Help me with my cat problem

[OnionPatch]

I love him but he keeps peeing in the corner in the dining room. I keep his litter box scrupulously clean and easily accessable. He's been neutered since I got him. He just started doing this a month ago after I had him for a year. Is there any hope or is it time introduce him to the great outdoors for good? If he lives outside, he faces possibly becoming a meal for a coyote but my floor won't take anymore of this. Anyone have any sure-fire cat-training tips or is the situation hopeless? I never had this problem before. I've only had a *good* cat and dogs.

[shoelace414]

1. put his food where he pees

[Mikimouse]

3. Don't ya think that might be a bit painful?

I'm SO sorry, the devil made me post that. I'm off today and when I have nothing to do, I get weird.:evilgrin:

[OnionPatch]

5. The dog will eat it

And there's no way I can really block off that area or I would have done that already. Thanks, though.:hi:

[TX-RAT]

2. Take to the vet.

He may have a urinary track in infection.

[montanacowboy]

4. He is calling for your attention

something else maybe wrong here - urinary tract infection 2 which can kill male cats quite quickly if not diagnosed - also could have abcessed tooth...some pain, something wrong

take him to the vet right away

[OnionPatch]

7. OK, I will

although he was there only two weeks ago to get a vaccination. He seems fine. Perky and all but I'll take him. Thanks.

[Catshrink]

6. Talk to your vet first...

he may indeed have a UTI.

LynneSin posted her problems with Abbott a few days ago and her solution. It seems to be working. You might want to PM her.

I think what she did was spray the area with enzyme spray and then cover it with aluminum foil. Cats hate foil. Double sided tape works too --- they hate adhesive on their paws.

It's a hard habit to break them of so keep at it. Good luck!

BTW -- where are the pictures? You can't have a cat thread without pictures!

[OnionPatch]

10. I'd love to post his pics

he's a real cutey, but I don't have a website. I would need one to do this, right?

[Catshrink]

12. Yes... there are free ones

that you can upload photos to and then link them. I use Villagephotos.com. It used to be free, now it's $5 every six months. I had photos uploaded already so I pay it. I am so lazy!

There are others but I don't know which they are. You might post a new thread and ask other DUers. I think Don_G was the one who suggested a few others.

Does your internet provider give you a website? I have one with Cox I use sometimes.

[redwitch]

8. When you are at the vet get some of the cleaner

that neutralizes the odor. Totally clean the area where he has been going. Then when he is feeling better, he won't go back to that spot and pee.

[Sporadicus]

17. It Is Crucial That the Area is Cleaned Thoroughly

otherwise he will return to the spot, smell his pee, and resume this activity. Trust me. I know.

[LizW]

9. Some might think this is cruel

but a water gun works great for cats. That is, if you are home and can catch him in the act. If he's doing it while you are away, that's another story.

I have had the problem with cats in the past. Once they mark a "spot", they keep returning, and the odor is almost impossible to remove.

The simplest thing is to just put the litter box in the corner where he's going, although that may not be practical or desirable for obvious reasons.

The only other suggestion I can think of is to cover the spot entirely with contact paper, sticky side up. He won't want to walk on it, and if you can affix it to the floor so that he can't scratch it up and move it, you might be able to break his habit. However, he may just move to another area and go there.

Good luck, I really hope you don't have to put him outside.

[LynneSin]

11. I CAN HELP BECAUSE I OWN ABBOTT THE STEALTH PIDDLER

well, not anymore!!!

First, I'm sure folks have said about the medical issue especially if he's a boy. I make sure I give him cat food for urinary track problems.

HOWEVER, my abbott piddled behind the entertainment center. Everyday I'd come home and smell the piddle and clean up the mess and everyday he'd piddle back there again.

First, if you can afford one - get one of those Bissel Little Green Machines. They are great for clean up the carpet, steaming out the smell and all that stuff. I love mine!! Second, get that Feliaway spray which put some nasty scent in the area that cats don't like and finally......




I put it all over the area where he was piddling and he doesn't like it very much. Now he won't go near there and he's using his box again!

[OnionPatch]

14. Wow, thanks.

Unfortunately the area is carpeted so I'm not sure how to do the aluminum foil. I do have a Green Machine and that's what I've been cleaning it with. I've been able to clean it pretty well to where I can't smell it anymore, but he must still. The good news is that very soon we will be replacing that carpeting with laminate wood flooring. How long do I need to leave the foil and where would I find this Feliaway spray, at PetSmart or somewhere like that?
Thanks for all the tips, everyone! You guys are great!

[LynneSin]

16. Cats tend to use the same spot over and over again

so once they piddle there, they'll keep going back to that same spot. My area was also carpeted so when I put down the foil, I put a really heavy book on top so he couldn't move it away. Petsmart has the spray stuff that'll chase cats away. And I have no idea how long to leave the foil there because it was only 4 days ago that I broke him of his habit. But since no one can see back there i'll probably just leave the foil back there.

