6 Year Old Female Cat Peeing on "Things"

Updated on January 11, 2009
S.W. asks from Mechanicsburg, PA
22 answers

Hello all - my 6 year old/fixed female cat just started peeing on things - until this point she's been the "perfect" cat never peeing; never being destructive at all - just a really good girl. Now today my husband found a coat, a pr of boots and placemats that were all peed on. I personally think that she might be lonely - and mad at us for the fact that in last 6months we've gotten rid of two other cats (well one is now outside) and she may be lonely - but could it be medical? her litter box is cleaned out. has anyone ever dealt with this? any suggestions? thanks in advance!

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T.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My cat did it and had a blatter infection and went tot he dr and got medicationa dn was fine that.
Jade

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B.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi S., It has been my experience that when a "good" cat starts peeing on things it is usually a medical thing. I would take her to the vet first. White vinigar and water should take the smell out of carpet and clothes. You want to make sure you take care of the smell because she will go back there again and again. Good luck!

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D.S.

answers from State College on

This used to happen with my cat. Turns out she had a UTI. The vet put her on antibiotics and it stopped. Then as she got older she got UTIs frequently and we were contstantly on a cycle of peeing/antibiotics. But anyhow, the antibiotics always stopped it within a few days.

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D.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

sometimes animals can feel when people or stressed out. another thing like you said is that sheis lonely and feels like she is lacking attention. when we had the baby the cat was peeing on things a lot. sometimes they do it be teritorial. wash all the peed on things seperately with laundry detergent and add some vinegar in there to get rid of the odor. make sure to give the cat some extra attention without the kids around,like may be when they are at school,taking a nap or at night time. you can not punish her unless you catch her in the act. you can also buy some stuff to help rid the odor in pet smart. good luck.

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C.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

Could be a urinary tract thing. Take her to see the vet as soon as you can. They may prescribe medicine and a new diet for her. i just went through this with my male cat. He had crystals in his pee and it was causing him pain and that is why he was peeing elsewhere.

Good luck

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K.V.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi. I agree with others that you should take your cat to the vet to rule out health issues. Our male cat did the same thing and it turned out he had bladder stones. He's on special vet urinary food and takes anti-anxiety meds too. He had been peeing off and on in our basement ever since my oldest was born. Cats International is also a good resource. They are on the web and have counselors to talk to about feline issues. They may have advice about getting another cat too. Good luck!

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A.P.

answers from Philadelphia on

well I know it's tuesday and you may already have the answer you need, i haven't read the other posts but I know that my cat started to do this as well. It was however closer to the litter box that the "accidents" were happening. I took HIM to the vet and he ended up having crystals...his kidneys would have shut down had we not acted quickly enough. Not sure if it's gender related but I don't think so. He now has to eat prescription food for the rest of his life. I know that sounds bad but it's really not that expensive or anything and now he's doing well and no more mess! hope this is not what your cat has but it would be easy to deal with if it is...good luck!!

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L.T.

answers from Philadelphia on

I agree with the others. Take her to the vet and have her checked. Hopefully it will fix the problem. If not there are a number of things you can do, and I'm sure your Vet can give you advise if this is a behavoiral problem. My cat did the same thing for territorial reasons and we needed to recondition her to use the litter box. All worked out well. Good Luck.

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F.V.

answers from Lancaster on

S.,
Call your vet asap and get her checked for a bladder infection, that is what is sounds like to me. Cats are NOT spiteful (they do not think like humans) and do things on purpose. Maybe another companion when she is better may be good for her well being too! Especially if that is what she is used to. Go to your local petsmart or humane leage they have some really sweet kitties!
Good luck
Christina
PS Petsmart has a solution for urine called PETZYME.

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B.D.

answers from Lancaster on

My cat did that once, and she had a urinary tract infection - take her to the vet to get her tested. If it isn't that, it is probably behavioral.

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M.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

We inherrited a cat afew years ago that we refferred to as "devil cat". She lived was very "standoffish", agressive and plain resentful we were here. All was fine until she started urinating inappropriately. Mind U, she had 5 litter boxes of varying litter choices throughout the home. The vet prescribed an anti-deppresent and we now have a fun, playful cat whom LOVES children and pees only in her litter box!! If it is not a UTI, perhaps they may go this route. The vet mentioned that it not an uncommon thing. Her meds for the month are $1.03.

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D.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

I have worked for an organization that places cats in homes for awhile now. Okay the first thing you want to do is to take your cat to the vet to rule out what can lead to being very "serious" and that is a urinary tract infection. If indeed that is ruled out then you need to start thinking about some questions that may give you an answer as to why your cat is urinating in unexpected places rather than it's litter box.

