More Problems - Cat Pee

[Tigmafuzz]

My life is just slowly going down the drain, now...
What can I use to discourage cats from peeing in select areas of the house? The older ones are trained, and don't so it too very often, but the kittens are going crazy in the middle of the hallway, and right by the backdoor. Anything you guys can think of? I tried pepper, pepper spray, chili pepper powder, and ground orange peels (also lemons) but they don't seem to be phased. I checked a couple sites about a week ago, but they were all saying things about buying certain expensive products and for gardening type things (motion-sensing sprinklers, burying thick objects in the ground, etc.) but nothing that could help my particular situation. Suggestions?

[Momiji]

Use a cork or a clothespin or something

Train them! When we got our cats as kittens, all we had to do was set them in the litterbox as soon as we brought them home, and that's where they always go!. I'm sure you could train the kittens; they aren't always as stubborn as adult cats.

[Jessweeee♪]

Sometimes if you have more than one cat they won't pee in the same box. But then if you get more than one box the dominant one will just pee in all of them and they still won't use it.

[Leeza]

That's my first suggestion. And pretty much my only suggestion because unless cats have a medical condition, they pretty much don't like to go anywhere but the litter box or outside. Unless the litter box needs cleaning then mine don't like to go into it so I clean it twice a day. They like to be clean. Do you have a litter box for them? Usually cats take to litter boxes pretty quick.

How old are the kittens? They should be at least two months old before they will know to use a litter box.

[rubah]

from what I've heard, and smelled, cats like to mark their territory, and once they do, you'll have a hard time convincing them otherwise.

For example, we kept a litterbox in the bathroom. Our cat missed, or decided to not use it once, a few times, months.

My parents said when they remodelled the bathroom the smell was overwhelming when they pulled the carpet up. He stopped peeing in there though. (the wood underneath was stained dark, too)

teach your kittens to use a toilet(lol)

[Leeza]

Male cats that aren't neutered will mark their territory...outside. Indoor cats don't do that unless there's a medical problem. None of mine ever have.

[rubah]

I dunno, you'd think if it were a medical problem, they would be all over the place instead of concentrated in one spot, wouldn't you? What kind of problem do you mean, leeza?

(my cat is spayed and female, soooooooo no territoriality with that)

[Leeza]

I don't know rubah. Cats usually don't like to mess things up. One of my female cats had cancer and stuff when she was very old and couldn't walk much at all. When she had to use the litter box she would meow until I picked her up and held her over it. She wouldn't go otherwise, and the one time she did try to get to the litter box when I wasn't home, she didn't make it and then she was quite upset with herself. All of my other cats would go into plants pots if they couldn't find anywhere else. Maybe your cat was just missing the box. Mine does that once in a while so I got a box with a lid on it.

Here are a few things I got from just two sites from Google:

• Your cat may have pain while urinating or defecating which would cause her to associate the litter box with pain and because cats are smart they will try to go somewhere else and see if that makes a difference.
• might have a bladder infection. This would account for her being more vocal than most cats and peeing in places she isn't supposed to.
• Cats will also opt out of using the litter box if the litter is not cleaned at least once a day. Sometimes it is a question of too few litter boxes. Cats can also take a strong dislike to certain textures of kitty litter, or new brands of kitty litter.
• Try to avoid air freshners located near the litter because there are some cats who are sensitive to perfumes in their washroom and they can be irritated just like a person who is sensitive to perfume.
• If your family's schedule has changed in any way some cats find that incredibly anxiety provoking.
• Your cat may also be responding to a territorial cat outside your home that is making her nervous.
• If your cat has a urinary tract infection, stones or crystals in her bladder or urinary tract or even problems with her bowels including parasites and discomfort she may be trying to tell you that she doesn't feel well.
• If the litter box is too small or in an awkward or noisy location it could be that she is uncomfortable with the amount of activity or it is not comfortable to get in and out of.
• Hitting or yelling is not good as she will not understand that form of punishment and it may actually make things worse by causing more anxiety.

Factors Contributing to Inappropriate Elimination

• Medical Conditions: Cats avoiding the litter pan should be examined by a veterinarian to rule out a medical condition. Laboratory tests will need to be performed in most cases, however, if a condition does exist, immediate treatment will help resolve the behavioral problem. Possible medical conditions include: colitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, kidney or liver disease, or feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD). Medical conditions such as arthritis, FLUTD, anal sac disease, and some forms of colitis, which cause pain urinating or defecating may also result in inappropriate elimination

• Stress: Cats of all ages experience stress at some point in their lives (just like us). Stress can be a major cause of inappropriate elimination, and known stressors such as moving, changes in routine, or changes within the family structure (new members added or family members leaving home) can result in inappropriate elimination. Reducing these stressors or decreasing their impact on the household will benefit your cat and you, too.

• Box Location & Contents: Some cats may not like where their box is located; too close to their food or water, in a high traffic area, or on a different level of the house than where they spend most of their time. Some cats are very particular and will not defecate in the same box in which they urinate or go into a box which has been used by another cat. Most cats do not like a dirty litter box. Clean out waste from their litter boxes at least once daily, and wash the litter boxes weekly so that they don’t decide to eliminate elsewhere in your home.

[Momiji]

Spoken like a cat expert, as expected of you, Leeza.

I've never had any housebreaking issues with my cats, so I really don't know how else to help. =X

[Rantz]

CitiKitty - Complete Cat Toilet Training Kit

[rubah]

Your cat may also be responding to a territorial cat outside your home that is making her nervous.

and also that paragraph about stress:

it's entirely possible that this started when we got our dog mussie. He is ah. . . very friendly and loves to um, play, with our cats.

the only time my cat gets vocal is if i stop petting her xD

or maybe it was teh box getting too dirty. Mom usually takes care of that so i've never looked for myself

[Caraliz]

Didn't read rest of thread-

We've had problems with my adult female cat Shiina when it comes to peeing in the house. She tends to just go wherever/whenever she wants to go. But lately one of my parents has been waking up at a certain time every morning and putting Shiina in the litterbox and she goes! Or, they've also been using a little bit of this type of litter called "Cat Attract" and it's not too expensive and it apparently makes cats WANT to go in the litterbox. They'd tried getting different litterboxes for her but apparently that wasn't her issue with it.

They'd tried to dissuade her from going in certain places using citrus or this plugin business but that never worked. It worked better for them to put her in the litterbox at certain times so she'd start to go by herself and use the cat attract litter.