Problem Cat

here´s a link to the vicky halls website... http://www.vickyhalls.net/ hope that helps. it lists the books she has written and stuff so you know what to look out for :-)

Hi Roxy,

Cats will often urinate in inappropriate places as a response to stress or sometimes due to them suffering from cystitis.

Firstly, take the cat to the vets and get them checked out to ensure they are not suffering from any illnesses. Cystitis is common in cats, and one of the first symptoms is them weeing in different places, usually just small amounts and occasionally with blood.

Cats will also urinate in new places as a response to stress. If they are weeing by doors, it can be because something outside is upsetting them, so they place their scent in that region to reassure themselves. Is the rug by the door, or anywhere near where another cat goes? Is there a new cat around he may have been fighting with, or one which is coming into the house? Or has anything else changed? Have you had builders in, a new family member or new furniture? Some cats can be very sensitive to change in their environments and will urinate on new things in order to make them smell of themselves.

It can be difficult to stop inappropriate urination, and the first thing is to try to identify any underlying stressors and counteract them. If it is another cat, try to stop it coming into the house, or garden. Water pistols work very well against cats, they hate not knowing where the water comes from! It doesn´t hurt them but they will run away! If it is an object or person that can be more of a challenge, your vet will be able to supply you with a spray or plug-in of a cat pheromone. The scent it produces is the same one which cats use to mark things when they rub their faces on them. It is very comforting scent for them and can make them much more relaxed. People cannot smell it. It may hep to spray it onto the carpet or the rug, it should not damage soft furnishings.

It is also very important to clean up the urine correctly. Most cleaning products are based on ammonia, which is also the primary ingredient in urine. The ammonia smell is masked to us by the scent of the product, ´pine fresh´ or similar, but the cats can still smell it, so to them it smells just like urine and is a reminder to urinate there! Clean the area with soda cystals, which have no ammonia, and then wipe down with surgical spirit. Take care with the spirit and check the surface will take it, as it can be very harsh. Try then spraying the area with the pheromone spray. Also, you can try placing some cat biscuits where they are weeing, cats will rarely urinate near to food.

This problem is unlikely to be attention seeking and more likely stress related. When cats are stressed or unhappy they tend to withdraw into themselves and showering them with love, although logical, can make things worse. It is also a good idea, as Sarah suggested, to consider the position of the current litter trays. Cats prefer somewhere private to wee and poo, so litter trays should be in a quiet corner, away from any french windows and also away from food.

Getting some behavioural advice for these types of problems is an excellent idea. The behaviourist will be able to take a detailed history of the problem and how it is occuring and then make a plan tailored to your needs. Give your local vets a call and see if they can help, they are often a valuable source of information on these topics, and there may be someone on staff who has a particular interest.

I hope things improve for you soon

Cat
I hope this is helpful!

i dont know as he does it alot.. but only in our frontroom no where else in the house!!

He couldn´t be "marking his territory" could he?

thank u very much for ur advice i will be finding this vicky halls lady for some more advice as we have tried all ur genral options !!!!

just read your profile - should have done it before, sorry - could it be that your other cat could be assisting / causing the problem. lots of people think their cats get on really well when in fact they are just co-habiting. could the other cat be guarding the litter tray forcing merlin to pee elsewhere? general rule of thumb with litter trays in multi-cat households is one per cat plus one - so ideally you would need 3 but 2 at least (in different locations) would be a good start as your other cat can´t possibly guard both at the same time :-)

you need to make sure that you are cleaning the areas with immonia free chemicals as although you may not be able to see / smell the pee, your cat probably can. how long has merlin been doing this? the hardest part of this sort of problem is diagnosing the cause! look at the areas he is using - are there any similar factors? have you change the litter you are using? if not, try doing so. how many litter trays does he have, where are they - he may not like the location - too near to food or busy areas of the house may be off putting. near the washing machine or any other noisy, unpredictable household goods may be scarring him. is there a new cat in the neighbourhood that may be coming in or glaring at him through the windows while he´s in the litter tray making him want to use another area? is there another cat coming in or out in the garden scaring him?

i´d definately try more litter trays in more locations with different litter in...and take the rug away for now. maybe even cover over the areas of carpet he is using with bin bags for the time being. you could try placing a litter try in the spots he is peeing on and then gradually moving the tray to a preferred location - gradually meaning about an inch per day!

its a long process but you can sort this out. also, try reading up about this sort of thing. vicky halls is a cat behaviourist and she has some fantastic, helpful and informative books you can buy or get from your library. also, get him vet checked as this may be a symptom of some underlying problem - i´d do this asap. you could also speak to your vet about the problem, they may be able to help or refer you to a behaviourist. i used one when introducing my new cat to the house and although quite price (about £150) the advice was invaluable.