covering with aluminum foil helps. It is very very important to allow the time to air-dry so the enzymes have the time to "eat" the odor causing agents in the urine.
Litter boxes:
They have to be large, open with 3-4 inches of litter, and located in an open, quiet room, preferably in a corner, where the kitty will have a full view of the room but will not feel trapped. End of corridors, opposite sides of doors work perfectly for this. Not inside of closets, garages, or laundry rooms. These places can startle the kitty with noise, trap odors, or make the kitty feel trapped in the case of the dog approaching them.
Feliway: you can buy multi-packs from Amazon, at an excellent price here is a link: Feliway 6-pack
One plug-in per room where they frequent the most is where you should place them.
Since you have kids and dogs, make sure your kitties have places to go - vertical spaces - window sills, cat trees, and wall shelves. You can build wall shelves very cheaply - I built mine cheaply, pretty much a set of wall book shelves, the kitties love it! This reduces the stress tremendously, as the dog nor the kids can not get in there... Here is my kitty wall: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...ght=kitty+wall
Good luck - I hope these changes help you

,

 

[fifi1puss]

I agree with all the above re: the cat attract litter and more boxes on the different levels of your house etc.
I also want to reiterate what Carolina said about vertical space. I think it is extremely underated at times when people have behavoiral probelms. Especially now that the dogs scent and the babies scent is on alot of stuff down low it is extra important they have space to go up and make a territory for themselves where they feel safe. spoilmykitty.com has some lower cost cat trees than if you by them in a store.

 

[feralvr]

I will just chime in again

!!! Do not use the Feline PINE, that could be a real problem. Alot of cats are VERY sensitive to the smell of pine. Even though they are using it some of the time, doesn't mean they like it. Also, you have to scoop at least four or more times a day at this point to keep the boxes exceptionally clean. I also forgot to mention, and agree that you should have access to vertical climbing in the way of those tall cat furniture/scratching posts combos. I also put cat beds on top of my dining room china cabinet and cabinets in the kitchen

, another option for a tall hideout. If the dog has been chasing them the stress can build and build, and then with the addition of the new baby, that just tipped the scales for them.

Nature's Miracle does not work well at all

. I would also confine them much longer than one week at this point. More like a month until they are seriously retrained to the box filled with the Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract and additive as I suggested earlier. I really think this can be corrected, but since this has been going on for a year, confinement must be longer than one week.

.

p.s. The Feliway spray is cheaper than the diffusers, but must be sprayed twelve hours apart and regularly in that room. Spray a spritz or two about nose level of a cat on the corners of things you have in that extra room. Edge of a bed, chair, etc.

 

[elayman]

Originally Posted by Feralvr

Nature's Miracle does not work well at all

. I would also confine them much longer than one week at this point. More like a month until they are seriously retrained to the box filled with the Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract and additive as I suggested earlier. I really think this can be corrected, but since this has been going on for a year, confinement must be longer than one week.

.

Maybe it depends whether you are starting with the ready-to-use litter or as an additive that you sprinkle on another premium brand, but most cats I have heard where this has been tried are so attracted to Cat Attract that they immediately start using the box correctly every time. Of course deodorizing any unwanted animal odors etc, creating a vertical "safe" zone, and other behavioral integration measures are also important - but I'm not clear on all the emphasis re: "retraining" via a lengthy confinement...:?

 

[darlili]

Chiming in on Cat Attract (and I swear by it) - if you'd like, just get one or two brand new litter boxes and put the Cat Attract in them, while keeping your current boxes. That way the cats definitely have a choice. And I agree, spread out the boxes in a couple of rooms.

And, like everyone else - try to have some vertical space where kitties can jump and get away from the dog, and the baby

Believe me, I've had my share of tears when my boy was having accidents (although, looking back, they were caused by stress of adoption, a UTI/crystals, and he simply didn't like the litter my girl used - he tried to use it, but eventually I think he just gave up. Thanks to Cat Attract, Feliway, Nature's Miracle (ok, I had luck with that stuff) and help here and at the vet, knock wood, no accidents for well over a year.

The vet did a urine culture and blood work, just in case?

God bless you and your wife for hanging in there - I know it's a lot of ask of anyone.

