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I am a cat lover. I have never been without at least one cat since age 4.
I have had up to 7 cats. Sadly, 4 have past away in the last 4 years. This year I lost two, one in June and one in November. Both deaths were untimely. Rudy died at 12 and Sammy at 11.
Now my 3 cats are driving me to distraction. One is peeing all over the place, and all three are scratching the furniture. When I hear the scratching and pulling of the upholstery, I yell and it stops. But I am losing my patience.
Kasha, the Queen of Pee, has peed on the stove, the microwave and the kitchen counters. She has peed on my own food preparation surfaces! She has peed on clean laundry. I have taken her to the vet, who suspects she has a urinary tract infection. He couldn't test her, because her bladder was empty. That alone is evidence of a urinary tract infection, since cats with such infections need to get rid of any urine that is in the bladder.
Kasha also has emotional issues. She gets picked on by the other two cats. I consulted with a cat behavior person (who has studied with Carole Wilburn). She suggested that Kasha wants to be high up so she can know if another cat is waiting to ambush her. (Molly, historically, loves to ambush Kasha.)
The cats have also been very stressed this year. In September, I moved from Brooklyn, NY to Brattleboro, VT. Prior to that, strangers, potential buyers, were entering the house and looking around, although I was always present for the cat's sake. In June, Rudy died. Then, during the process of the move, the then 4 cats were boarded for about 3 weeks. Then there was the long trip to Brattleboro. Normally, it is a 5 hour trip, but this time it took 7hours because of the traffic. Then there was a new, unfamiliar house to get used to. Then Sammy, who was very sick and who took a lot of my attention for the next several weeks, passed away.
So the cats experienced a lot of stress, change (in territory and in family composition) and loss this year. As did I.
Earlier this year, Kasha developed barbering behavior and licked her belly bald. Feliway did not help her. But she went on Clomicalm (anafronil) and the belly fur grew back. She has been weaned off the medication with no relapse of the barbering.
I am doing everything for Kasha that I can. I have consulted with a cat behaviorist and with a veterinarian. I have removed the cover of Kasha's now-favorite litter box. I am giving her the antibiotics prescribed for her suspected urinary tract infection. I am trying to keep things as pee-proof as possible. I bought a waterproof cover for my new futon. I am putting pee-vulnerable objects out of reach.
I have bought (but not yet applied) the double-sided tape that is used to discourage cats from scratching and from getting on the counter. I am afraid, though, that if I keep Kasha off the counter, she will pee other surfaces which might be more difficult to clean.
BTW, she is still using her litter box, so I don't know how much of her inappropriate peeing is due to infection, and how much is behavioral.
It is also possible that another cat is doing the peeing, and that I am blaming Kasha. But I think it is Kasha.
I could never give Kasha because of this. That would be a death sentence, and, anyway, I am too attached to my cats to even think of giving any of them up.
But the peeing is driving me to distraction. I'll go into the kitchen and smell fresh pee. Sometimes I find it immediately, sometimes I have to use a black light and sometimes I can't find it until later.
Tonight, when I came home, I found fresh urine on the kitchen counter in front of the microwave. Some urine might even have gotten into a cover of a storage container. She has already gotten pee onto the plastic of the microwave and it is hard to get the smell out of that. The soft plastic is not a hard surface like the top of the stove or microwave.
This is upsetting to deal with and upsetting to think about. She is peeing where I prepare food! This is really disgusting!
Ever since I brought the cats up here I have been having problems with them. I try to be understanding and patient, as the cats are getting older and have also been very stressed.
So sorry you're going through this! I can relate. Our older cat is also urinating outside the box. She is sick, however, and has never done this when well.
Once your cat's infection clears up it should stop, unless it is, as you suspect, behavioral as well.
Your behaviorist has a very good point. We have seen that happen in our house, when the younger one will hide outside the bathroom and attack the older cat (her mother) as she exits.
Now that mama is sick, she can't handle the ambushes, in my opinion, so she stops short and uses the doorway towel.
Is there a way you can isolate Kasha in another room and offer her some seclusion from the other cats and their shenanigans while she is being treated for UTI?
Best of luck...
When I lived in Brooklyn, Molly would wait outside the bathroom door and ambush Kasha. Kasha hated this. I would often have to chase Molly away or carry Kasha out of the room. Otherwise, Kasha would make a run for it, with Molly in pursuit.
Molly never really attacks Kasha. The most I have seen, recently, is some paw fencing. But Kasha starts screaming if Molly corners her. The cat behaviorist says Kasha is acting like a prey animal and this triggers the other cats' (yes, plural) hunting instincts.
Actually, I recently saw a scratch on Kasha's face.
Kasha has always been a high strung cat. And she has been very stressed, I think, by the move. The strangers coming into the house. Being boarded for 3 weeks. The long trip to Vermont (with many stops to clean cat waste in the carriers). The new house. And also by losing Rudy in June and losing Sammy in November. Maybe, too, she has picked up on my stress from the move, and my stress and grief over Rudy and Sammy.
Anyway, I am dealing with the situation. I have sought help from experts and have followed their advice.
As a last resort, I guess, I may have to give Kasha psychiatric meds again. I wonder if the new vet will give them to her. She did well when she took them in Brooklyn for the compulsive grooming and barbering. The new vet has her records.
Right now, I'll spray some Feliway. I have a diffuser, too, but one electric prong got bent out of shape when I removed it from the outlet. If necessary, I'll buy a new diffuser.
And I'll keep on wiping pee and containing my anger.
It's a lot simpler to give Kasha her own room with her litter box in it. Feed her in there and visit her in there. Maybe once she realizes she is saf, she will calm down and gradually get back to normal. But she may need to be separate from Molly forever.
