Expert: Kate Tilmouth - 1/20/2009

Question
We have a neutered female cat.  8 months old.  She pees in our hallway (the floor is laminate, so pretty easy to clean up).  We spray with Nature's Miracle after we clean up the urine with a vinegar water solution.  She was urinating in our dining room on the hardwood floor (we shut the door now).  We have tried placing small dishes of food at 6 different areas in the hall, strips of aluminum foil at the areas where she pees (she will pee at the very end where the foil stops).  Right now I have placed citrus car deodorizers along the wall hoping that will discourage her.  I also have lemon pledge and will use it on the baseboard to see if that will stop her craziness. We have taken her to the vet-no problems.  Sometimes she will pee in her litter boxes.  We have two for one cat and we keep them very clean.  She is our only cat although there are some strays running around in the neighborhood.  If we confine her in our small 1/2 bath with her litter box, food, water, bed, and toys she will not pee on the floor.  As soon as she is out she pees on the floor.  Sometimes she goes for 2-3 days not going on the floor and then sometimes she pees on the floor every day.  My husband loves this cat and we don't want to get rid of her. We never had this problem until she went into heat before we had her neutered.  That is when she started acting goofy and peeing in the dining room and hallway.  We didn't know how old she was because she was a tiny stray when found, abandoned by her mother.  Must be her mama knew she was going to be a monkey!!   We will appreciate any help you can give us.  Thank you.

Answer
Hi
firstly let me congratluate you for doing all the right things, I don't think i have ever come across someone who has tried so many ways to stop this issue.

Well you have done every thing right and so i can only think that she must be still feeling insecure in her home in some way. whether is due to the stay cats in the area ie she can see or smell them somehow.

The only thing i recommend is to repeat the confinement period for a longer period of time keep her in the room for at least three days. Just before she comes out rub a clean towels all over her body and then go around the home and rub the towel along the bottom of door frames, windows, skirting boards, table etc to transefer her scent. Also make sure that she has plenty in the home to distract her i.e climbing trees, toys dangling, cat balls, crinkly sacks for her to play in etc (see toys here http://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-toys.html)

You may have to repeat the confinement time several times before she fully understands that her litter tray is the place to go.

Also make sure her litter trays are not near her food and are in safe places hwere she will not feel threatened i.e near a noisy washing machine or near a back door where other cat scents may be.

I wish you all the best and I hope the little monkey finally gets it.

best wishes Kate
http://www.our-happy-cat.com