I have 3 indoor cats. They are all female and all spayed. Two of them are almost 4 and the youngest is almost 2. It is the youngest cat that I am having the issue with, although I suspect the second oldest of the 3 is also peeing outside her litter tray. This includes both full-on peeing and marking.
The youngest cat I supsect is the main culprit as she acts extremely guilty once she has realised that I have found her pee, although I never catch her doing it. She must do it at night and when there's nobody in the house. The frustrating thing is that they all use the litter trays regularly, but the two suspects also choose to pee on both of my sofas daily. My life consists of cleaning their pee and desperately trying to prevent this behaviour.
What is even more stressful about this situation is that I am 7 months pregnant with my first child and the cat pee issue is taking a massive toll on my emotional well-being and causing me a great deal of stress (more so than just the general pregnancy stress). I can only imagine the upheaval in my household once my child is born as my cats try to adapt to the new baby in the house. I imagine it will only make the cat pee issue worse (if that is even possible).
I have been through numerous questions asked online about the same issue and have been through so many 'solutions', but nothing seems to work. I clean with white vinegar, I've used baking soda in an attempt to lift the smell, I've laid tinfoil down before I leave the house (it got peed all over), I keep their trays to a good standard of cleanliness, I feel like I have exhausted nearly every avenue to attempt to correct the behaviour. The only thing that prevents them from peeing on one of my sofas is putting their food bowls up there, but although it stops them from peeing on that couch, it most likely just redirects them to the other sofa.
My cats are very well loved and looked after, I make sure they have routine in their lives and always make time to cuddle with them and play. So as you can imagine, this issue is causing havoc. It is ruining not only my living area, but also my state of mind at what should be a happy and exciting time in my life.
I don't believe in simply giving up on difficult behaviour in people and I am exactly the same with my cats. I would rather successfully correct this behaviour than simply give the cat(s) away and then feel terrible about doing so. So rehoming or giving to a shelter is not an option.
I suppose my question is, what else can I do that does not involve just redirecting the behaviour to another 'pee area'? I try my very hardest to not shout or become angry at the cats as I know they don't understand, but it's beginning to wear thin at this stressful time. Would confining the cats to separate rooms at night with their litter trays help at all or would it just cause them more stress?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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There is a difference between a cat spraying and inappropriate urination. Cats spray to mark their territory. If it is a territorial thing, give each cat its own space. Make sure you address the problem quickly. You must thoroughly clean and deodorize the area urinated on, or the cat will keep going there. Think of getting additional litter boxes as well.You may also want to change the style of the litter box if the cat doesn't seem to like it.
I'm aware that there is a difference which is why I stated in my post that urination and spraying happens. I have been addressing this problem for around a year with the solutions you have mentioned, sometimes there's no pee for a couple days but it always happens again no matter how much cleaning I do or preventative measures I take.
This is a more serious issue than you realize if you're pregnant because cats can give you and your child toxoplasmosis. If you have heard all the solutions and nothing seems to work you may have to rehome them.
Thank you for your comment. It's very rare for indoor cats to carry toxoplasmosis as they do not cone into contact with any outdoor animals. Also, rehoming is not an option as these cats are like my family, hence why I am asking for advice on here.
I had a cat that did this for awhile. We moved her cross country and then I got pregnant. When the baby came home, it was just too much for her and she started peeing all over our apartment. It was never in a corner or hidden and never seemed to have anything to do with the state of her litter box. She would regularly pee on our futon couch and also on laundry left on the floor. One time, she peed on a work shirt that my husband had just taken off and laid on the bed. It seemed vindictive and deliberate and I was also often in tears.
I remember using Kids&Pets enzyme cleaner to remove the odor and hopefully to prevent her from going in that spot again. I started allowing her to go outside and eventually she calmed down and was better. She would get in a snit whenever we moved or added a member of the family but it was never so bad again. So, for our cat, it seemed to be stress related. I was probably stressing her out worse by being so upset about it.
I think your idea about locking them in a space would be worth a try. You might also see if your vet has some suggestions, maybe a pill to calm her down. Let us know how it goes and thanks for being a good pet owner.
My daughter and her husband had the same exact problem. They tried everything that you did and more. They used a black light to see where the cat would pee and it was everywhere. My daughter was also pregnant. They tried medication from the vet also.
You are right not to worry about toxo (and it is only the stool and will only affect you in the 1st trimester).
Your cats are super blessed to have such a committed owner who is trying not to be upset with them (you are right that it could worsen the problem).
Vinegar nor baking soda will never get rid of the odor for the cat's nose. You must use enzyme products specifically for cat urine and follow the directions (which I did not realize till years after I graduated from Veterinary school). You spray the enzyme then cover the spot for 24 hours to keep it moist while it "eats" the odor.
tinfoil often works - good try.
At this point I would strongly suggest you an integrative veterinarian with whom to work (or another suggestion below). This is a person trained in many different approaches, including using conventional drugs only when absolutely needed. Working with one can increase the chance that your cherished companion can live a long and healthy life after recovering from this current problem. There are good ones and great ones, and a few homeopathic veterinarians will consult by phone or email. You can go to the web sites for each type of holistic practice and use their referral list to find one near to you. Many practitioners are members of only one or two of the organizations, so you do need to go to every site to find who is near you:
1. Wide range of treatments: www.AHVMA.org, American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and www.civtedu.org.
2. Homeopathic veterinarians (these can often help you by phone if no other holistic practitioners are nearby that you like): www.theAVH.org and www.DrPitcairn.com;
3. Chiropractic and Osteopathic - www.animalchiropractic.org; equineosteopathy.org/
4. TCVM (Acupuncture and Chinese medicine): www.IVAS.org, www.aava.org & www.TCVM.com
5. Herbal - www.VBMA.org
6. Postural rehabilitation dogs and horses -www.posturalrehabvets.com/
7. Craniosacral and Bowen - www.animalconnectionnetwork.com/
My second suggestion may be too far out there for you, but I have had about 80% success when clients with peeing cats spoke with an animal intuitive. Because Sharon Callahan makes her own flower essences (100% safe) AND is an animal communicator, I think this would be the fastest way to resolve the problem - www.anaflora.com.
Does this happen when you are home or just when you are gone? If it happens only when you are gone, I would kennel them in separate kennels while gone, with a litter box in each
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