Expert: Shanti Zinzi - 10/24/2011

Question
Hi There,

I have a question if you don't mind please!

Arthur, my kitty, has been with me almost 2 months now. He is a rescue and approx. 1.5 years old. He is good and well behaved for the most part but has gotten in the habit lately of urinating on the wall! I can't understand, I take care in assuring his littler box is clean and ready to use. He has been going back to the same spot from time to time.
Do I need to empty the litter box completely to clean it? Is he marking his territory? How can I get him t stop?

Thank you!

Emily

Answer
Hi Emily,
Thank you for adopting from a rescue!

Although i am not there to see, there is a difference between urinating and marking. Here is a link for urinating...
Here are links to help: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/solving_litter_box_problems.html
         http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/42/Litter-Box-Problems-.aspx
It must be identified is kitty is marking (which it sounds like your kitty is) OR urinating... (urinating could be a medical problem and would need to be determined) or could be substrate aversion or several things..

Yes, boxes should be immaculate which means no waste in there. I like scooping litter so i can take out the urine and stool. Scoop twice daily. If multiple cats, you need multiple easily accessible litter boxes.
You should clean box with soap and water weekly as well.

Is he neutered? that would be paramount...and often helps with marking most of the time.
For MARKING- which it sounds like your cat might be doing-it is generally due to a feeling of "insecurity" in the environment and his needing to state his territory to another cat.
Was there another cat there before? Then the smell of the other cat is still there.
Is there another animal that has recently showed up in the home?
or is there a cat he sees right outside the door? another cat on the property that may be showing its presence making him feel somewhat insecure?
Are there other cats in the home?
You would need to identify what or whom is making kitty feel the need to mark?
If there is a cat door any chance another kitty could be coming in to the home?
Clean and break down urine enzymes with an URINE enzyme cleaner to eliminate smells from the wall. The smell must be 100% eliminated so he is not reminded to mark there again.
Once the issue is IDENTIFIED then we would know how to solve the problem. There are too many variables and not enough information to know exactly how to help you but hopefully you will get the picture on how to begin solving.

If there is another kitty outside that he sees that makes him uncomfortable...???

If he is indoor only-- make kitties environment kitty friendly-lots of climbing space, lots of cat trees, make sure he has lots of calmness but stimulation, access to fresh air, sunshine and windows. Views of birds, regularly scheduled play time.
Don't let him overly fixate on the the other cat. Install a bird feeder in front on the window so he has something to enjoy.
How much interactive play time does he have with you?? Schedule it every day!!
A bored cat's  energy can easily be transferred to stress and overly conscious of territory..

If there is a cat outside, we cannot control the cats outside nor should we try. If it came down to it, you can always get a scarecrow sprinkler that is motion activated and would spray the kitty outside to stay away from the property. But that is last resort.
For more suggestions or to help you figure out exactly what is happening we could make an appt and i would need you to fill out intake forms.
There would be a fee for this. Forms can be downloaded from my site www.thenatureofthebeast.org
Best of luck!