Okay, we have had these cats now for about 6 months. They have been good from day one about using the litterbox. They were 2 when we got them. Now this past week they have decided that they like peeing on my dd's things now including her bed!!!!!!! The litterbox is scooped everyday and changed every 2 days. ALot of the time i think they were going outside since they stay out most of the time anyways. The smell does not come out, no matter how much i wash it, so we have had to throw alot of stuff out, even a set of sheets. I told my dd to keep her room cleaner maybe that is the problem and close the door during the day but somehow they keep finding the way in there and peeing on everything. Any suggestions on how to fix this? I am on the verge of getting rid of them!

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 09:00 am:

Are they using the litter box at all? Perhaps they don't like the litter you're using. Try scoopable. Much better at odor control and doesn't need to be changed nearly as often. Another possibility is they don't like where the litter box is located. It has to be easily accessible at all times. Cats are known to return to the same spots they previously soiled. Once you thoroughly get rid of the odor they shouldn't go back to your DD's room. Don't try bleach or ammonia. For some reason that seems to make the problem worse. (Learned that the hard way a long time ago! LOL!) "Nature's Miracle" is a great product that removes stains and odors caused by pet and human vomit, urine and feces. Expensive, but it works!

Oh, almost forgot to add... Medical problems could be an issue as well, although BOTH of them having a UTI at the same time would be odd.

Gool luck! Let us know how things turn out.

By Emily7 on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 10:44 am:

You aren't the one changing the litter right.

I agree with Trina they could have UTI's or not like the litter you are using.

If another cat has ever gone in yoour dd's room then they could be trying to mark there territory. With our male cat once we had him foxed that helped the problem. You could also put the litter in your dd's room. How does she act towards the cats? My dad hated my cat & was not always nice to him, that cat searched out my dad's stuff to urinate on.

By Momoffour on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 02:50 pm:

They could be spraying and it is impossible to get them to stop. both male and female spray. I thought it was only males but according to the vet females also spray. We had a female that sprayed on everything and we ended up giving her to a friend. I don't know how to get them to stop the vet said once they started they wouldn't quit.

By Ladypeacek on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 03:37 pm:

Well they are both male and the litter box was in the room when they started the whole thing! Before that they never went in there at all, but i wondered if another cat was in this house before us and maybe peed in there and they picked up a scent. It didn't ever smeel but they have better noses i guess! We have started to shut them out of her room and moved the litterbox (they were using it as well) but i hope they don't start doing it in other rooms too!

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 04:06 pm:

Good point, Momoffour. Have they been neutered? How old are they? If not neutered they will begin to spray (mark territory) as soon as they reach puberty. Neutering usually stops this behavior, but not always.

By Sue3 on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 09:32 pm:

we used to have cats in our house that did the same as your cats.Come to find out that my dk`s would play with our barn cats and our house cats would smell the barn cats on
my dk`s clothes and other items (backpacks) and would urinate on them.
Come to find out that cats are very territorial!
The vet said there was not much we could do unless we got rid of our barn cats,so the house cats became barn cats also.
Does your daughter have contact with any other cats besides your own?
Good luck!

By Annie2 on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 10:46 pm:

Ugh! We just went through a similar thing with our cat and older dog. What a pain in the neck. Our dog has a disease which makes her drink alot, then pee alot. (She is now on meds) and during GREAT...anyway...she also had a UTI. Then we thought the cat had one around the same time. We couldn't tell who was having the accidents. Some spots were large, some small. Anyway, it did turn out to be the dog.
Our vet said it is very hard to get the scent of urine out of the carpet. It may smell okay for humans, but animals can smell it still in the padding. The ONLY way to get rid of it, in carpeting is to rip up the carpet, pad and scrub the floor then replace with new.
Not really sure what to tell you. Sending huge hugs your way. Cats can be so slinky. Maybe try putting a bell on them so you can hear where they go, if you are home, maybe you can catch them in the act.
Maybe close off certain areas of the house unless a person is in the room. Huge pain.
Sorry for the long, winded, useless post!

By Momo on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 11:49 pm:

My friend went through the same thing when she brought cat #3 home and cat #2 decided he didn't like that. Unfortunately she ended up returning him, and still had an EXTREMELY hard time breaking cat #2 of his new habit. She kept using a live enzyme spray to get rid of the smell and it eventually worked to make him stop. I'll find out the name in case you want to try it.

There's also a spray called 'Kitty NO' that deters cats from going there in the first place. Maybe you could use it around your dd's door, on her bed, etc?

By Momo on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 12:57 pm:

I got the name of that stuff to get rid of smells - It's called 'Anti-Icky Poo' by Mister Max (funny name, huh?). She said it's available through vets..

Good luck with the kitties.

-Rina

By Mommyathome on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 11:11 am:

They could be "spraying". Especially since they are both males. They are marking their territory. We had an absolutely beautiful white/peach cat that started spraying about 3 years after we got him. He was the best cat I've ever owned. We had to toss him outside because he wouldn't stop. That was only after $300 plus in vet bills. The vet tried "cleansing" his insides and some different meds. Nothing worked. He wouldn't stop. He had to go.

By Melana on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 06:23 pm:

Ok, my take on this is maybe your DD did something to tick the cat/s off? They are VERY vindictive animals. When we moved into my SIL house a year ago, my cat was so upset he peed on my DH's side of the blanket, right at the top of the bed! It only happened once and we washed it right away. Another incident I remember was when I was eight and we got a new dog, the cat we had started peeing by his food and water! We never were able to break it, and the kitchen floor had to be scrubbed every day, that cat hated the dog, lol. Anyway, what I was getting at is if she made one mad and he peed in her room once to "get back" at her, which I think is what this is, as he's peeing where your DD sleeps, you'll never get him to quit, you'll just have to lock him out of the room.