Expert: Dear Tabbi - 12/29/2008

Question
My kitty, Nemo, is a very rambunctious orange haired tabby.  The other day
there was a traumatic experience.  When I had guests over, he escaped from
the house.  About 10 minutes later I realized that he was gone and started to
panic.  I found him outside in out neighbors yard and picked him up quickly.  
I was really emotional and I'm sure that he could tell that I was upset.

Later that night he sat on top of my clean laundry and waited until I was
looking at him... then began to urinate.  We yelled "NO" and kicked him out of
the laundry bin.  About an hour later he crawled on top of me in bed and peed
again.  I yelled again... and kicked him out of the room at that point.  When I
let him back in the morning, he did it again... At that point I made him go to
the back yard for about 20 minutes.  Then... when he came back in... he peed
on the carpet in my room... while I was watching him.  What was going on in
his head?  His litter box was clean and he had plenty of food and water.

After he spent more time alone... outside of the house, I let him back in.  This
time I shook a bag of treats and let him upstairs to my room.  I let him on to
the bed (where he peed) and he started to purr and was very happy.  Then I
gave him some treats (the idea was positive reinforcement for not peeing
while on the bed).  

After that, he seemed really, really happy.  He purred much more than normal
and spent the whole night in my arms (just like he did when I first got him).  I
also caught him trying to bury the carpet where he urinated.  When I looked
at him, it seemed like he was embarrassed.

I don't know if what I did was good or bad, but it seemed to work.  He went
from very angry... to super happy.  What was going on in his mind?? What
should I have done?  I have found nothing online that sounds like this.

Thanks!

-Shira

Answer
Shira,

When a cat pees in front of you, that usually signifies a medical problem and not a behavioral one. It is possible that he has a urinary tract infection, urinary crystals, or a kidney infection. All are painful when a cat uses the litterbox and the cat will associate that pain with the litterbox and go elsewhere.

Scolding or punishing in that case just confuses and upsets the cat because they can't help their behavior if it is a medical problem causing it, and they are not really being a 'bad kitty'.

Urinary tract infections are common and can be treated with antibiotics. Urinary crystals are a more dangerous condition. They can cause a complete blockage if not caught in time, and if that happens it is usually fatal to a male cat.

I would have the cat checked to rule out a medical issue before dealing with his peeing as a behavioral problem.

Tabbi