Things that saved my home! Solving Urine Problems

[Vala Faye]

Originally Posted by PocketPanda

I am having issues with one of my kitties, Demon, (male, approx. 5 yrs old, neutered) spraying in certain areas around the house. My husband and I have 6 cats. This all started about 2 years ago when one of my older kitties passed away. The kitty that passed used to urinate around the house and her and Demon did not get along at all. He was constantly going after her. I thought he'd be happier with her gone, but the spraying started almost immediately. We replaced the carpet with hardwood floors, replaced the furniture he was spraying on (including a television and sofas), we even ripped out part of the drywall that was completely soaked through. So everything was new, no cat urine smell whatsoever. But he's still spraying in the same spots he was spraying in before. He's been to the vet. No urinary tract infection, but vet did prescribe anti-anxiety medication. We tried that for a month with no change. The vet told us to try out some new cat boxes and litters. We spent literally hundreds of dollars trying out new boxes and litters with no change. The boxes are kept clean and I've seen him use them, so he's not spraying about the house and completely avoiding the litter boxes.

Another piece to the puzzle, Demon only sprays the nights that I'm home. I work nights, 5 nights a week. The 2 nights a week I'm home, he will almost always spray those nights. We tried confining him to our bedroom every night, but then he'd just get his spraying done as soon as I let him free in the morning.

I've tried everything to clean up the smell and the only thing I've tried that works is straight bleach. Doesn't seem to harm the hardwood or walls.

I really think I've tried everything, but maybe someone here can suggest something. I have considered kitty diapers at night. Anyone tried those with any success? I appreciate any suggestions.

It would appear he's taken her place as such. He needs to grow in self-confidence, so he doesn't use the more extreme measures, such as spraying, to mark his territory, but goes back to scratching and rubbing his face on things.

At this point it's a habit, and the original trigger is gone. Still, make sure you keep removing the spots so the smell doesn't stick around. Since he does it especially when you're home, think back. Think back of when your other kitty was still around and see if there is a pattern that emerges. Was it like a trigger for the other kitty to pee more as well? Did they fight more on those nights? Something about your presence sets off the need to affirm his territory more.

First off, I'd put a scratching post next to the door when you get in. I dunno if you have on there, and if he starts spraying the second you walk through the door, if he does, that should give him already a different way of expressing himself.

Next, use a make-up cotton ball to rub alongside his chin and cheek. This way, he's marked them. Hang them with a pin at the places where he usually sprays, at the same height. It'll be like he's marked his territory with his facial pheromones. The cotton balls last up to a week, then you need to repeat the procedure.

Then, when you do come home, and I realize you have a life to lead and a family to attend to, get a toy out he likes, sit on the ground (like Da Bird), and play with him. In fact, if you can, play with him 15 minutes a day every day, away from the other cats (I used to do it before going to bed, then fed them, which leads to grooming and sleeping, natural routine of a cat).

Especially on the days you're home, play with him. Give him treats, make him realize that you being home is *good* thing. Also, play with him properly, and to his level. What I mean with that is this:

Most people play with their cats by swooshing the toy around (especially with a fishing rod toy). While most young cats, with normal self-esteem will still enjoy this, most others don't. Why? Think about it. You're simulating hunting behavior. What does a prey do? Fly in your face? Come towards you? Of course not. So, when you play, act like a prey. Hide behind the scratching post..simulate digging and chewing sounds of a mouse by rubbing against something. Even when he's not moving, you'll see his eyes following and focusing. And that's already good enough. You got his attention.

Now, add to that that he probably lacks a bit of confidence, you wanna really play easy and scared prey. Movements, yes, but small ones and easy to catch. Also, let him catch it almost too easily. It's a great confidence booster (much like with people!). If he's bored, amp up the difficulty just a tad. Don't go past 15 minutes, and let him set the pace. Don't let the other cats take this away from him, do this with him alone, while sitting on the floor. It'll bond you with your kitty more than you'd think, and it'll benefit him in so many ways:

a) it'll boost his confidence, taking away his anxieties
b) it'll give him an outlet for all the pent up stress he's feeling
c) it'll teach him to appreciate you and your presence and build a bond with you
d) it'll allow him to enjoy life again and feel safe within his own territory.

