Expert: Ali - 11/29/2008

Question
i have 2 cats and 2 dogs.  my dogs are great Danes and love cats.  my last cat lived to be 19 years old.  Max is 6.  he is a rescue cat and was the only cat till several months ago. when ever Max gets upset - something in the house changes he poops on my husbands office chair.  we have solved this by installing a door he can't get through.
Jagger- our new kitten 5 months old is a different problem.  He is the most loveable cat we have ever owned.  My grand daughter -age 6-and the cat are best friends.  The kitten lets the great Dane lick him till he is all wet even his tummy. he could stay in rooms the dogs can not go into but most of the time he stays with the dogs. He lays on my husbands chest while he watches movies and paws his face and they fall asleep watching the movies together.  Yet i cant leave any bedroom door open because he will pee on the bed!  We have a two story house and i have litter boxes on each floor which i clean out every day.  the last two nights he has waited till my husband has gone to bed and jumped up on him and peed on him.
i have a anti bacterial setting on my washer that should not leave any residue plus i have used special cleaning agents.  I have gotten the pheromones to help with anxiety.  now i am keeping the cat in a room at night with food water and litter box so i wont have to change sheet in the middle of night. both cats are neutered.  i am almost ready to just have dogs.  cant keep up with the cleaning.  why is it about my husband?  i am lucky he has been so understanding and loves them.  please help.

Answer
Patricia,

Inappropriate elimination is an extremely common issue and I have written countless answers on this subject. I think that you may find much of the advice that you are looking for in my previous answers on inappropriate elimination. The Coles Notes version goes something like this....I would recommend considering where the litter boxes are, what styles they are and what the filler of choice is. Some cats prefer certain litter boxes over others, some are sensitive to chemical perfumes added to litter and if the boxes are near food bowls this may be the reason for the issue. If you use air fresheners stop, it may be the reason for the issue. Also, antibacterial cleaners aren't going to remove the odor for a sensitive kitty nose. Enzymatic cleaners are gentler and work to remove the stains and odors permanently from surfaces, bedding, furniture, etc. I use an enzymatic cleaner called Petzyme which I purchase in the dog section (cheaper than the cat section) by the gallon when necessary at Petsmart. There are other tools that you can use to end the litter box woes, so please feel free to check out my previous answers on this subject. If you have any questions after that then I would recommend that you contact me again and I can clarify anything that you need me to.