Cat urine problems and sometimes constipation seems to be something that many cat owners face at one time or another. It could be that your cat is no longer using the litter box or, if your cat usually goes outside, it is now urinating inside for some reason.
The first thing I would do is take the cat to the vet to see if there is a urinary tract infection or any other medical problem. If your cat has a clean bill of health, then check for anything different that may be upsetting or stressing your pet. Have you recently had visitors who stayed for a few days, is there a new baby/pet in the house?
Have you recently painted, refurnished or moved the furniture around?
These seemingly small things can upset your house cat’s routine and cause it to ‘retaliate’ with behavioral changes and anything that appears to be make your life difficult. Cats are highly intelligent animals and will let you know they are unhappy, and weeing inappropriately is one way.
It is very important to find out the cause of the stress so you can start retraining your cat to using the litter box or weeing outside again. Yes, it is very frustrating at the time but with some patience and understanding this can be overcome.
No-one enjoys seeing puddles of cat urine or worse around the house or on the furniture. Your cat is probably upset as well as they are fastidious animals. The sooner the situation is resolved the better for everyone.
Make sure you haven’t changed the litter mixture in the litter box as perhaps she doesn’t like the smell or the feel of it. Changes need to be made slowly. If you are introducing a new mixture do so by mixing it in a bit at a time to allow her to get used to it.
Is there a new dog in the neighborhood that could be upsetting your pet? Another cat on the prowl? Is she too frightened to go outside because of this? If this is the case, try introducing her to a litter box now, or take her outside yourself and stay with her until she’s finished. Just like any of us, our domestic cats like to feel safe, especially when they are in a vulnerable position such as when eliminating.
Once you know the reason for this behavior, you need to spend some time just being with your pet and making her feel ‘needed’, especially if there is something like a new baby or other pet in the home. Take that extra time to play with her or just sit with her in your lap stroking her. If she is feeling left out because of the new addition, she will be frightened and upset. And we all know how much fuss and attention a new baby or kitten/puppy creates.
Cat urine problems are not fun for you, your family or your pet. Just remember that the earlier you can fix this problem the better. The last thing you want is your cat to develop a bad habit of urinating around the house. Bad habits take a lot longer to eradicate than simple problems in cats, as well as in children and partners.
If you are still having problems, an e-book I highly recommend is *18 Ways to Stop Cat Urine Odor. There is bound to be a solution there that will work for you.
Tags: cat litter box problems, Cat Problems, cat urinary problems, cat urine problems, cats
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Hi. My cat is 17 Y/O.. He is starting to make mistakes inside . we have a pet door. He has been screaming out regulaly for about 4 months now , but when you pick him up and show him where his food is , he is fine until next time. I fear he is blind and quite deaf and getting worse . He is not in pain though because when he is in his lovelly bed RIGHT beside the fire place , he is SO content.. My question is…………… Should we consider putting him down ,,, or make him sleep in the garage through a pet door off the kitchen. I love the old fella but maybe it might be easier for him AND US.. I dont want to put him but your expert advice would be appreciated.. He probably hasnt got long lft anyway, regards Garry
Hi Garry,
Unfortunately this is a decision only you can make. If he was my cat and not in pain and still giving me love, and if I thought he might not have long to go, I’d love him to bits while I still had him. If he was in pain, I’d take him to the vet and ask to hold him as he goes to sleep so he is with his family. Is he making messes in the house? Not using the litter tray if he can’t get outside? Consider putting the tray somewhere easy for him to find. Have you had him checked by the vet?
It can be one of the hardest decisions for you to make. Talk it over with your family before making any final decisions. I wish I could give you a definitive answer but from this distance, it’s not possible.
My thoughts will be with you whatever your decision.
Kathy
we have 3 cats and one or more is urinating on our dinning room carpet. we don’t know for sure when this started but about 2 years ago we went from 1 to 3 cats. They all seem to get along but the older female(original cat) hisses at the younger female one occassionally.They were all checked for urinary track infection and the original cat showed signs of. We treated her but have not been back to the vet recently. These are all indoor cats and we keep the litter box clean with clump litter. The older original cat is a persian, the younger female a shorthaired, and the male a maine coon. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Hi Bob,
The easiest way to fix this is to spray a citrus (lemon if possible) essence at the entrance to the dining room and on the carpet. Cats don’t like the smell of citrus so it should stop them. Hopefully it won’t send them elsewhere (apart from the litter tray) but cats return to where they have urinated before as they can smell it. I purchased my citrus spray from Woolworths and it worked for my older cat who had started using our walk in robe as her toilet. Do you have separate litter boxes for each cat? Often cats don’t like using the same litter box as other cats. Many people suggest one per cat plus one extra but I prefer to let people make their own choice. If your cats are happy using the same one, save yourself some money.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if I can help further.
Kathy