Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pets

Join our community on the Pet forum to discuss anything related to pets.

Original poster

Help me before I send her back to cat protection

39 replies

LuckyStarOfBethSalem · 09/12/2007 19:20

I'm losing my temper with one of my cats. About a year ago we got 2 cats from cat protection mum (Lucky) and her son (Salem)

For a year now Lucky keeps peeing on stuff - clothes, covers, etc.

We always gave her the benefit of the doubt that perhaps her litter box wasn't up to her standards or something. Well for the last couple of months - her litter box gets the droppings taken out every day and the whole box emptied every other day.

I've just got a cover (leather sofas) out of the dryer (from last time she peed on it) and then went and made myself a butty (1/2 hr at the most) i've come back to see she's peed on it again!

I didn't notice straight away, I sat on it and it wasn't till I got up and saw the wet patch on my trousers I realised she'd done it. The trouble is this time I watched her go in her litter box while I was eating my butty so there is no way on earth that the litter box is full or something.

Please help. I've got a baby due to come out on the 2nd Jan and I can't have the worry that I might put the baby into it's crib/moses basket only to find that she's already peed there or something.

We've tried all the tricks in the book - we've tried telling her off and putting her in her litter box. we've tried ignorning the behaviour. I've cleaned the space where she's peed (although it's not like it's the same place all the time) and then fed her there for a while. I'm out of ideas now!!

OP posts:
ArmadilloDaMan · 09/12/2007 19:37

have you taken her to vets to see if she has UTI or similar?

Could be medical thing especially if she is peeing where she is sitting at time (i.e. not noticing in time).

Are you cleaning the areas with a citrusy smelling stuff (cats hate citrus)?

Any upsets for her recently?

Original poster
LuckyStarOfBethSalem · 09/12/2007 19:37

I just want to make sure you're aware I love these cats.... I've been arguing with DP over the fact that no we can't just get rid of her! Now i'm soooo overly exhausted by it that even I am contemplating having to take her back.

Please help.

OP posts:
Original poster
LuckyStarOfBethSalem · 09/12/2007 19:41

Amadillo - She's been to the vets and is fine.

Its not that she doesn't notice - She does! There's been times where we hadn't changed the litter box often enough (never shouted at her at those times) and we've watched her go to her litter box, scratch at it a few times then walk somewhere else and pee!! So she's not incontenant (sp)

Nothing has happened since firework nights - where we ignored any mistakes then as we didn't think it was fair to shout at her when she was scared.

I can't clean it with citrusy stuff cos it's always on the leather sofas and I can't put bleach or something on that. I've used the leather cleaning stuff which smells wierd.

OP posts:
Bky · 09/12/2007 19:43

We had this problem with one of our cats, I mentioned it to the vets when we got her spayed and they couldn't find anything physically wrong with her. The vetinary nurse did suggest a plug in type thing (like the air freshners) which releases some sort of pheramones (sorry terrible spelling) which should stop the cats doing it.

As far as I know people can't smell it, also you can buy special products to clean up with which doesn't upset them, sometimes the chemicals used to clean just makes them do it even more.

I would try and get an appointment with your vetinary nurse who should be able to point you in the direction of these.

NAB3littlemonkeys · 09/12/2007 19:44

Maybe she is confused as she doesn't know if her tray will be clean each time she wants to use it or not. Could you have a cat flap fitted so she can go out when she needs to go? You will need to keep the tray somewhere so the cat can get to it but the baby can't anyway and this may solve that.

Someone once suggested I put my cat's food dish over the place where she had weed to put her off but it didn't really work for ours, she just stopped of her own accord as far as I could tell.

Original poster
LuckyStarOfBethSalem · 09/12/2007 19:44

Thanks BKY - I'll ask them about that. She's only just been to the vets (about a week, maybe 2 ago) so I know there is nothing medically wrong. I can't tell if its just a territorial thing (although she has been spayed) or what.

OP posts:
Original poster
LuckyStarOfBethSalem · 09/12/2007 19:47

I thought it was the tray thing but the fact that she went into the tray while I was sat there (after she'd peed on the cover) has confused me. We've not changed anything since someone said the litter might be it, so we changed the litter over a month ago but haven't done anything with it since.

we can't give her a cat flap cos of double glazed doors. They're indoor cats anyway and only go out once in the morning. It's not safe for them to go out too often.

OP posts:
Bky · 09/12/2007 19:49

Is she doing it on the same things over and over again? If so it may well be the stuff you are using to clean it with.

You could prob just ring up the vets and they might be able to give you the name of the plug in thing, my vets actually sell them so definately worth asking.

Mincepiedermama · 09/12/2007 19:51

I have the same problem. I have two cats and one of them pees in places she shouldn't. It's very annoying isn't it? I will try some of these suggestions.

She used to pee in my bedroom and I reckoned it was because she had a litter tray in there for a while when the kittens first arrived. I was keeping them shut in our room because I didn't want the kids mauling them and frightening them until they found their feet. Now I have to keep her out of the bedroom to be safe.

Could you keep yours out of the sitting room by keeping the door shut for a while?

thelittleElf · 09/12/2007 19:52

My cat has been doing this recently, but only peeing in one place...the rug . So now i've sprayed the whole rug with behaviour training spray in the hope she won't want to go near it . I completely understand how bloody irritating it is!

