HELP! Cat Peeing on EVERYTHING!

Updated on February 18, 2009
M.B. asks from Atlanta, GA
20 answers

Our cat that we have had for around 6 years keeps peeing on all of our blankets, comforters,clothing, son's bed etc... I've spoken to the vet b/c I thought it was a UTI but the vet said that due to the nature of the way he is doing it, it is probably psychological/stress related. We moved back in October and then around December this started. I have bought a new litterbox, change it 1 or 2x/s a day, tried that cat spray stuff to get him to stop etc.. and nothing has worked.
I do not want to get rid of him as he is our vey special family cat, but I can't take having my house smell like this any longer! I am at my wits end. Confining him to one room also isn't really an option b/c we are in an apartment. Also, now he refuses to go outside-which he used to love.
Has anyone else gone through this and what did you do???

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T.V.

answers from Athens on

Many people I know have had success with the cat phermone plugins. I also know a cat behaviorist in Cary NC who will consult on the phone if you like. You can contact me at ____@____.com

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B.W.

answers from Myrtle Beach on

I am a cat breeder so I've dealt with this. First of all, I assume the cat is neutered. If not, that is the obvious first fix. If so, I would try a product called Feliway. It is available at Pet stores. You can buy it in a little thingie that goes in your wall plug like a Glade plug in. It releases a pheremone that calms a stressed cat. Works well for the type of thing you are describing. There are also medications that have been know to help spraying males. But your situation sounds like stress, new place kind of spraying, not I'm a big male spraying. lol feel free to contact me privately if you have more questions.

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C.F.

answers from Atlanta on

Dear Megan,

If you can not get this under control GET RID OF THE CAT or I fear you are going to have very few visitors and your kid will have no playmates. Relieve yourself of some of the stress.

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B.

answers from Augusta on

Try a product designed to calm the cat like comfort zone. or No mark.http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755196

Also use an enzyme type cleaner to get rid or the smell for him, normal cleaners will not get rid of the scent for him, you'll have to use something like pets & kids or natures miracle .

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T.S.

answers from Atlanta on

Well Megan, I wish I could give you advice on this one. I am having the same problem accept my problem is with a one year old black dog weighing at just over one hundred pounds doing the same thing. My boyfriend found him in Atlanta and we have had him since he was about eleven weeks old. He had done so good never really having a problem with him potting in the house. Well, up until right before he turned one in December. Since then for whatever reason he gets on my bed and urinates, he has been caught hiking his leg, etc. We are having my backyard somewhat fenced in because like you, I cannot take what he is doing to my house. You would not believe the things I am having to replace because of it. So, any advice you get, please pass it on because I am ready to pull my hair out. Hang in there. T.

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T.L.

answers from Savannah on

I know what you mean. We also have a cat that would pee on my daughters bed after she went to school. It started after we moved into our new house. I also have a cat that vomits almost every day. We installed a screen door on our laundry room and keep them in there. Our vet said it was stress of the move. Since we have 2 cats, we have 2 litter boxes. But if we let her out now she will still do it. We have Been living here for a year and she has not changed. If we leave them in the laundry room, they are fine. (laundryroom has no carpet). If we let them into the main house, the vomit and pee on the carpet. I'm not sure what set up you have but we also have a large cage with a litter box in it for overnight. Our vet suggested we pen them up at night since that was when they were doing it most of the time. It works for us and it might solve your space problem. You can place the large cage in any room. It taught out one cat that the litterbux is where we want his pee. I hope this helps.

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I.T.

answers from Augusta on

i have a cat that goes out (luckily), but i noticed that she was going a lot, or at least attempting to. we started feeding her purina one special care urinary tract cat food and that has solved our problem. it is more expensive that the cheap stuff, but she seems to feel better and has stopped doing that.

Good luck. it sounds like a real challenge for you.

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M.C.

answers from Charleston on

I'm going throught the exact same thing. My cat of 8 years, who never once peed anywhere but in the litter box, has taken a liking to my BRAND NEW leather chair (which is now ruined) and my dog's beds, which I'm buying new ones every few weeks or so. The vet ruled out a UTI and said it was stress related. She prescribed prozac, which worked as far as we could tell. Our problem is that we have the meanest cat ever who makes it impossible to give her medicine. We are now contemplating having her out down. We'd give her away, but she is so mean, I'd fear that she'd get left on the side of the road. Not the best answer to your problem, but ask the vet about the prozac--I think that would have worked for us if we had been able to get it into the cat!

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R.M.

answers from Atlanta on

Megan,
I am so sorry to say that our cat Harley went through the same thing. We had her for 13 years the vet also said it was behavorial. At 13 she was not a desirable cat because of what she was doing. I thought the children were bugging her so I gave her our master bath. I put her litter box, food, window was open for her and always kept the litter box clean. I put plastic bags on our bed so she would not go there. Well it got so bad that I would take the bags off and go to the bathroom come back and she had pooped on the bed. This happened more than once. I just could not deal with that and it became a huge hygiene issue for us. They did put her down. I felt just sick over it and still feel terrible about it.
I hope you do not have the same situation but that is what we dealt with. I would say she started having accidents after our son was born 2000 and then we finally put her down in 2002. So we did struggle through for a while. The spraying was hard but the pooping was my breaking point.
Good Luck with this and I do hope another solution is possible.
R.

