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Please help, my cat uses my house as a giant bathroom!?
Please help me solve this problem and get my 4 y.o. cat back in the house.
I've had enough and am out of ideas. As a result I throw my cat out of the house. She'll stay out until I find a solution to the problem, which is using my house as a giant bathroom.
I think she does it on purpose but I don't know why.
I bought her new bathroom so she can have her own (it's two cats in the house)
We treat her well, feed her, pet her etc.
I have taken her to the bathroom when I see that she needs to go
We have taken her outside when she messes up the house
We do not beat her
We allow all our pets to go out in the yard (we have a total of two cats and a dog).
Both cats are ok with each other. They were born only 6 months apart. No fights and unsolved issues. Each cat has her own food bowl if that matters and the one that is the problem came home second.
The dog also doesn't bother the cats. He is a small bread and is the baby
All the pets are spayed and neutered.
Where is she messing up?
- on the kitchen counter and tables, in the sink
- on the sofa, chairs, bed (we got rid of all the sofas and changed the mattress). I kind of understand this one and didn't really make a big deal of it because it happened when we had someone take care of the pets while we were away for a while (in 2011)
- on shoes
- school and other bags and suit cases
- recently she even peed on the piano. Big problem!
- paper
- clothes and clean laundry
The other cat and the dog do not mess up! We live in the same house for the last 3 years. No job or routine changes. No new family members or losses.
I just don't know what to do and think anymore. We love our cat and want her back in the house but she is costing us a lot in damages :(
Any suggestions?
Just want to add that the cat has access to the yard and stays there as much as she wants.
We have noticed that sometimes she comes in the house just to use the bathroom (to make her mess) and then runs back out. She does go to the bathroom in the yard as well, so coming in just to mess up and then go back out is clearly done on purpose.
Other times I find out that there is a mess by seeing her run and hide which to me indicates that she realizes what is happening.
I do clean the litter boxes and change the sand.
She got lucky tonight. It rains a lot outside so I took her back in but locked her in the laundry room along with her food, water and litter box.
The dog shouldn't have to be a problem. Only once I've seen him dig in the sand box and let him know that it's not for him. He is used to the box because the cats were teaching him to use it when he was a puppy. He doesn't use the box though!
May be 2011 is the key but how to fix it?
We don't have carpet
2 Answers
- 8 years agoFavorite Answer
trust me, your doing nothing wrong. I have cats and one had the same exact problem. we found out the problem though. he didn't like the other cats. he was trying to get attention by making chocolate squirties everywhere. as much as we loved him, we gave him away. we had too. I know u may not want to, but it was the only solution for us. and same here, no new family members, no loses, just wanting attention. some cats just like being on their own. we have found our cat a new home, by himself, and has had no incidents for the past 3 years
- angeloneusLv 78 years ago
Any change in the past that was upsetting to the cat (the pet sitter in 2011, for instance) that caused her to pee elsewhere is now reinforced by smells of urine in all the places she has gone. Also, even though you don't see any fighting, any time two unrelated cats live together in a home and there are dogs, there is stress. One cat is always the underdog(cat) and feels insecure. That is the cat that is going to pee on things.
First, clean up a bathroom (the people sized room with the toilet and sink in it) with nonammonia based cleaner (rip out any carpet) and put a new litter box with unscented litter in it, the cat food and water, and the cat. Never take the cat out of this room till she is reliably using the box. NEVER.This box must be scooped at least once daily (twice is better) and completely scrubbed out once a week and filled with fresh litter. Then you can only take her out for short periods while you are keeping both eyes on her. She cannot be trusted out of the room without being constantly watched. Put away all your shoes, clothes, paper, school bags, suitcases etc: they should be in closets with closed doors anyway. If you keep the place picked up, there will be less temptation to use it as a catbox. Third, use a blacklight to find EVERY place she has peed and inject a solution of Urinebgone under the carpet into the pad and scrub the areas clean with non-ammonia based cleaners. You can use baking soda too, but it will stain some carpets and floors and has to be left down for a number of days, a decently thick layer, to work.
I would also take this cat to the vet for a urinalysis (she may have to stay overnight) to make sure she doesn't have crystals in her urine bothering her bladder, or a bladder infection. Bloodwork can be done to make sure her liver and kidneys okay and then the vet can prescribe medication like amitryptyline to calm her stress and soothe her bladder.
If you are going to try to keep two cats in a house, you must have a minimum of THREE cat boxes, not all in the same room, and they must be kept scooped at least once daily and scrubbed out and refilled once weekly. Plus the dogs must not be able to keep the cats away from the litter boxes nor harass the cats when they are trying to go.
She does do this on purpose. She is trying to tell you that she has a physical or mental problem and she needs help.
Source(s): DVM