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Old November 15th, 2009, 11:47 PM
Ker13 Ker13 is offline
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Little Cat peeing everywhere after move

Hi all,

NB: Little's going to the vet on Tuesday.

We adopted her exactly a year ago from Toronto Animal Services, at which time she was approximately 2 years old and had just been spayed after delivering a litter (1 kitten survived when they found her.) She was about 4.5lbs when we got her, but within a couple of months, was up to 7lbs. She's always been a bit "weird" and had some strange little habits: she has no concept of personal space or boundaries like other cats do and will get right up in your face to see what you're eating and will "mooch" food even with a full bowl, or she frequently wipes her paws on the ground, walls or furniture before and after meals and using the litter box. I've noticed her scratching the carpet after she's peed on it too, almost like she was trying to cover it with litter.

We bought a house in April and had been pretty much packing solidly between then and when we moved in August, so yes, the apartment was in disarray which probably stressed all our 3 kitties. But in general, they seemed to be enjoying the boxes and new places to play on. The first time we think Little peed was around May, right after we tried using the Pedi-Paws on all 3 kitties (none of them liked it and we gave up after a couple of claws.) I found my umbrella, which was open, completely full of cat pee; another cat was blamed as the likely culprit although we put things together later, but ever since then there has been at least one "accident" per month. We are now in our new house for 3 months and the accidents are almost every other day, it seems, ranging from a spot the size of a quarter to a small puddle.

We figure that if it isn't a medical problem, she is probably peeing because of all the changes in her life of late (I also broke her favourite litter box by accident.) Yet she doesn't seem unhappy, seems to love the new house, runs around and plays with the other kitties more than she ever did before. How do we calm her down or cheer her up when she doesn't seem to need it? How do I make her stop peeing on our stuff? She can't seem to go into the basement without peeing somewhere, resulting in a total kitty ban. I can't smell it anymore, but then, I'm the one who changes the litter box and probably couldn't smell it if she did it right under my nose!
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Old November 15th, 2009, 11:54 PM
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Winston Winston is offline
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Welcome

I would start off by ruling out medical. Cats are not really dirty by nature...they tend to like a clean box and when they go outside of it it usually means somethings up! Could be a simple urinary infection...

I would also purchase another litter box...especially if she has a favorite...how many litter boxes do you have vs kitties?

You can make a solution (its on the site here somewhere) that is used to remove the smell of urine...you cant just simply wipe the area as they will keep going back to it. Also there may have been other kitties in the basement that left their scent behind. Maybe a very good thorough cleaning will help. Are you sure its just the one kitty? you may have others following around the other and copying!

Good luck and let us know how you make out!

Cindy
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Old November 16th, 2009, 02:06 AM
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growler~GateKeeper growler~GateKeeper is offline
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Good to hear Little is going into the vet on Tues, have them do a urinalysis to check for UTI

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ker13 View Post
She's always been a bit "weird" and had some strange little habits: she has no concept of personal space or boundaries like other cats do and will get right up in your face to see what you're eating and will "mooch" food even with a full bowl
She just wants to see/taste what you've got & if its better than what she has

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ker13 View Post
or she frequently wipes her paws on the ground, walls or furniture before and after meals and using the litter box. I've noticed her scratching the carpet after she's peed on it too, almost like she was trying to cover it with litter.
Perfectly normal cat behaviour - she's "covering" her food either to save it for later or "bury" it cuz she doesn't want it anymore. Most cats do cover their "business" in the litterbox & will go the extra step of stretching more by scratching at surrounding objects. Scratching the carpet after peeing on it is the same thing, she's trying to cover it up. After leaving the litterbox alot of cats like to sharpen their claws on a scratcher as additional scent marking.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ker13 View Post
The first time we think Little peed was around May, right after we tried using the Pedi-Paws on all 3 kitties (none of them liked it and we gave up after a couple of claws.)
It is possible the peeing cat is associating the uncomfortable feeling of the clipped claws (especially if done down to the quick) with the litterbox since the sensation of scratching in the box has changed after the pedi-paws.

The same applies if there is a UTI & the cat is associating the pain of peeing with the litterbox, moving to different surfaces to try to alleviate that discomfort.

What type of litter are you using? There are various different textures in litters that may be more comfortable on the paws.

One you can try is Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter

Is the cat consistantly peeing in one particular spot? Have you tried moving 1 of the litterboxes from where they are now to where the pee is?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ker13 View Post
I can't smell it anymore, but then, I'm the one who changes the litter box and probably couldn't smell it if she did it right under my nose!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winston View Post
I would also purchase another litter box...especially if she has a favorite...how many litter boxes do you have vs kitties?
Winston is right, how many boxes do you have? The rule of thumb is 1 box per cat plus 1 so 3 cats = 4 boxes

Quote:
Originally Posted by Winston View Post
You can make a solution (its on the site here somewhere) that is used to remove the smell of urine...you cant just simply wipe the area as they will keep going back to it.
1 cup water, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol mix together, spray on affected area, mop up & re-spray let dry. This will eliminate the urine odour you can't smell but they can, any cleaner with ammonia base will attract the cat back to that same spot as the base properties smell the same

for the visit on Tues, let us know how it goes
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Old November 16th, 2009, 02:08 AM
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rainbow rainbow is offline
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I would also get her checked out by your vet to rule out any medical problem.