PS - the Cat Attract has a little booklet about inappropriate litter box behavior, and a $1 coupon in every bag.

 

[momofmany]

I'll add another vote for Cat Attract and Nok Out.

I had a sink pee-er for many years until I switched to Cat Attract. He has not peed in the sink since I started using this a few years ago.

I've tried just about every single enzyme cleaner out there and while Nature's Miracle sort of works, it didn't take out deeply embedded problems. I've used it on mattresses, sofa's, luggage, bricks, concrete, drywall, wood, etc and it works on any surface if saturated thoroughly.

It sounds like your cats are stressed by the level of change introduced in their lives (dog then baby). Cats love routine, and any new household member means their routine changes. I'll suggest that you try to incorporate some routines that are exclusive to them each day, whether that be feeding them at the exact same time of day, playing with them at least a day, giving them one on one snuggle time, etc. My cats act out primarily when they don't get enough attention from me. I add play and snuggle time and my problem goes away.

 

[ligwa]

Hi there. I just wanted to let you know you are not alone. I'm going through the same thing. It's gotten better over the past month but it's not resolved completely, yet. You've gotten some really good advise and tips. I myself did not find the Natures Miracle to work. I've heard a lot here about the "Nok Out" but I understand you have to purchase it on line. For now I'm using "Anti Icky Poo" which I purchase at my vets office. It works much better than the Natures Miracle.

One think I wondered is if you know for sure both kitties are guilty of going outside the box. Are they urinating or marking? Or both? The litter will help them if they are urinating. I think (and this is only my opinion) that the marking is a whole separate issue. Your cat(s) trying to claim everything in the house. You've had many changes. It's no wonder he/she/they are stressed out to the max, especially with a dog chasing them. Cats hate change, and yours have had a lot. Be patient, give the ideas here a whirl and see what happens. It's really important that you get all the urine cleaned up. You'll be surprised what you will find with the black light.

For now, I don't leave anything out on the floor, not even shoes. I know it's a huge pain and it takes a lot of work but in the end you will have a happier household. Whatever you do, please do not put them outside. There are so many terrible things that can happen.

Good luck to you. You sound like you are willing to do the work. That's half the battle.

 

[stroutman81]

I can't tell you how thankful I am to everyone who has chimed in. I've some things to respond to specifically, which I will once I have some time. But I wanted to let you know that I'll be making a number of purchases today and hopefully this is the start of a resolution.

This is a wonderful community!

 

[tkaner]

I have a problem with a kitten urinating outside her box, but she has steadily imporved overtime. Unfortunately, she has improved very slowly. We are down o one corner upstairs in my condo. I do agree that once they go some where and especially if it is more than once, cleaning alone will not do the trick. One has to keep them away and I mean farther than six inches away.

I do have a question however, I would seem that if an animal has such a highly developed sense os smell, you can not truly remove all of the smell. But it does seem to work out if you can keep them off the area for al ong period of time.

How long do you think one should keep the area covered. This assumes that the area has been cleaned, dried and enzymed to death. I use Urine-Off and Nok-Out (not at the same time, but in succession).

 

[tkaner]

Say a cat urinates in a corner on carpet. In my case, the carpet pulls up pretty easily and is a tight fit, but I still get a chemical smellafter using the nok-Out. It does seem to work even better than the Urine-Off. I find that is I use an extractor to runce the carpet, the chemical smell goes away. Funny thought since nok-Out does not have much of a smell. Maybe because other chemicals have been used in the past there.

Amazingly enough, the carpet has been peed and pooped on in this room, but there are virtually no stains. Something must be working.

 

[parsleysage]

Steve - how has the last week been? Any improvement?

 

[stroutman81]

Well they're confined to a room they've never peed in, so I don't know if they're improvement or not yet. I plan on starting to let them out this upcoming Sunday. By then they will have been in there for 2 weeks.

I did start with the cat attract litter though. There are 2 boxes in this room. I left one with the old litter and put the cat attract in the second box. Amazingly they never touched the old litter again. I waited a week, and now the cat attract litter is in both boxes. So I'm hopeful.

I've been playing with and loving them as much as possible, buying new toys, etc. I really believe that with the new litter, putting a new box on the third floor, and everything else that the problem will be resolved.

Thanks again everyone and I'll keep you posted.