Cat peeing all over house!

by ABS
(VA)

I have 2 Calico cats who have been together since birth (they came from the same litter). I love them to pieces!

One of them has been peeing ALL over my house. She has urinated on our wooden kitchen table, my good purse, even pillows on our couch!

I have taken her to the vet to be checked for a UTI. Vet said she was fine. I have changed back to the old litter they used when they were kittens.

I have changed their food, but that is because one of them has hairballs very badly. I don't think the food could be the issue.

We added a second litter box to the house because we thought it was lack of. She uses both of them and we keep them good and clean.

I assume she is anxious with the other Calico around, but I don't understand it because they have been together since birth. They don't know any different.

I am at my wits end. I am so afraid that we are going to have to give up one of our cats due to the urination. Any suggestions???

My Thoughts:

I'm sorry to hear that your kitty is having problems, but I am glad to hear that the vet has given her the all clear. Assuming the vet is correct and there's no UTI or any other health issues...

I doubt that the other cat is a problem since they've been together forever, but if the other cat has started box guarding, it's possible. You may want to try separating them for a bit and see what happens.

Also, are you sure it's just the one cat having the problem? If one cat starts, the other may follow. It can be hard to know which is the leader. In addition, if the other cat is ill or stressed, she may be reacting to that.

There may be other cats outside the house that are bothering her, so be mindful of that. I'm assuming she's been spayed, but if not, that's a first step.

Are you sure she's urinating and not spraying?

Did this start right after you changed the food? If so, I'd change the food back to what it was before, and deal with the hairball issue another way.

Did you abruptly change the food? You should never change food quickly. Always ease them into it, especially since abrupt diet changes can cause vomiting and diarrhea as well.

Think about just before this problem started, and go back a few months as well. Did anything else in the house change? Schedules? Household members? Furniture?

Did someone start paying more attention to the other cat?

If she doesn't have a medical problem and there are no obvious causes, then we have to assume she's stressed by something. The usual recommendations apply.

1) Increase her exercise level and play time to burn off that stress. An interactive toy like Da Bird works well for this and gives her play time with you, which may help.

2) Try using Rescue Remedy or Feliway to reduce stress.

3) Confine her (or both of them if the other cat doesn't seem to be a factor) to a (preferably sunny) room where you can control her access. Bring food, water, toys, bedding, and a litter box placed far away from the food and water into that room.

It's not punishment, it's retraining, so play with her and visit her often in that room. If her housemate is in there with her, they can keep each other company as well.

This may or may not be possible, so you'll have to experiment. If she doesn't get "box right" in that room, a smaller space may be needed.

While she's in there, clean the rest of the soiled areas thoroughly so there's no trace of the urine. If she smells it when she comes out, she may revert back to her old ways. You can use a black light to see if there are any residual urine stains.

I usually recommend enzyme based cleaners but Jackson Galaxy says he likes a CO2 based cleaner (Fizzion).

4) Once she's no longer soiling, you can give her ever increasing access to the rest of the house. If she has a mishap, start the training again. If she does OK, then move that litter box back to it's location slowly (like a foot or less per day).

If, after working with her you can't get her straight, you have a couple of options. Take her back to the vet to see if anything else might be wrong, or call in an animal behaviorist to work with you in your home.

If you decide that at some point you have to give her up, please try to re-home her first. Work with the new owner through the transition. Unless a shelter is truly no-kill (many are not, even though people may think they are), the future is not good for a cat with a urination problem.

I hope that helps. If there's anything else you can think of that might have affected her, please let us know. And please keep us updated on her progress.
-Kurt