Expert: Dear Tabbi - 6/29/2008

Question
Dear Tabbi,
First of all I want to warn you that this is a very involved situation with many possible causes to my problem. So, in order to help you out the most and to come to the most probably conclusion, I feel that I should make you aware of the entire story. Including a small outlook into my boyfriend John and my dysfunctional relationship that might just have a small part to play in it. But I don't know. I just want to give you every detial possible. So, just bear with me!! :)
My boyfriend John and I moved in together almost a year ago into a pretty spacious apartment. After living together for a few weeks I had told him I wanted to go to the humane society and adopt a couple cats. Well, knowing the animal lover I am, he cheerfuly agreed.
That's where Connie and Linda come into play, our two female kitties. Everything started out fine and normal, just like every other time I had gotten cats as a child and young adult. Well, not everything went fine with John and I, so I eventually moved out and back in with my parents and brought Connie and Linda with, not bearing the thought of life without them. Well my parents have two adult cats already. So about after a month, the cats and I moved back in with our beloved John.
Well, at about this time the cats were about 6 months old. Shortly there after, Connie started going into heat.  Which for the most part was bearable and some what humorous. Until, she starting peeing everywhere. On rugs, on our clothes, on her toys, on the sofa. Somewhere around this time I moved out of our apartment and back in with my parents.....then moved back in with John again a couple months later. One time she curled up on me while I was covered up in my favorite blanket that I use to watch tv. The next thing I know, she starts squatting and begins to pee all over my blanket covered legs. At about this time our other little girl, Linda started going into heat herself and urinating in places. Over the next past couple of months the urinating got worse. John and I couldnt leave any of our clothes or bath towels on the floor because they (Connie mostly with my stuff) would pee all over it. Finally, shortly after their first birthday, both in May of this year, we brought them in to get spayed. During this time, John and I scrubbed the apartment from floor to ceiling in the hopes that we could remove any scent the girls had left behind with their pee. Well, so far so good.....until the past couple of days ago. I am currently not living with John and the girls right now but we are together and trying to work through our issues. I am pretty much always here. I sleep here, eat here, the only time I go home is to get a change of clothes. One of the first days that I was back hanging out in the apartment consecutively throughout the week, I was sitting in the office on the office chair for a little bit. Well, not much longer after I got up from the chair, Connie hopped on up there and did her business. One thing I should probably point out is that Connie, the one that always peed the most, is madly in love with me. She follows me everywhere. Cries if I'm in the bathroom and the door is closed in front of her. She sleeps on me every night purring and rolling around on top of me and burrying her head in my hair just begging for attention. Which I usually give to her. I don't think I gave her enough attention last night because I was pretty tired. Well, when I got up this morning and got out of bed I looked back at the bed and realized that she had made this HUGE pile of urine on our bed, right between John and me. I mean, this was the most I've ever seen her leave. There was an actual puddle formed on top of our comforter. Not all of it had soaked in yet. So.....what's going on??  They stopped peeing all over everything once they got fixed but now all of a sudden Connie's back at it. Why is she doing this?? Please help!

Answer
Carrie,

It may be a medical issue. The number one cause for that behavior in females is a urinary tract infection or urinary crystals. I would have her checked by a vet. Both are painful when they pee and cats associate that pain with the litterbox and go elsewhere. A kidney infection or kidney stones also are causes for improper elimination.

One of the most common feline responses to stress is inappropriate elimination. The bladder is the cat’s stress target. Sometimes you have to be a detective to figure out what is causing the cat's behavior if it is not a medical problem.

If the cat selects a particular person’s clothing or bedding for peeing, it generally means that this person is the source of her anxiety. She may be re-acting to your stress in the relationship, or may be having a stress-related issue to movig back and forth. Have you been giving her the same amount of attention? It may be that the cat is stressed by the other cats in the household. Perhaps she was ambushed on her way to the litterbox or she afraid to pass through the other cat’s territory to get to her litterbox.

It could be she doesn't like the location of the litterbox? Some cats prefer more privacy than having a litterbox out in the open. Maybe she doesn't like the smell of her sister in her box and is refusing to use it. Did you change brands of litter? Sometimes a bigger litterbox with deeper litter will help.

Can she see any stray cats outside the window? There is a behavior problem called Redirected Aggression. That happens when an indoor cat sees another cat out the window that is in her territory and the cat can't get to it. They can get aggressive or pee on things because they are upset and stressed over it, and are marking 'their territory'. Blocking the window that she could see another cat out of will stop it.

There is an herbal product that is used alot for stress reduction, called Rescue Remedy. It is available at many health food stores. You add several drops of the liquid to the cat's drinking water. It doesn’t work for all cats, but for some it takes the edge off of aggression and helps calm the emotions. Here is a link about it:
http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm

Also there is Feliway spray and Feliway plug in defusers. The scent has calming properties and reduces stress in cats by copying the relaxing pheronomes that cats produce from rubbing their faces on things. You can get it at PetSmart/Petco, etc., a vet's office (they use it too), or on-line.

Some stress-related behavior problems can be helped by getting a prescription for 'kitty Prozac' from a vet. It is popular for calming cats and relieving stress related emotional problems.

Here are some links that should be helpful also regarding improper elimination:
(copy and paste, or type the whole link into your address bar)

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/pointe/9352/litterboxhelp.html

http://www.apbc.org.uk/article10.htm

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.


I hope this information is helpful.

Tabbi