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L.A.

answers from Atlanta on

First things first, make your vet check your cat out. Just because it doesn't "sound" like a UTI doesn't mean it isn't. Second, did you change brands of litter recently? If so, go back to your old brand. Third, is your cat declawed? If so have the vet check for regrowth of the nails or bonespurs.

Once you have eliminated all of these potential causes, it might be time to discuss medications with your vet. I volunteer at an animal shelter and we have used Clomicalm with good success for cats with improper elimination issues. The issue may be stress related (new home, and now a toddler in the house to chase him) and he might need meds to take the edge off until he adjusts to his new reality.

Good Luck!

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M.H.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi Megan,

I am going through this right now with someone ELSE'S cat. Unless you get it out immediately, it won't come out completely. There are enzymes that help but because it's acidic, it gets deep into the fabric, carpet, wood and even concrete slab. DON'T use any type of ammonia based product as it makes it worse. Confining him to one room only means that only one room will smell :)

Does the apartment know you have a cat? A cat that has urinated or sprayed can actually ruin your rental history even if you pay your rent on time every month.

My problem is, even though I'm not near the house, I can't get the smell out of my nose!!! I feel your pain!

Regards,

M.

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C.D.

answers from Greensboro on

We had a similar problem with our cats. Petsmart has a plug-in (like glade) that releases hormones that are supposed to relax the cat. It is a little pricey, but it seemed to work for us. If the cat has not been spayed/neutered that will help too. When cleaning up his messes, white vinegar will help remove the smell.

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K.W.

answers from Atlanta on

To get the cat urine smell out of your blankets and things, try Odo-ban.... I found it at Home Depot for about $10.00 a gallon (in the Cleaning Supplies Section) It really works... I have a cat that is 16 years old and he has acidents sometimes. I thought my blankets were ruined. But Odo-ban got the smell out. I washed them and added a cup or more to the rinse cycle. Problem solved. Try it : )

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C.S.

answers from Atlanta on

I have an 11-year old cat; she has issues as well. It is all JEALOUSY... seriously! For us it first started when my husband's sister moved in with us for a few months. The cat could not stand being "second best" when it came to our attention; also, my husband's sister moved into the guest room where I could usually find the cat sleeping during the day.

Now, three years after the girl moved, I have to keep that room closed, I have to cover my bed with a tarp during the day AND make sure the cushions in our couch are lifted during the day. I make sure the cat gets attention or she will do it again.

Cats, unlike dogs, should not be punished for bad behavior; it is their way to tell you they feel neglected.

I do recommend "Nature's Miracle" to remove odors.

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S.B.

answers from Atlanta on

I'm sure this is so frustrating -- and hard to deal with a cat that you care about.
We get calls abouat this all the time! Our carpet cleaning mad scientists came up with the best in Pet Urine removal with P.U.R.T. It literally explodes the urine molecules so that they can't keep on smelling bad. It is harder to get it into contact with all the stuffing of a mattress or couch, but it definitely works.
Let us know if we can help. Then, once the urine is gone, if you take a washcloth and wipe it gently over your pet, and lightly pass it over furniture and carpet, it should put their scent onto those surfaces. Voila, no urine smell and no funny clean smell, just smells like home. Learned this from the cat rescue folks!
S. All-Star Chem-Dry ###-###-####

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D.T.

answers from Atlanta on

Have you tried different kinds of litter? Some cats are picky about the type of litter they use. Our cats used pine litter fine until we got another cat and then the we had to go back to the regular clumping kind.

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S.G.

answers from Savannah on

Make the vet test the cat for a UTI. Cats are like kids, they can't tell you what is going on so there for we have to grab at straws to figure it out! Have blood test done as well. Given his age, he could be diabetic. Also, there is another blood test for the bladder that should be done. I can't remember the name of it but I have a cat that will randomly go through phases of peeeing on things in the house. The vet said she could have picked up a kidney infection long before I found her and this is an after effect of it not being treated properly. There is no cure for it except for behaviour meds which we haven't gone that route yet.

If you vet doesn't want to help you out with this, then find another vet that will.

Good luck!
S.
www.shariegraf.scent-team.com

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K.F.

answers from Savannah on

T\You didn't say if your cat was neutered. If he's not, get it done. Your cat probably smells previous animals or cats in your new place, and he feels the need to spray. It's territorial for cats to do this and very normal. However, cats that are spayed or neutered generally will not pee like this to mark their territory.

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J.M.

answers from Atlanta on

Try only feeding your cat Medi-cal Preventative kibbles for cats that is only sold only by vets. There is a urinary weakness that can aggravate so as to make the cat constantly urinate to relieve the pressure. Has there ever been a trace of blood w/the urine.

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L.C.

answers from Albany on

For the time being, you may want to buy extra litter boxes and place them around the house. I know it's unsightly, but it's only temporary and it's better than cat urine on everything. If he starts using the litter box again, then you can slowly remove the extra ones, one at a time. I wish you luck. These animals can really drive us crazy! I'm still waiting to see how they are supposed to lower our blood pressure and all that! :P My oldest dog is going in for surgery to have a tumor "debulked" for the 6th time on Monday!

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