Expert: Tina - 9/13/2008

Question
I have a 2-yr old male cat who has been neutered. We have had him since he was a kitten. My wife and I had a baby boy approximately 2 yrs ago, shortly after we received our kitty. Up until a week ago, the cat has been great. Our boy tries to tease and hit the cat, but we discipline him if he tries. The cat used to be the center of attention and I suspected he might not like the new addition, but he has been good about it until this recent spill of pooping & urinating. He has pooped in two different areas over a few days and today he urinated on the couch. He is an inside cat and on occasion we allow him on the porch when we are outside. Any suggestions? Thanks. Scott

Answer
HI Scott,

Sorry to hear that there are issues coming up. First I recommend you bring your cat to the vet and have a check up and discuss the issue with your vet, in case there is a medical reason for your cats' behavior, such as a urinary tract problem or parasites.

If those are ruled out, there are a few things you can try that should help:

1. Make sure your cat has a safe place he can get to where your child can't follow him. For example, set up the laundry room with a cat tree, litter box etc and put a cat door in the door, then keep the people-door locked.

2. Use Feliway spray and/or plug-ins around the house. These help reduce inappropriate elimination and also reduce stress.

3. Treat the soiled areas with Nature's Miracle, a pet odor eliminator - soak the area thoroughly with it. Cats will tend to return to areas when they can still smell some urine.

4. Try to set aside some time each day to dedicate to your cat, even if it's a 15 minute play session in the morning and a 15 minute brushing session in the evening. Just some time to make him feel like he's still appreciated.

Good luck!