Expert: Dear Tabbi - 5/1/2008

Question
HI:  We have a 2 year old spayed female Siamese.  She is a very affectionate and well mannered cat in all respects but one.  She does use the litter box, which she shares with an older, neutered male tabby.  The problem is that on occasion, sometimes more frequently than others, she pees in other areas and on objects (my slippers, any laundry left on the floor, a cat toy, just outside our bedroom door, and 6 inches away from the litter box).  My wife is convinced that the cat has suffered some sort of rejection, trauma, or perhaps bullying by the other cat. and is acting out by peeing on things.  I don't pretend to speculate on why she does this, but is does seem that at times she is trying to send a message.  Can you help with any suggestions that might alleviate this problem?

Answer
Dennis,

The most common cause for that behavior is a urinary tract infection. Other possiblities could be urinary crystals or a kidney infection. All are painful when they urinate and they associate that pain with the litterbox and go elsewhere. You may want to have the cat checked by the vet.

One of the most common feline responses to stress is inappropriate elimination. The bladder is the cat’s stress target. If it's not a medical issue then sometimes you need to be a detective to figure out the reason.

Try using a puppy pee pad. Try leaving it near the litterbox and see what happens. If she goes on them then you know she has an aversion to the litterbox, or she prefers a flat surface to pee on. Some cats have weird quirks.

she may have gotten scared, traumatized, or jumped by another animal when she was peeing in the litterbox which made her afraid it would happen again. If it didn't happen when she was defecating then she wouldn't associate using the litterbox with what happened (if anything).

You can try some children's play sand in the litterbox. You can get it at Home Depot or other building supply store. That sometimes will help. That will tell you if it is a litter aversion issue. I used the sand for one of my cats. He would play in it first (and make a mess!) but then he would pee in it. I gradually added regular litter to it and he was OK with it after that.

Some cats are modest and like privacy, but not a closed in litterbox (they like to see what is around them). She may not like where the litterbox is located. Try moving it or adding a second litterbox away from the first one.

I am including a link to read to a good article on improper elimination that you may find helpful:
http://cats.about.com/cs/behavioralissues/a/outsidebox_two.htm


And here is some helpful (I hope!) information on cleaning cat urine:

HOMEMADE CAT URINE REMOVER

1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon of liquid soap

Gently mix all ingredients in a non-metal container. Do not mix or shake vigorously! The mixture is best used when fresh but can be stored. DO NOT keep mixture in an airtight container as baking soda and hydrogen peroxide when mixed together release a lot of oxygen and can cause an explosion.

The recipe is effective because the reaction from mixing hydrogen peroxide and baking soda produces large amount of oxygen. The oxygen molecules bond to the thiols, breaking them up into carbon dioxide and ammonia which evaporates quickly thereby effectively neutralizing the thoils and their foul-smelling odor.
Always check for color fastness as hydrogen peroxide can be a bleaching agent. If you don't know where an odor is coming from you might need to use a small battery operated blacklight called a 'Stink Finder' (PetSmart, Petco, etc.) at night to find the soiled areas.


HOW TO REMOVE CAT URINE ODOR FROM CARPETS

FOR INDIVIDUAL URINE SPOTS ON CARPET:
If fresh, sop up as much cat urine as you can with a paper towel first. Use a spray bottle to saturate the spot completely with the recipe - do not blot. The recipe must penerate the padding and possibly the floor boards underneath, where the urine has penerated for it to work. Wait 24-48 hours until dry then vacuum. If the urine odor is still present - repeat the procedure. It usually takes 2-3 applications to completely neutralize the cat urine odor.

FOR LARGE AREAS OF CARPET:

You can use a carpet cleaning machine  using the recipe instead of the shampoo. You will need to make several gallons of the recipe depending on the size of the carpet. Don't use the vacuum part of the machine - you will want to let the solution soak and dry for 24-48 hours before vacuuming. Most carpet cleaning machines are not made for this use and baking soda can clog the nozzles of the machine.

A 1 gallon garden bug sprayer (Home Dept., etc.)  works great too.  Rinse the nozzle out frequently by filling the tank with hot water and spraying it in the  bathtub. If using the sprayer, saturate the entire carpet with the recipe, let dry for about 24-48 hours, and vacuum. You will have to probably repeat the procedure again. Areas heavily saturated with old urine may take 3 applications over a week.

If the cat urine is old and dried, the smell will probably be worse a day or two later. This is because you are rehydrating the uric acid crystals in the urine to neutralize them. The smell will get better with each application!

MATTRESSES:

You must saturate the spot throughly to get deep down into the padding and springs to neutralize the urine. If the cat has urinated alot in one spot, the mattress can be soiled all the way to the other side! Let the area dry for 24-48 hours without bedding then reapply if necessary.

SOFAS:

The same directions as above  but always check for color-fastness in a hidden area before using. Cotton is used in alot of upholstery fabrics and is easily bleached. If your sofa pillow cushion covers can be unzipped and taken off (must be color-fast and washable) you can put them in the washing machine using the instructions for clothing and bedding.

CLOTHING, COMFORTERS, AND BEDDING:

Put the items in the washing machine and pour in enough of the recipe to cover throughly. This might take a few gallons depending on the size of the load. Soak for at least 24 hours. Rinse and rewash using normal washing detergent. If any of the odor is still present, soak again for 24 hours, rinse and rewash.

A small area on a comforter can be spot treated by saturating the area throughly, letting it dry for 24 hours, then washing the comforter normally in the washer with detergent. Always check for color-fastness before using.

AREA RUGS:

They can be spot treated with a sprayer or put in the washer. Test for color-fastness before treatment.

HARDWOOD FLOORS:

When cat urine seeps into wood flooring it causes the fibrous cells in wood to swell and warp ruining the flooring planks. The only way to fix this is by replacing the wood. You can treat the wood with the cat urine remover recipe but wood is preamable and it could make the wood swell further, causing further damage.

HARD SURFACES:

Spray or mop the area soiled with the cat urine. Saturate it completely and let the area dry for 2-3 days.

I hope this information has helped.

Tabbi