Expert: Jessica - 4/19/2010

Question
I have a male cat that is 10 months old named Miles.  I have had him since he was 3/4 weeks old, and got him off the street originally.  Since then, Miles has had all of his shots and was neutered about 2 months ago.  I work a late shift, and I generally sleep from 4am-1pm.  Miles, for the last few months, has a habit of waking me up at 6:30am, and then again around 11am.  Needless to say, I have not had a full night sleep in weeks, probably longer.  If I close my bedroom door, Miles will bang on the door and meow loudly (and will not stop).  If I have the bedroom door open, Miles will wake me up by climbing onto the shelves, dressar, end tables, knocking things over and meowing loudly (he has broken quite a few things).  I have a dog named Raven who if I leave outside my bedroom with him, he will usually be quiet for one of the times he wakes me up (if i kick Raven out with him in the beginning of the night, he will generally wake me up around 11 and not at 6:30a, and if i kick her out at 6:30am he will generally not wake me up at 11).  I feel bad for kicking the dog out of my room because she sleeps in the bed with me, and has not done anything wrong.  He will also jump on countertops and places he is not supposed to be within eye sight.  I have tried squirting him with a water bottle, but he does not seem to be phased by it much.    
Miles will also urinate on the carpet when I am not home, mostly by the outside door from what I have noticed.  This is a huge problem because I rent an apartment, and the landlords do not want the cat here, but are being nice and letting me keep him.  If you have any suggestions on how to take the urine smell out of the carpet, this I would also like to know.
I believe that these issues are due to separation anxiety, as they are happening when I am not home, or due to him wanting my attention.  I would like your help on ways to get him to stop waking me up in the middle of my sleep, as well as stopping him from urinating on the carpet.  I can deal with not sleeping more than him urinating on the carpet since it is more than an inconvenience to me.  I appreciate any help that you can give in this matter as I have been very stressed about this situation (I am sure not sleeping does not help).  If I cannot get him to, at the very least stop urinating, I will have to get rid of him, which I do not want to do.  Thank you for your help and time.

Answer
Hi Stephanie.  These can be difficult issues to deal with.  A lot of the destructive behavior sounds like it's done out of boredom.  I always recommend that cats be kept in homes with other cats to prevent problems such as boredom and separation anxiety, since a kitty companion can often fill the place of the missing human for a while.  He seems to respond well to the presence of your dog, and I think that supports the theory that he's acting out of boredom or loneliness.  But since your landlord is opposed to one cat, I'm not certain how well TWO cats would go over.  

To be honest, I don't know if there's any way to solve the problem of a lonely cat without providing him with another source of companionship.  You could try some toys that entertain on their own, such as the Fling Ama String, the FroliCat BOLT and Video Catnip.  I would also try giving him some extra play time right before you go to bed, followed by a full meal.  If he follows natural cat routine, he'll groom himself and then sleep for several hours.  Also, be sure to keep any breakables locked away.  Cat-proofing a home is much like child-proofing, only 10 times more difficult because cats can reach anywhere, up to the top of the fridge if they choose!  Cats do tend to settle down with age and become a little more accustomed to our sleeping habits, so I don't think all hope is lost that you will see a full night's sleep sometime soon.

The urination can certainly be caused by anxiety.  When they are spraying around a door, there are often territorial issues.  The best way to clean urine stains is to use an enzymatic cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle, sold at pet stores.  The enzymes in this and other enzymatic cleaners break down fat molecules that are in cat urine, which make it cling to fabrics.  Unless an enzymatic cleaner is used, the fat molecules will remain in tact, and the odor will linger behind.

To prevent him from urine marking again, you can try a product called Feliway.  The plug-in diffuser, called Comfort Zone, is best in these situations.  Feliway is a synthetic pheromone, a hormone that helps to relax cats and reduce anxiety-related behavioral problems.  Feliway also comes in a spray bottle that can be used directly on accident areas.  You can use this IN ADDITION to the diffuser if you choose.  If so, you would not use an enzymatic cleaner to clean up accidents, since they contain fragrances that would interfere with how Feliway works.  Instead, you would clean accidents with rubbing alcohol, rinse with water, and apply Feliway once dry.  Learn more at www.feliway.com.

Many, perhaps most, cats with urine marking issues eventually need to be placed on Prozac or another antidepressant.  This addresses the underlying anxiety that’s causing the behavior.  Prozac is certainly the most effective, but there are some other choices.  Most cats only need treatment for a few months while the behavior is corrected, but a few cats need treatment permanently.

Best of luck!  I hope something works out for you.

Jessica