[LynneSin]

18. and check your inbox - sent you more details

:bounce:

[matcom]

13. kill him

:P

j/k BTW

[OnionPatch]

15. But he's not a fascist cat!

He's very peaceful and loving. :loveya:

[matcom]

19. then kill him quietly

:D

[happynewyear]

20. the vet = a good idea

I'd do this as suggested - could be a UTI - you never know.

I had a cat awhile back and she did this - pissed on my backpack. It made me very angry because she was doing it to mark the inside of the place I was living in I think.

Anyway, what I did was throw her outside right after she did this so she knew why I did it. I left her outside for a very long time and I would not let her in again for a few weeks. That broke the habit fast and she never did it again, despite the presence of four other cats living in the house.

You pee inside my house cat - you stay outside. She learned.

There were plenty of wild animals outdoors too being I lived in the woods at the time. Nothing happened to her. I hope your cat isn't declawed, because this is not an option if the case.

If you get to this point, toss his butt out right after he does it and once he realizes you aren't letting him back inside he may wise-up and stop it.

Best of luck with this problem.

[jukes]

21. no sure-fire remedy.

enzymic cleaners will lift stains & smell. cats don't like the odor & will avoid area for a time, but will find alt or return.

"feliway" spray is a synth facial gland pheromone that discourages inappropriate marking, also has a calming affect. helps soothe them in the carrier on way to vet.


my best sugg's:

CATNIP; grow your own or by the gourmet-stuff, not from the grocery.

find him a friend cat to share time w/. female is your best bet, another male cd start a pee-war ("i love the smell of urine in the morning. that smell, that ammonia smell...it smells like...victory!)

train him to walk on a leash, w/full-body harness. he'll be safe from predators/fights/traffic, he'll get special time w/ you, & an outlet. i suspect lots of inappropriate peeing results from boredom.

get a good harness. the grocery store figure-8 harness won't hold him.

[chicaloca]

22. Also....

Make sure his litter box is in a corner of the room that's quiet, where he won't feel like anybody is watching him but where he can see when people leave and enter the room.

[webDude]

23. pee recommendations...

1) DO take him to the Dr., I had one die a VERY painful death that would have been averted had I taken him to the vet in time to notice a urinary tract infection that would have tipped us off to a bigger problem.

2) TOTALLY spray the spot with white(clear) vinegar to destroy the smell. The vinegar smell will go away and the acid will take care of the pee smell.

The aluminum foil suggestion was a new one to me, I can see how it would work, as I dis-like going to the restroom on it. I MEAN,... it seems like a good idea.

[LynneSin]

24. More about Aluminum Foil

http://cats.about.com/cs/litterboxproblems/a/urinewoes_4.htm

Next, you need to remove every bit of evidence of his urine from the place he's been using. There are a number of cleaning products marketed for this purpose, but you can start with plain dishsoap and water on a hard-surface floor, and a regular carpet cleaning solution on carpets, provided the urine is fresh. Caution: don't use a cleaning product containing ammonia. The cat will smell it as urine and attempt to cover it with his own scent by peeing again. Plain soda or seltzer water can be effective in neutralizing fresh urine odor, but for badly soiled carpeting , you'll need an enzyme-based product. There are a number of new products on the market for removing the scent of urine. I've reviewed what I consider to be the best in my Top Urine Odor Eliminators article. For more information on removing the odor and stain of urine, also read Cleaning Kitty Accidents.

You can finish by temporarily putting aluminum foil over the area where the cat has peed. Cats don't like the noise and feel of aluminum foil, and as long as they have a new, clean litter box, the switch should be successful.

---

It really does work. My friend used Aluminum Foil on her new furniture to teach her dogs and cat not to jump up on the furniture. She did this training for about a month and now none of the pets will get on the furniture. They just don't like the feel of the foil.

Another thing the article did mention was about the scent. The cat WILL go back to the same spot over and over again, so it's important to remove the scent from that spot.

[mike_c]

25. if this is a NEW behavior then it really is likely an attempt to...

...get your attention or a response to something that is bothering the cat. It might be something life-threatening, like FUS (google FUS if you don't know about this), but it might also be just his way of expressing dissatisfaction. I had a cat who started doing this when I closed his cat-door in response to a neighbor's cat being killed by a car. My cat-- who had never had any problems with his litterbox, suddenly started peeing in one corner of the living room. I put his litter box there and he simply pissed on the carpet beside the litter box. Only urine-- he used the box for #2. He kept it up for a couple of months until I relented and began letting him come and go again. I cleaned the carpet and he went back to using his box when he was inside. (BTW he lived to a ripe old age.)

on edit: I had another cat who died dreadfully of FUS and the first sign, which I missed until too late, was pissing under the bed. So do check with your vet about this.