Pets
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Cat peeing issues
Since my husband and I moved in together, and I brought my cat with me from my dad's, the cat has been misbehaving in the bathroom department. The cat I brought was a girl, Scalona.
When we moved we got another cat, Mitsu (male) but we gave him to a friend since he wouldn't leave her alone when she hissed and didn't want to play. (Like, he'd corner her and she'd hiss and scratch and he just thought it was "play".) That was when poo started appearing in the closet. But we didn't know if it was her or him. So a little while after we gave him to friends Scalona pooed in the closet a bit, but I think it was the smell because she since stopped once we got it clean.
Now, she will pee in on our laundry. I thought that maybe she was doing it because my husband is used to his mom's cat and didn't change the box enough. And I think that was partly true, and I wouldn't punish the cat really because it was HIS fault that he let her box get as bad as it did.
But recently she peed on our roommates bed and her box wasn't really that bad. A little poo, but nothing really that bad.
I am not sure if she developed a habit now, or if we need to punish her.
How would I punish her, and how do you suggest I remedy this?
Thanks in advance.
When we moved we got another cat, Mitsu (male) but we gave him to a friend since he wouldn't leave her alone when she hissed and didn't want to play. (Like, he'd corner her and she'd hiss and scratch and he just thought it was "play".) That was when poo started appearing in the closet. But we didn't know if it was her or him. So a little while after we gave him to friends Scalona pooed in the closet a bit, but I think it was the smell because she since stopped once we got it clean.
Now, she will pee in on our laundry. I thought that maybe she was doing it because my husband is used to his mom's cat and didn't change the box enough. And I think that was partly true, and I wouldn't punish the cat really because it was HIS fault that he let her box get as bad as it did.
But recently she peed on our roommates bed and her box wasn't really that bad. A little poo, but nothing really that bad.
I am not sure if she developed a habit now, or if we need to punish her.
How would I punish her, and how do you suggest I remedy this?
Thanks in advance.
Re: Cat peeing issues
First off, you need to make an appointment with your vet to make sure that this isn't a medical issue. If everything checks out fine there, then it is more likely behavioral. The stress organ in a cat is the bladder so any time something changes in the cats life that can cause stress (keep in mind it's the cats life, not yours) they will typically show signs of that stress with poor bathroom behavior. Anything can stress out a cat and I mean anything! Moving in with husband was probably stress factor #1 and then adding the new kitty was stress factor #2 so not only have you introduced a new human into the home but also a new feline 'companion' These two issues put together probably sent your kitty over the edge! I would look into getting two litterpans for starters. This way your kitty will have a box to pee in and a box to poop in, you'd be surprised how much one extra box can help out. I don't really believe that you can punish a cat but I would limit her access to your roommates room to keep anything like that from happening again.
Please do not punish your cat. I know it is very annoying, but when your cat pees outside of the box, they are trying to tell you something.
A little background about me: I have 5 cats, and now that my son is more mobile and vocal, we have had peeing outside of the litter box. We have caught 2 of them doing it and had them evaluated at the vet for UTIs, crystals and stones. The vet determined it was behavioral and both of those cats are now on antidepressants, which is helping a lot.
First, you should take your cat to the vet to rule out a medical problem. If she has a UTI, she will associate the pain she feels when peeing with the litter box, and won't want to use it.
Be sure to clean all areas where she is peeing with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle. You may need to get a black light to help you ID areas to clean. You can clean the mattress by really drenching it in the NM, blotting and letting it dry. There was some marking on our bed while I was pregnant, but we cleaned it right away and it does not smell.
Be sure to keep things off the floor if they are a favorite to pee on. One of my cats likes to pee on soft things, like bathmats and diaper bags, so we don't leave those on the floor anymore. It's an easy way to help prevent the behavior.
You should at least scoop the box daily. You don't want to use a gross bathroom, and neither does your cat. Add more litter as needed, and give a good clean about once a month, or more if your cat needs it.
You may need to retrain your cat to use the box, and you can do that by confining your cat to a room (like a bathroom) with her box, food, water, toys and a bed. She won't want to sh!t where she eats, so it will help encourage her to use the box. We have done this before and kept our cat in there full time for a couple of days, and then let her out when we could supervise her. After about a week, we let her out for good.
You can also try Cat Attract litter. We have used it before and our foster kittens love the kitten version.
Rescue Remedy and Feliway are natural ways to help destress your cat. Amazon has good prices on both products.
Finally, don't rule out medication if your cat has anxiety. People laugh at me for having 2 cats on antidepressants, but they are happier and my house doesn't smell like pee.
5 cats. 1 baby.
Agree with the PPs that you should take the cat to the vet first to rule out any medical conditions. Also think about putting another box in another part of the house for her.
When you brought her to the new house did you isolate her first? Cat's get stressed very easily. They need time to get used to the surroundings. Especially if there's another cat. Maybe start over with isolating her in one room, with a litter box of course. If she does well, let her have access to the rest of the house little by little.
I didn't wish to punish her ever, because it breaks my heart to think I may be getting mad at her over nothing she can control. I will be getting her another box, but we also just took in a new kitten now (as my siggy may show). She has behaved, actually. I am very proud of her. I want to train this new kitten to not bother her if she doesn't like it, though he is still learning bowel control and we keep him in the tub until he learns how to poo in the right spots.
I did put her box where she HAD been peeing. I put my items away, but my husband has a touch of lazy and I cannot always get to her fast enough to pick up after him. It gets exhausting balancing work, school, and cleaning up after him.
I think antidepressants and/or anxiety meds may be good for her. She just doesn't seem like my happy baby kitten anymore. She is very loving, but she just hasn't seemed that happy as she has grown up. I partly think she misses my dad, and also dislikes my roommate who isn't very kind to her. He means well but doesn't get that Scalona isn't a kitten, she is an adult cat and not very playful.
Your roommate should respect your animals or you need a new roommate.
Keep the kitten and your cat separated for a while. Check the FAQs about doing introductions. It takes time, and there is no reason to rush. Personally I wouldn't have gotten a new kitten when you are trying to sort things out with the current one.
Also, I strongly suggest you read cat vs cat. There will now be a hierarchy since you have 2 cats and senority doesn't mean dominant.
5 cats. 1 baby.