Cat pee ... at my wit's end

K9sandFelines
K9sandFelines Posts: 2,562
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edited 7 March 2017 at 12:41AM in Pets & pet care
Okay, this has been asked a thousand times and already by me when i had exhausted all other options, but what can i do ...

A little history, six year old rescue cat, female, we have had from a kitten. She was never perfect after having had a bad start to life abandoned in one cat carrier with three tiny siblings, and two older siblings covered in their own mess :( , but fast forward to recent day and her behaviour is starting to get me down.

Two years ago now we moved to a new (private rented) house. All this time said cats behaviour had been fine, she was going in the litter tray and for the most time clean, but occasionally she will squat and pee on the laminate in my back room and wooden floor in my front room. As far as i am aware, i cleaned what i could, and have binned rugs and anything she has probably left a scent on. She s done it in bags on shoes ... you name it. Her favourite place to choose to go is a small patch of lino in the hallway, despite their being a litter tray barely ten yards away. At first, this was sporadic, and i mopped it with specialist urine neutraliser, then laundry liquid when that didn't seem to make a difference, upped the anti making sure all litters were cleaned and changed and she seemed to stop. However the past few days she is doing it again, and despite trying to fold it back, mop the floor underneath (which is cement) and the underside of the lino and leave it to dry; she is now just doing it on the cement floor. I don't know whether pee has maybe touched the carpet a tiny bit on the bottom stair, so therefore she keeps returning; but saying that she used to do it over the other side where there was no carpet and still returned. I was thinking of pulling up the lino and leaving it for a bit, with a view to replacing it with brand new flooring; but she will no doubt just pee on the cement floor.

I have previously taken her to the vets about this on several occasions who just checked her temp incase she wasn't well and doing it for that reason. All possibilities of illness were ruled out, so i think it's definitely a behavioral thing. I've also used Feliway diffusers at times were it's a possibilty she was doing it out of stress, and she still peed.

I thought about putting the litter box there, but it's right at the bottom of the staircase, so neither possible nor practical.I use Oko plus cat litter and i am on a tight budget, but doing the best i can with limited funds. I've already got one of my male cats pooing out of the litter box (possibly due to age and currently under investigation), so it's stressful enough; but at least poo can be picked up and the carpet scrubbed. Pee lingers!! Its almost like she can't be bothered to go in the litter tray, because unless she does it secretly when we can't see her, i hardly ever see her go in it. She's 95% a housecat, doesn't venture out much, won't really play much and sleeps alot.

I hope i have covered everything, and somebody can advise me further.
GC £150 a month for food, toiletries and cleaning Jan £134.58 Feb
Forever learning the art of frugality
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Comments

  • WantToBeSE
    WantToBeSE Posts: 7,729
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    I feel your pain, cat pee really smells.

    Sounds like you're doing really well with trying to find a solution.

    i know you say you can't move the litter tray to the bottom of the stairs, but maybe it's worth trying a puppy pad in that spot instead? Maybe find a way to seal it to the floor, so she cant just move it. And then just replace as necessary?
    you can get puppy pads for £1 in poundland.
  • Seconding the puppy pads, and wipe over the areas she has soiled with vinegar and then diluted oil of cloves - animals don't like the smell so hopefully it will put her off doing it again.

    HBS x
    "I believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another."

    "It's easy to know what you're against, quite another to know what you're for."

    #Bremainer
  • motorguy
    motorguy Posts: 22,452
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    Any chance of joint or hip damage? Arthritis? I know shes young for it, but our big tom cat stopped using the litter tray more and more over a couple of years and we got it diagnosed as joint pain in his rear legs.

    He got to the point where he couldnt get in to the litter tray.

    We used puppy pads to some effect. Bulk bought them off Amazon - good quality and cheap

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Solution-Training-Pads-Pack/dp/B005F98AYO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1488889510&sr=8-5&keywords=puppy+pads
  • *~Zephyr~*
    *~Zephyr~* Posts: 612
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    Sounds like she could be a bit nervy, bless her.