And, the rule of thumb is one litter box per cat and quite often even an extra one. Here's some info ....

http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm
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Old November 16th, 2009, 02:10 AM
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LOL ....I was typing and didn't see your reply, growler.
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Old November 16th, 2009, 06:50 PM
Ker13 Ker13 is offline
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Thanks everyone!

Your replies are much appreciated!

We have 2 litter boxes and always have (since we moved from an apartment) and the kitties have put up with it, although I think Little is definitely the biggest neat-freak of them and would probably prefer at least one extra box, on reflection. I know she's not a huge fan of the Clever-Cat litter box (but I am!!!!), so we'll buy another Roll Away box tomorrow (also: they're on sale at CT this week!) I didn't realize cats could be that picky, our older two are sort of resigned to our ways at this point... :sad:

She doesn't seem to be in any pain, although she's such an odd little cat that it's a little hard to read her some days. We definitely didn't cut her nails down too far (lots of parrot experience on claw clipping!) since we were a bit wary of the Pedi-Paws - they never mention in the commercials, but of course the thing about dremel tools is that they work with friction and therefore heat up! Since her (and the other kitties') claws were heating up too much, and they were so unhappy about the noise it made, we stopped using it after the first attempt. I'm wondering though, maybe after that event she peed in my umbrella out of rebellion and then found that hey, I can go outside the little box! If that's the case - how the heck do I get her to unlearn that??

Will let you know how it goes tomorrow!
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Old November 17th, 2009, 02:48 AM
Hazmat Hazmat is offline
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I have 3 cats. Let's just call them cat #1,#2,#3.
They are all take In's. Just showed up at my door at various times.

#3 (I think he is a Maine Coon) has weird hair but he Always uses the litter box, every time, no exception,except for the first two weeks I brought him into the house. That was several years ago. He is consistent and would not even think of pee, or poop, outside of the box. It just is not in his nature. He has long hair but does not shed, He is the cat that every cat owner dreams of

#2 Is my retarded cat. She is one of the perpetual kitten types. She is over 3 years old but still acts like a kitten. If I leave dirty clothes on the floor she will pee on them. If I do not vacuum she will pee. If the litter box gets too dirty she will not use it, preferring anywheres else. She is the bane of my existence!
I took her in since she was so scrawny and lite. She is the bane of my existence, She could not survive outside. I love her dearly! LOL!

#1 Is Molly, The oldest. The Queen of the house. She will always poop in the box but will on her will pee outside. I have found that using an enzyme cleaner (currently) " Simple Solution Stain and Odor remover ", will discourage her as well as blocking off the offending area" That is about 98% effective, she still has a rare occasional accident

I guess my point is that cats have very very different personalities.
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Old November 17th, 2009, 09:09 PM
Ker13 Ker13 is offline
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And the vet said....

Back from the vet, Little is staying overnight so they can fill her up with water and get a sample. He said he couldn't feel any lumps, cysts or wall thickening which would indicate a problem, or couldn't detect any irritation or inflammation (although she didn't like where he stuck the thermometer...) He's of the opinion that it's behavioural since she's picking specific spots to pee and frequently returning to them (Hazmat, like your #2 - on dirty clothes), and suggests getting an extra litter box with plain unscented clay litter, away from the other boxes and if possible, deter the other cats from using it (fat chance.) He said as a last resort, if he try EVERYTHING, then Prozac is a possibility, but he wasn't a fan of it.

No sooner than we had got home but my husband comes running down the stairs yelling - the parrot decided that the cats were getting too much attention and played a trick on him by lying on her back, feet in the air, in her kleenex box at the bottom of her cage. She flipped over and scrambled up the cage side as soon as I ran up to check. He was near tears and she thought it was hilarious! She's spent all night since kissing him and cackling...

ANIMALS! UGH!
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Old November 18th, 2009, 03:13 AM
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growler~GateKeeper growler~GateKeeper is offline
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You might try an uncovered litterbox for Little, some cats prefer covered but some refuse to use them. She might've decided she didn't like the covered boxes anymore, or maybe she got startled coming out/going into the covered ones

for an answer as to medical or not tomorrow


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Old November 18th, 2009, 12:26 PM
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rainbow rainbow is offline
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Good idea about the uncovered litter box. We ended taking the lid off one of our boxes cuz the cats didn't like it anymore. Just like humans they change their likes and dislikes over time.

Btw, Little is very purrty.

And, I love your parrot's sense of humour.

Hope you get some answers today.
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Old December 2nd, 2009, 12:59 PM
Ker13 Ker13 is offline
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Update

Hi all!

It's been 2 weeks now and we are accident-free! We bought 2 extra litter boxes and put regular clay litter in the older box, and also put up the mangled cat tree that was in our old apartment - Little spent the first 2 nights sleeping on it, despite the fact it's duct-taped together in places. It seems the extra boxes did the trick, and she's been oddly affectionate in the last couple of weeks too, so I guess she appreciates it!

Thank you everyone for putting my mind at ease!

p.s. the parrot, Penny Lane, has now discovered the best way to get my husband's undivided attention and goes belly-up as soon as he doesn't pay her enough attention. I could learn a trick or two from that bird....
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