How to stop our cats pissing on the stairs and how to get rid of the rank stain already there.

[YellowDinosaur]

They were fine when we first moved into our house nearly 4 years ago. Over the past 18 months or so they have started pissing on spot at the bottom of the stairs on the carpet. And intermittently elsewhere but this is the worst as its on carpet so very difficult to clean and a horrible brown stain is developing despite cleaning it regularly with specialist cleaner containing enzymes to break the urine down.

Worser than this is the grim smell of cat piss that permeates throughout the downstairs.

It had got recently worse as there is a cat that has started coming through our cat flap so we've changed this to one that only let's ours in although it isn't registering their microchips at the moment so that is a work in progress. We've tried feliway with no real noticeable difference. We're really reluctant to get a litter tray as were not convinced they'd stop now plus we'd still have the smell and don't have a utility room to keep it out of the way.

So still and any tips appreciated! In particular of any cleaning tips to try and stop the angel /

Hit post to soon - angel should have been smell!

So any tips to clean and stop the smell / stain.

Ultimately we'll replace that bit of carpet so smell a priority over stain, but there's no point until we can stop them doing it in the first place!

Cats are 14 and 12 if that makes a difference

I'm sorry but - get a litter tray. In fact, why not get two - which is the minimum you'd need for two indoor cats. Looks as if they're making it clear that they don't like going outside and who knows. Maybe there's some mean toms out there that are making them nervous. Cats prefer to pee and poo where they're feeling secure.

What kind of chip flap did you get?

Can't help but I feel your pain. We have two 12yo cats and one has started going inside over the last couple if ears. It used to be only in winter and we used to have a litter tray for a couple of months then put it outside again and all was good.

This year I tried putting it outside again and have had wee and poo all over the place in the last week so reluctantly went for a litter tray again yesterday. I hate the litter tray as we can only put it in the kitchen which is less than pleasant.

We know it's only one of the cats and there is nothing wrong with her to make her do this at all. She was at the vets to be checked a little while ago, it is pure laziness which is really frustrating.

How lovely it would be for someone to post a magic answer but I'm not sure there is one sadly.

Yes I wasn't expecting a magic answer out we'd probably have fine it already but its always worth a try I case i'm overlooking something obvious.

We will get a litter tray as a last resort but I was hoping that there was something else to consider first.... Both cats do go outside by the way. If they didn't we'd obviously have got a litter tray already.

Any tips on cleaning it?

Oh and the chip flap is by sureflap

I just wrote a long post on phone and it disappeared.
White vinegar - the cheapest sort - works well against the pee odour. Put it in a plant sprayer and when there's pee, soak as much as possible up (I use kitchen roll) and then spray liberally with the vinegar. I checked with friends (in case I'd become used to it) and they couldn't smell anything. I sometime soak up the vinegar and spray again and other time dab with water and soak before using the vinegar.

Cats don't like the smell of orange peel (and two other things - citronella perhaps, can't remember, found it on Google), so diluting that in water (a few drops in about a litre is what I used) in another plant spray after the vinegar is dry can act as a bit of a deterrent.

Make sure not to use any sort of soap, as they don't neutralize the ammonia in the pee, which is what makes the smell - apparently.

Also Bicarb - rub in when damp or make a paste let it dry and then hoover.
I have a spray which I use outside to stop the neighbours cat peeing / spraying on my pots it is a mixture of pepper and citronella ( well that what it smells like) - The smell doesn't last long - to my nose anyway.

We found cleaning with biological washing powder then when dryish spray with a mix of surgical spirit and water ( this apparently takes the scent away for the cars so they don't sniff it and think "oh cat loo here").

My cat sprayed when another cat was coming in through the cat flap and this triggers a UTI which causes more spraying. Hope the microchip works.

I would agree that you definitely need to get a litter tray. And as for getting rid of the smell and stain, have you tried the 'Magic Solution' stuff from Pets at Home? I find it works, like, well magic :)

Have you got the chip flap working? Sureflap is the one recommended by posters here and seems to be very good so either get it replaced or have your cats' chips checked out to ensure they're both working still. (I think it's more likely to be a fault (unusually) with the flap rather than the chips because I wouldn't have thought that both chips would fail at the same time - if you're sure they have them.)

We had the same problem with our 15yo cat, she started going on the doormat/hall floor after years of "happy" outdoor loo-ing. We got the sure flap (which is magic) and eventually caved with a covered litter tray in the hall, with some experimentation as to where to leave it as for a while she pee'd up the side.

Thanks for all these suggestions - definitely plenty to be thinking about thanks!

Ok so I have now used the best part of half a large bottle of white vinegar on the piss stain. The smell has certainly gone, to be replaced with vinegar, but I know what I'd prefer! I've also got a big tub of bicarb in the cupboard and i'm about to head off to pets at home for their miracle thingy...