    My friend's cat is quite a stress, jumpy cat and he started peeing in the lounge when a bigger cat moved into the street. The vet recommended they feed him Royal Canin Calm kibble and after a few days of being on that the peeing stopped.

    http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/dry_cat_food/royal_canin_feline_vet_diet/356888?gclid=CjwKEAiA0fnFBRC6g8rgmICvrw0SJADx1_zAi-gnlzVUJ4t18uEvlAe6o3Yuof_EcF0y8WPPYBlXRxoC5dHw_wcB#

    Fast forward a couple of years and they ran out of the RC food and within 2 weeks, he was back peeing in the lounge.

    Cube: mad scrabble to buy more RC!!
  • K9sandFelines
    K9sandFelines Posts: 2,562
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    edited 7 March 2017 at 1:31PM
    Sorry don't know how to multi quote so firstly thanks ...

    Forgot to say she was spayed as a kitten.

    WanttobeSE i have puppy pads, which i have just bought due to older cat pooing. He was doing it around the litter tray on the carpet in my room, and now i have put the puppy pads there he has pooed twice in the kitchen instead :mad:. Yes the pee stinks, and i feel my house must smell revolting at the moment :sad:

    heartbreak-star I will try the puppy pads as mentioned above!Though my youngest two cats keep scratching at them like it is a big game! I actually put neat vinegar down on the cement floor, and i am not sure whether it was that drying or she went back and peed again. Last night i upped the anti and chopped some bits of lemon and left them there and she has not gone back ... YET!!

    motorguy She was checked on her last booster and nothing mentioned, although i obviously can't rule this out indefinitely. She is very short in height, compared to a normal cat, so it could be a possibility. Though when she stopped the peeing she was actually heavier in weight than she is now which would put more strain on her joints, since she has started peeing again she has lost a kg in weight due to all cats having a microchip bowl, so she can not have free reign on the other cats food. I will look at the link on Amazon.

    Zephyr she is extremely nervy, always has been but i can't pinpoint any particular reason why she would be doing it again. We did get two more cats in October, whom she seems to get along fine with (well tolerates); but it seems like she has only just started doing this daily the past few days, though prior to that she was doing it; but a few times a month. I have just done an order on Zooplus for food, but will go back and look at the food you recommended. I am willing to do anything to help her, but obviously want it to stop or at least be minimal!
    GC £150 a month for food, toiletries and cleaning Jan £134.58 Feb
    Forever learning the art of frugality
  • fairy_lights
    fairy_lights Posts: 9,220 Forumite
    Could you try feeding her in the spot where she's been peeing? if she associates it with food it might break the toilet connection.
  • K9sandFelines
    K9sandFelines Posts: 2,562
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    Could you try feeding her in the spot where she's been peeing? if she associates it with food it might break the toilet connection.

    I will certainly give that a go, though knowing her, she will probably find somewhere else to pee, if she hasn't already secretly been doing it elsewhere .Hopefully she'll not do it by her food, unlike my older cat who has pooed twice in the kitchen where he is fed, and the kitten peed in the footwell of another cat's microchip bowl :eek:. I sometimes need reminding why i love them so much ;)
    GC £150 a month for food, toiletries and cleaning Jan £134.58 Feb
    Forever learning the art of frugality
  • GwylimT
    GwylimT Posts: 6,530
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    How many cats do you have? The rule is one litter tray per cat and a spare.

    Is the pee area near an exit of the house? Urinating here is often a sign that the animal is attempting to force another out of 'their' territory.

    A kilogram is a lot, how quickly was this lost? Fast weight loss in cat can cause kidney and liver problems, which in turn can cause urinary issues.

    Have you used zyklene or pet remedy?

    Unless she has had a full blood work done at her annual check I would take her back to the vets.
  • adonis
    adonis Posts: 1,072
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    Cystitis is a possibility, try cystophan,

    http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/protexin-veterinary-cystophan-30-caps-(online-only)

    I pay less than eight pounds from Animed direct for it with free delivery and as it is a supplement you dont need a prescription.
  • SWB
    SWB Posts: 100
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    Try Hydrogen Peroxide with one tbs of Bicarb and a drop of washing up Liquid to clean up and remove the smell?
    It can be sprayed, poured, wiped on carpet and cement.
    It is supposed to removed all the smell so they dont re-offend?
    I hope that helps?
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