When he's upset, he pees on my stove

[howtoholdacat]

Seti's a weird one, no doubt. If he gets upset he pees on the stove. Very charming. I don't think he can help it. He had a traumatic kittenhood. He seems to do fine if I keep the litter boxes unbelievably clean and if I spend plenty of time reassuring and comforting him. But if he gets unhappy it's pee pee city.

For example, I was out of town for a week. My husband was home and everything went normally as far as feeding routine, box cleaning, etc. Seti peed on the stove and on the day of my return picked a nasty fight with our female cat Kit. The two of them are always at odds but we've never had anything like that happen before. Yesterday, someone tried to break into our house by busting out a window. Our dog kept them out thankfully. Last night, pee on the stove.

I can't catch him doing it to tell him not to. I'm not even sure if there's anything I can do for him. We've used all the usual remedies that we talk about on the boards: Feliway, Cat Attract, etc. It's not a typical behavioral problem. It's an emotional problem.

Oh, and yes, he's healthy. He's been checked for this. I won't medicate for behavioral issues as when we tried it with another cat it caused that male cat to have a false pregnancy and lactate. And when we tried kitty Prozac with a different cat she looked stoned for two weeks. I've sworn off meds. I'd rather just clean the stove to be disgustingly honest.

Any thoughts?

 

[strange_wings]

Find some way to cover the stove?

I wonder what makes the stove a desirable pee spot. It's certainly not convenient.

You can't really completely separate emotions and behavior. All animals are subjected to them. You get upset, you react. (even basic reptiles and their fear/stress reactions) So yes, this is behavioral. All you can do is focus on avoiding stressing him, do more to keep him relaxed and provide stress relieving outlets. Does he like catnip?
I have a stress pee-er in the house. It's a behavioral problem that arises out of her feeling upset/insecure. She doesn't like other cats and nothing short of a lobotomy would change her core personality. So I focus on keeping her calm and destressed... and never leave anything down.

As long as everyone else gives her some space she's content.

Quiet time with Seti each night, maybe trying gentle massage (releases endorphins that can help with stress), might help him a little. Of course, this is only if he's a lap cat.

Keep up with the feliway diffusers in any case since you have cat issues.

 

[howtoholdacat]

Yeah, I can't imagine why he likes the stove. Thankfully, he restricts it to the one burner that doesn't work.

You're right about behavior and emotions being intertwined. I guess I phrased it that way to emphasis that this only happens when he's unhappy.

We do spend a lot of time together everyday. He is a lap cat but only when he wants to be. There's not much convincing him. If he wants to play, we must play. If he wants to snuggle, we must snuggle. There's no negotiating with Seti.

He loves catnip. I mean like if there were rehab for cat nip junkies he'd be a regular. You think giving him some daily will help?

He does seem to do best on days when I'm working in my office (I work from home) and he can lay in my lap. I'll see if I can encourage him to do more of that as it makes us both happy.

Any thoughts on what I can do when I go out of town again in a few weeks? I'll leave a shirt on the bed for him.

 

[white cat lover]

Can you perhaps plug in a Feliway diffuser by the stove to see if that helps?

The only other thing is to cover the stove somehow - I just don't know how to do so safely.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by white cat lover

The only other thing is to cover the stove somehow - I just don't know how to do so safely.

Large pots so he can't get his butt up there.

And yes, do try a couple of nip sessions with him a day and see if that helps him unwind, it works on my Siri.

I don't know what you can do when you have to leave town other than find someone else that doesn't mind spending extra time with him. Some cats are just really bonded to their people and there's not really an answer on how to make them not miss you.

 

[howtoholdacat]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Large pots so he can't get his butt up there.

Lol, not a bad idea. If I cover the stove he may return to peeing in the sink. Still gross but oh so much easier to clean.

Thankfully, I own a pet sitting company. Finding a sitter who'll love my babies will be no problem. I've a whole staff of them! The only problem will be getting Seti to let them love on him. He's very shy. When I was gone but my husband was home he wouldn't even come out for my husband.

It's a good thing he's so adorable! I'd never consider sending him elsewhere. I guess I'm just doomed to clean my stove forever. White Cat Lover (long time, no chat with you!) I think I will move the Feliway. That's a good suggestion.

 

[motoko9]

My apologies if you're already aware of this, but they do make covers for burners. I don't know if they will stop him from doing his thing up there, but they'll protect the burners, at least!

 

[lsanders]

Are you sure his catnip "problem" (

) isn't making it worse?

We had a cat who loved the catnip but it brought out some very unpleasant behaviors in him that he didn't have when he hadn't had catnip and we had to stop giving it to him- he'd attack the other cats (and not in a play-fighting sort of way, but a pounce/teeth-in-neck/death grip sort of way where he had to be pulled off of them) and he'd also pee on things. He was just totally out of it on catnip.

 

[hissy]

Just speaking from experience, but when cats pee on hard objects it is almost always health-related. I would find a feline specialist and have them take a look at him. That is just my $.02 from working with cats dealing with traumatic beginnings for so many years.

 

[momofmany]

I had a stove pee-er once. She was old, didn't like the other cats in the house, and started to pee on the electric burners. We didn't notice it the first time and turned the burner on. You don't know bad odors until you smell burnt cat pee. A direct hit by a skunk smells better than that.

We took her to the vet and they couldn't find anything obviously wrong with her. But she continued to do odd things and it turned out she was having small strokes. Not that your cat is having strokes, but there are medical conditions that aren't always obvious with an annual exam.

Until we finally figured out that it was a health issue, we dealt with the behavior, even resorting to putting in a litter box with cat attract in the kitchen. I also learned a little Tellington Touch massage to use on her (releases the happy endorphins as mentioned previously). But the thing that helped the problem the most was to redirect the behavior of all of the other cats in the house by giving her a safe spot and encouraging all of the other cats to find other happy places. Once they left her alone, she basically stopped peeing on the stove.