Thankfully, I don't think the situation is as extreme as that. I've seen Kasha and Molly sleeping on the same couch or bed. Kasha actually is sleeping, and not looking at Molly. And I have seen Molly keep her distance from kasha. When a stranger enters the house, the cats hide under the couch together. Not huddled together, but under the same couch. And I have awakened with all three cats lying quietly on the bed.
Kasha would be devastated if she were confined to one room. She confines herself when she wants to. She loves to sleep on a blanket on the ironing board upstairs. And she has a few other spots she likes.
If I had to confine Kasha permanently to one room, it would be better if I found her another home. But, it has never come to that point. And I doubt it ever will.
My strategy is this: Continue the veterinary care for a suspected urinary tract infection. If the behavior persists once the infection is cleared up, then I will have to consider anti-anxiety medication and/or further work with a cat behaviorist.
I am open to all suggestions, though. And I needed to vent.
I just want to use the kitchen without dealing with cat pee on the counter, on the stove, on the microwave, on the floor, or on or in the unpacked boxes. I've found pee in the bathtub, but that doesn't bother me so much. I can just rinse it away.
I wonder if I should contact a cat communicator and ask Kasha why she can't confine her peeing to the litter box, and also ask her to stop peeing in other places. But, even though I've heard some credible reports, I find it hard to see them as genuine and legitimate.
May want to see this page by a vet/feline specialist. Feeding Your Cat** Know the Basi Your answers are probably right there regarding your peeing cat/UTI. Good luck with your cats.
Have also read from other cat owners that they hate the smell of vinegar. Maybe mist some vinegar/water on things you want to keep them away from. Hope this helps a little
I have a feeling you are dealing with multiple problems and one is on feeding the next.
Getting rid of the UTI is first. One doesn't need to be tested. Insist on a round of Clavamox.
Secondly, it really sounds as if there "over marking" going on here. Each spot a cat has urinated on/or sprayed must be cleaned thououghly. You may think you have gotten it all out, but cats noses are extremely sensitive and can detect any urine. Get yourself some kind of enzyme cleaner. There are a number of them on the market...Stink Free is one...they sell one just for cat urine. It is expensive, but it works. Next the cat who is doing the urinating is going to have to be secluded into a smaller room or kennel. If not, the peeing will continue.
You may have to start litterbox training all over again....Speaking of which...some cats are extremely picky about their boxes...covered or open, cleaned often enough,the litter itself, do you have enough boxes? Rule of thumb is 1 per cat and then 1 extra. Some cats hate sharing a box. Like I said, you could have multiple problems. Here is a good site to read thru:
I have 4 litter boxes for the 3 cats. Two litter boxes are covered, and two are not. The litter is cleaned frequently.
I use various specialty enzyme cleaners for cat pee. I have also found that Clorox cleaner with bleach gets rid of the cat pee smell on the counter. But I have to use one of the enzyme cleaners on the soft plastic areas of the microwave.
Thanks for the tip about the vinegar.
Kasha is already on a round of Amoxicillin. The vet and I will be following up to see if she needs something stronger.
I plan to put some of the new Feline Pine clumping litter out. Maybe she would be happier with a new litter. Right now she is using the Arm and Hammer or other, local and cheaper clumping litter.
BTW, if anyone is confused by my "status" line, the cat I lost is Sammy, who died in mid-November, of inflammatory bowel disease and possible intestinal lymphoma. I also lost another cat, Rudy, in June, of lung cancer. 2008 has been a dificult year for me in the cat department.
I have a feeling you are dealing with multiple problems and one is on feeding the next.
Getting rid of the UTI is first. One doesn't need to be tested. Insist on a round of Clavamox.
Secondly, it really sounds as if there "over marking" going on here. Each spot a cat has urinated on/or sprayed must be cleaned thououghly. You may think you have gotten it all out, but cats noses are extremely sensitive and can detect any urine. Get yourself some kind of enzyme cleaner. There are a number of them on the market...Stink Free is one...they sell one just for cat urine. It is expensive, but it works. Next the cat who is doing the urinating is going to have to be secluded into a smaller room or kennel. If not, the peeing will continue.
You may have to start litterbox training all over again....Speaking of which...some cats are extremely picky about their boxes...covered or open, cleaned often enough,the litter itself, do you have enough boxes? Rule of thumb is 1 per cat and then 1 extra. Some cats hate sharing a box. Like I said, you could have multiple problems. Here is a good site to read thru:
Good Luck, you certainly have your work cut out for you, but with patience and a little luck, it can all be solved.
This site is chock full of valuable information and after buying a bag of Dr. Elsey's litter our sick cat is using the box again! I bought the one with a cat attractant. I'm thinking that the Feline Pine wasn't clumping enough and leaving unpleasant scents behind even though the box appeared clean to us. This new litter makes urine hard as a golf ball and it can be removed completely. It can't be flushed, however, and has to be bagged but with a good airtight plastic container lined with scrap bags it's no big deal and will probably save our plumbing.
I'm very happy with it and the other info especially about cat nutrition, so thanks!
This site is chock full of valuable information and after buying a bag of Dr. Elsey's litter our sick cat is using the box again! I bought the one with a cat attractant. I'm thinking that the Feline Pine wasn't clumping enough and leaving unpleasant scents behind even though the box appeared clean to us. This new litter makes urine hard as a golf ball and it can be removed completely. It can't be flushed, however, and has to be bagged but with a good airtight plastic container lined with scrap bags it's no big deal and will probably save our plumbing.
I'm very happy with it and the other info especially about cat nutrition, so thanks!
Just as a FYI...cat attract is sold separately and actually works!
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Great guidance!