Original poster
LuckyStarOfBethSalem · 09/12/2007 19:54

The problem is I can't keep them out of the living room. DP works all night and he gets annoyed with the cats running round upstairs while he's trying to sleep! lol

I'm going to try cleaning the leather with a very watered down bleach instead of the leather stuff (see if that does it)

Someone said once that you should have a tray per cat. Has anyone got experience of this? I could try that.

OP posts:
Original poster
LuckyStarOfBethSalem · 09/12/2007 19:57

It's soooo annoying cos the little cat (son) is abso soooo cute and so well behaved! It's wierd that its the older one who won't behave! I wonder if its cos she used to be a stray.

DP doesn't really like her cos of the peeing and the fact that when you want to hug her she won't come near you.
The little un on the other hand is like a dog in some respects - you call him and he comes running and jumps up for hugs, DP can play with him (quite rough sometimes) and he's up for it, never does anything wrong except tear-arsing around the house!

Another idea - he seems to be getting abit more dominating, Could this be upsetting her?

OP posts:
NAB3littlemonkeys · 09/12/2007 19:57

Don't use anything with ammonia in it to clean up after the cat.

NutterlyUts · 09/12/2007 20:01

You want a feliway plug in and biological washing powder solution to clean.

How old is the son? Is he neutered?

Millarkie · 09/12/2007 20:01

We used the plug-in cat hormone thing for a cat with odd behaviour and it worked really well - but was a slightly different problem to yours.
We've also had a cat flap fitted in a double glazed patio door - it's expensive but it is possible.

Original poster
LuckyStarOfBethSalem · 09/12/2007 20:04

The son is neutered he's about 18 months old now.

I can't really allow them out as much as they want that's why DP only allows them out when he first gets home in the mornings. Long story but basically next door have decided my cats are evil and have threatened to kick them if they come into their garden (but apparently its ok for them to walk the dog past our gate and let him pee all over it )

OP posts:
Vulgar · 09/12/2007 20:05

LuckyStarOfBethSalem- try this stuff "Urine Off"

You can get it from www.rlpetproducts.co.uk. sorry -i can't do links.

It gets rid of the smell completely. I was told that the ammonia in bleach actually attracts the cat.

One of our cats pisses in corners, i think it is a protest as she doesn't like our other cat much. I read a book by Vicky Halls who is a cat psycoligist (sp) and she says unfortunately it is a really common problem.

she suggests more than one litter tray but as we don't have much space we imported an electric litter tray from the States that scoops up the poo. it's good but noisy and sometimes gets clogged (yuk!) And it was expensive, but we were desperate at the time!

dinny · 09/12/2007 20:10

one of our kittens has pissed on our bed about 3 times now! started after the other one was accidentally locked in there (thanks ds!) at a time she had enteritis and she had accident on the bed - her sister then decided it would become her litter tray.

so, the consensus seems to ask for a pheremone thing from vet? or put her food on bed? so annoying!

Sidge · 09/12/2007 20:12

I had this with my female cat. I got her and her brother as kittens. As they got older I noticed she would pee on soft things, like cushions and the sofa bed. But she could also use the litter tray, and pee outside.

I took her to the vets repeatedly, they said there was nothing wrong with her. I spoke to an animal behaviourist (don't laugh, I was desperate as by now DD1 had come along and I was worried female cat would pee on her stuff) who said that she was basically marking her territory. I thought only males did that but apparently females do it too.

She said that she was weeing to assert her dominance over 1. her brother and 2. the baby. She said it would always happen as long as she wasn't "top cat".

The final straw came when she weed in the baby's car seat. So we had her rehomed with a family with no children or other pets and she settled in wonderfully. They had been warned of her weeing, but she never did it again after she moved to them.

Sorry, that's probably not what you wanted to hear.

Sidge · 09/12/2007 20:12

Oh and she had been spayed as well.

Original poster
LuckyStarOfBethSalem · 09/12/2007 20:13

ok - bit of a round up then!

Best to clean it with non amonia stuff.
Try some pherimone stuff.

I'm annoyed that she's peed on this cover cos it's just been through the washing machine (that's broken anyway) and now i'm going to have to do it again!

Should we be ignoring her, or should be getting her nose rubbed in it etc?

OP posts:
dinny · 09/12/2007 20:14

hmmm, our puss will be banned from anywhere except the playroom and outside if she carries on with her pissing ways.

could well be a dominance thing - she is definitely the male-ish one of the two.

dinny · 09/12/2007 20:15

Luckystar, I'd definitely tell her off if you catch her in the act, can't afterwards though really (though I have told kitten she will be moving house if she wees on our bed again).

she actually pooed on it once too - nice!

Original poster
LuckyStarOfBethSalem · 09/12/2007 20:16

Sidge - That's whats worrying me. It is only on the soft things. DP's clothes if they're left on the floor or covers that are on the sofa (no covers no peeing)

I'm worried that LO will arrive and she'll pee on it's clothes or in its crib or something.

OP posts:
DrNortherner · 09/12/2007 20:17

I started a thread recently about my cat who pees in out loft room. It's rarely used (mainly storage) but whenever anyone goes up there she follows and pees

At least it's only 1 room, if it was all over I'd be really anoyed.

I don't know what to suggst, but I hope she stops soon.