 

[farleyv]

You really need to keep him off the stove for the obvious reason of fire.

I had a cat alarm that is set on the cupboard. One time it goes off, they usually will never get back up there.

Yep, it is a bit expensive, but what price your house going up in flames. There is the Sssssscat aerosol can or a loud ringing alarm. Yes, it scares them. But again, a stove is absolutely no place for a cat. There are times I have heard of a cat that was on a stove and burnt the house down. Go online and you can find many deterrants. Try Doctors Foster and Smith.

Please be safe. You could loose your home, not to mention your cats, and your lives.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by farleyv

Yep, it is a bit expensive, but what price your house going up in flames. There is the Sssssscat aerosol can or a loud ringing alarm.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I don't want any aerosol cans anywhere near an open flame or high heat source. Maybe other people see this as completely safe...

 

[Willowy]

Originally Posted by farleyv

You really need to keep him off the stove for the obvious reason of fire.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I don't want any aerosol cans anywhere near an open flame or high heat source.

Is it a gas stove or an eletric range? I frequently forget that gas ranges actually have open flames on them....scares me bad. I wouldn't want a gas stove at all. Electric ranges---particularly the flat-topped glass types---wouldn't be as much of a problem. Especially if not used often (like mine, LOL).

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by Willowy

Is it a gas stove or an eletric range? I frequently forget that gas ranges actually have open flames on them....scares me bad. I wouldn't want a gas stove at all. Electric ranges---particularly the flat-topped glass types---wouldn't be as much of a problem. Especially if not used often (like mine, LOL).

She said burner, so it's either gas or one of the electric ones with the coil type elements.

I have a flat-topped electric range, too. It took some getting used to but it really is much nicer to clean and safer (when off and cool). Even though it's safer I still will not have any sort of aerosol cans near it or the oven (right next to the stove). I might know better and move it, but I can't ignore the fact that guys don't always think about these things and the cats are amazing at knocking things over.

 

[howtoholdacat]

It's an electric with coil burners. The one he goes on doesn't work so while it's def. nasty it's not as bad as it might seem at first glance. I have thought of burner covers but I think the urine would just run under the edges so I haven't gotten them. I think a large sheet metal lid might be just the thing. Might look into that.

While I'm certainly not opposed to having him re-checked, again, by our vet, I've been working with this particular problem for three years now and am fairly certain that it's behavioral. A couple of posters mentioned issues with other cats and he has issues with Kit, no doubt. I've seen real improvement from working with them on their relationship. That does seem to have helped. Also, he's three now so I'm seeing some maturity help the situation as well. It's not a frequent occurrence, mind you. I can count on one hand the number of times this has happened.

Here's what I'm thinking and I'd love input on this. He needs his own safe space. Lately, he's been sleeping on one of the decorative pillows on the bed. The bed didn't get made yesterday. I mentioned we had a break in and with everything else going on it threw my routine off. Last night, we discovered he'd peed on our pillows that we use for sleeping. I think he was upset that his "safe" pillow wasn't there. What do you guys think about that theory?

If I'm right, he needs a place that's safe but not contingent on my doing the exact same routine every day as that's not practical 365 days a year. I'm a neat freak but I do get sick! The only problem is, anything I've given him in the past he's peed in. Sigh. What would make him feel safe, be inexpensive and be easy to clean? My only thing is it can't be cardboard as Kit uses boxes to scratch on and if she's scratching it, it won't be just his spot.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by howtoholdacat

The only problem is, anything I've given him in the past he's peed in. Sigh. What would make him feel safe, be inexpensive and be easy to clean? My only thing is it can't be cardboard as Kit uses boxes to scratch on and if she's scratching it, it won't be just his spot.

Is he a "box cat"? One of those cats that loves to hide in things and feels comfortable? If so, have you ever seen the "tupperlair" posts in the picture thread (if not, use the search function). Basically, try plastic storage bins. If he pees, at least it's an easy clean up. You could probably put a bin up on a dresser, table, of if you were really creative find a way to mount them up on a wall with selves (wooden box would have an advantage here).

He could have peed since you moved his pillow plus the commotion that day. It's hard to know what goes through their heads sometimes. It could have nothing to do with his pillow and just because he was upset and the bed was rumpled.

 

[howtoholdacat]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

It's hard to know what goes through their heads sometimes. .

No kidding. He's a hard one to unlock. I'll keep at him though! We'll fix it. I've the tenacity of a terrier and I'm smitten with that cat!

 

[farleyv]

The sssscattt is compressed air. I don't think it is dangerous near a stove. However, it does not have to be near the stove. Works up to 10 feet away.

Try the audible alarm. Anything is safer than your cat on the stove. There is help out there.

 

[3catsn1dog]

Just a recommendatin since he is getting on the stove to be safe take the knobs off and put them in a drawer then he cant accidentally turn it on. I did that with mine when Fatman decided that being on the stove was a fun was to antagonize the other 2. Atleast then he couldnt get the stove on, but I always left pots on the burners too if I used it so they all knew that the stove was hot.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by farleyv

The sssscattt is compressed air. I don't think it is dangerous near a stove.

No cans of compressed air are actually "air", sccat is actually tetrafluoroethane a type if refrigerant (read the can!). And yes, there is a warning on it to not store near heat or even have in direct sunlight (anything above 104F). So yes, it's dangerous near a stove.
Nothing in a compressed can is safe near heat and every single can will clearly state so - this is because the remaining gas expands when hot and the can will explode. This is not safer than a cat near a stove, this is down right deadly.