Cats are very fussy and love "order" and schedules. If anything is presented to them that can throw off that "schedule" they will show you they are upset by urinating outside their litter box. Is there a new baby in the house? Have you not cleaned the litter box to the full extent? That means picking up it's drop offs throughout the day (like maybe twice a day). Cats hate a dirty litter box, even the slightest leftover poop or urine can cause them to get mad and pee outside that box. Have you changed the "type" of litter recently? They sometimes react with disgust to that with peeing. Has there been any ill animals in your house or a death of one? They will react to that. You mentioned that you recently gave a cat away and that one took comfort in now living outside? Well that very well could be your answer. I am not sure. That would be a big change in the cat's environment and he would retaliate big time to you by peeing outside the box. First get him checked by the vet, then ask the vet for some tips on how to get the cat to stop urinating outside it's litter box. I don't know which thing to tell you to do since I don't know the cause, but hopefully this will get you to the vet and he/she will help you from there. We know some people who have had this happen to them and it "was" a urinary tract infection and the cats had to be on tubes because it was left untreated for too long by the owners who just didn't know to take them in. Some of the cats survived and some did not. Also did you recently declaw your cat? I don't believe in it and neither does our organization but that can have a big change of personality on the cat and the litter hurts the nerves on their paws when they touch it so that now they will associate the litter box with pain. Good luck with this!

D.

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J.Y.

answers from Philadelphia on

My husband is a veterinarian, and I know he would say you need to go immediately to the phone and make and appt. to have your cat seen! Rebecca R had excellent advice. If your vet rules out a medical condition, it's most likely behavioral caused by "stress", which could definitely be caused by the recent change in your house with the other cats.
Our male cat had the same problem shortly after our 2nd baby was born, and we had success with the plug-in pheromones Rebecca mentioned.
Best wishes!

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J.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My male cat did this when he developed a bladder infection. After a few days I noticed there was blood in his urine. he was peeing on everything I could "find" and I just attributed it to him being male - I was about to get rid of him until one morning when I was in the bathroom, he jumped in the tub and started to pee. I got angry and started to scold him until I saw that there was a pink tint to his urine. I took him to the vet, she had to catheterize him b/c the infection was so bad he couldn't pee easily and diagnosed him.

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J.R.

answers from Philadelphia on

Often when cats start peeing outside their litter box it can indicate a medical problem. I would make an appointment with your vet just to be safe. Hope kitty is OK!

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C.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi S.,
I had this problem with my 2 year old female cat. Found out she had crystals in her urine. When it is painful to urinate, they do not want to go in the litter; maybe a way of letting us know something is not right as well, by peeing elsewhere. My vet recommended c/d prescription diet food, which helps prevent crystals from forming again. You can get that at any vet, PetSmart, etc. Fortunately, she has responded to the special food and has gone in her litter box ever since.
I hope this helps and is this simple of a solution.
Good luck to you and your kitty!

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F.B.

answers from Harrisburg on

She may have a bladder/urinary tract infection. Take her to the vet as soon as possible.

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Get her checked for a UTI as soon as you can!
Can you get a pie pan under her while she's in the litter box & catch a pee sample? Put it in a clean container/jar with a lid and take it with you to the vets they can check it for white blood cells-a sure sign of UTI.

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J.P.

answers from Harrisburg on

Hi S. ~ My male cat did this same thing, we took him to the vet...diagnosis: urinary tract infection. A few days on the meds and he was no longer peeing on things. Blessings ~ J.

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H.H.

answers from Philadelphia on

I wasn't sure what anyone else would say, but it is my advice too: GO to the vet! My little kitty did that too, and it ended up being a little pricey to test for a UT infection, but when you consider that it makes your cat feel better in a way that little takes care of besides the medication - AND it stops the mystery game of "what is that smell" - I think it is worth it.

My vet explained that (I don't know how she knew this, actually) cats often start peeing in different places because it hurts when they go in the litter box, so they try other places to see if that doesn't hurt... So the litter box wouldn't be a factor if it is an infection...

good luck!

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J.K.

answers from Harrisburg on

She could have a UTI. Its is very p[ossible even with a claen litter box for her to get a UTI. NOw, If she doesn't have a UTI it is punitive. I had to put my cat outside due to punative urination all over my house.

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R.R.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi S.. I work with an animal rescue group and have fostered and been "owned" by lots of cats so I've encountered this type of problem several times. If your cat has no history of behavior like this then I would advise you to get her to the vet ASAP. There are three possibilities here that I see: a) this could be a sign of a urinary infection - which needs to be treated quickly - or some other medical issue or b) it can be the sign of some form of psychological stress (new animal in the house, some big change in the arrangement of the house, especially change in the location or number of litter boxes) or c) the litter box isn't getting cleaned as frequently (I'm sure that's not the case but it's one of the possible causes of these things so I have to list it!). I wouldn't waste time though in case it is a urinary infection, it's a common ailment but one that does need attention quickly. I would give your vet a call and have her seen. If it's psychological, then one "tool" that can help is the "Comfort Zone" plug-in (these contain pheromones - hormones that basically help cats feel good and more relaxed in stress situations). Your vet can probably tell you more about that if he does suspect a stress issue.

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