There are no guarantees, as this has been going on for so long. But I've found that after 9 months of having my bed peed on and my sofa smelling like a litter tray, this helped my kitty to unwind and relax. I noticed that the peeing went from 3 times a day, to 1 time a day, to 4 times a week, to 2 times a week, to once every two weeks to...and so on, till it stopped.

You'll find that when something happens and the stresslevel goes up again, they'll easily go back to the behavior, kinda like an addict. But you'll know how to anticipate it, prevent it and otherwise, fix it again

Good luck!

[MP2011]

Any advice? Snoopy does not go outside the box, but rather he goes down the side of the box... and consequently, all over the floor. I have a ranch-style (and can only put the box in the laundry room), so I keep the box extremely clean due to smells. No matter the size of the box, he still goes down the side! My solution for the first few years was to put thick tarp under it and replace it every night... but it got a bit costly. Now I put a large storage tub underneath to catch the urine. I do what I have to do, but it is a bit disgusting (and very smelly). Is there any way to alleviate this - or do I just have to suck it up and keep cleaning?

[xX_Menace_Xx]

Originally Posted by MP2011

Any advice? Snoopy does not go outside the box, but rather he goes down the side of the box... and consequently, all over the floor. I have a ranch-style (and can only put the box in the laundry room), so I keep the box extremely clean due to smells. No matter the size of the box, he still goes down the side! My solution for the first few years was to put thick tarp under it and replace it every night... but it got a bit costly. Now I put a large storage tub underneath to catch the urine. I do what I have to do, but it is a bit disgusting (and very smelly). Is there any way to alleviate this - or do I just have to suck it up and keep cleaning?

i would suggest getting an enclosed cat box like this one :Petmate Jumbo Hood Cat Pan - Litter Boxes - Litter Boxes & Accessories - PetSmart

[xX_Menace_Xx]

i would like to add that i also had an issue with my cat going in the floor in the same room as his box so, i figured there were neighborhood cats doin their business under my house causing my cat to mark his territory where the smell was comin up through the boards but, he quit after switching his litter in june then started doing it again when it started to get cold outside but, i couldn't figure out how cats were gettin under my house.
so after reading an article on how fleas make cats behave like a drug addict, i decided to bath my cat n WOW!
i found out that he was a flea bag n i didn't know cuz he was so antisocial, i hardly seen him out of hiding (i thought he was just gettin old)
after bathing him real good, it was like fleas were all over my house suddenly so, we bombed the house n treated the cat real good.
now he is jus like a normal loving playful cat again n no more issues with goin in the floor.

[Jannerl]

Thank you! I also have this problem with one of my 3 cats and was going bonkers. I finally increased the number of litter boxes and always use Cat Attract litter.

The Little Green Machine is a life-saver and so is Nature's Miracle. Your idea of the black light and pennies is so helpful. Maybe with all these efforts combined I can finally get ahead of the little dickens and correct the problem...

[kago]

OMG! I am so grateful for this post! I had no idea how many kitties pee outside the box. I joined this Forum to get advice about this problem and here I found this Post!! My cat goes outside the box too. She started this when she had a UTI a while back, which we cured with meds and different diet. She fully recovered, but had developed a habit of going on he bathroom mats. So I got rid of all of them. She was fine then. But now we had a baby a year ago, which our cat Patsy is not very amused with. So far the cat just kept her distance and ran from the little "crawling monster". But now our baby started walking. Since then Patsy is peeing outside the box again. We are pretty sure, it's because the baby is walking now - more of a disturbance/change in hierarchy maybe? We don't really know what to do to make her feel better. Besides the smell is pretty bad. So I am happy to read the advice here. I tried the Miracle Stuff, but the carpet still smells. Can't take the whole carpet off - we are in a rental house. Maybe I need to soak it even more...??? Any advice with baby and cat, how to make the cat feel better? We try to reassure her. But she seems grumpy.

[Madcats Mom]

Best thing I found was the ClumperDumper. It gets clumping litter very, very clean with a minimal amount of fuss. I have partiulcar cats and the ClumperDumper really helped solve this problem.