How to Stop Your Cat Peeing within the House (Without Moving Across the Country)

August 16, 2024

The publish How to Stop Your Cat Peeing within the House (Without Moving Across the Country) by Dr. Karyn Kanowski BVSc MRCVS (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over total articles infringes on copyright legal guidelines. You will not be conscious of it, however all of those articles have been assigned, contracted and paid for, so they don’t seem to be thought of public area. However, we admire that you just just like the article and would adore it in the event you continued sharing simply the primary paragraph of an article, then linking out to the remainder of the piece on Catster.com.

Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to be taught extra about me and meet my 5 hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.

I grew up in Queensland, Australia, then lived in Alice Springs within the Northern Territory for a few years earlier than transferring to the UK. And earlier than I had the 5 felines I share my dwelling with right now, there was Gilbert and Sullivan; two lovely feminine tabbies.

Gilbert was first on the scene, and Sully joined us two years later. They have been by no means one of the best buddies I had hoped they’d be, however they appeared to get alongside with out battle, completely satisfied to share area on my mattress and totally different perches on the cat tree. After a couple of yr, nevertheless, we started to suspect that every one was not effectively when Sully began peeing everywhere that weren’t a litter field.

Sully’s Problematic Peeing

Shopping luggage, purses, and footwear have been her favorites – significantly embarrassing after they belonged to company. There was the occasional incident on my mattress, however by far the worst was when she piddled on the steam mop – steaming cat urine is an unforgettable expertise. My Dad would argue that probably the most regrettable urination state of affairs was the one within the fruit bowl, which was solely found after he’d sliced a banana on his breakfast cereal. At least it was a fruit from which the pores and skin was utterly eliminated earlier than consuming!

Sully in a basket

If you’ve ever needed to cope with inappropriate feline urination, you is perhaps acquainted with a few of the ideas, methods, and methods we would have employed to deal with our wee downside:

Urinalysis to rule out irritation, an infection, or crystals
Pheromone diffusers and sprays to assist her really feel settled
Adding an additional litter field to the three we already had, in a brand new location with a special kind of litter
Cleaning any dirty floor with an enzymatic cleaner designed particularly for this objective

Some of those strategies helped for a time, however finally, the urination would return. The locations she was piddling recommended that this was territorial conduct, selecting vertical surfaces, my mattress, and gadgets that frequently entered and exited the home. The downside was clear: regardless of appearances, Sully felt threatened by Gilbert, and was using passive-aggressive techniques to attempt to enhance her place within the dwelling.

Gilbert liked to help in the office. Gilbert preferred to assist in the workplace.

Sully’s Persistent Problematic Urination

Unfortunately, realizing this was the issue did nothing to assist me discover a resolution, nevertheless it did show that there may be fairly intense friction between cats that look like getting alongside simply high-quality.

This was an ongoing downside for my household and I proper up till the time after I moved to Alice Springs, bringing Gilbert and Sully with me. I had prepped the brand new home with pheromone diffusers and sprays, and positioned litter containers in a number of totally different areas to offer them loads of choices. When I first allow them to out of their journey crates, they spent the primary 48 hours huddled collectively behind the bathroom, barely transferring an inch. Afterwards, they started to bravely discover their new dwelling, together with their newly erected outside catio.

The outdoor enclosure in Alice Springs. The outside enclosure in Alice Springs.

And guess what? The total time we lived within the crimson middle, there was by no means a single territorial pee. Every urination was contained throughout the field, and I by no means had to purchase one other bottle of urine cleaner.

Lessons from Sully’s Problematic Urination

So what modified?

Well, I’ve a concept.

When Sully got here into the Queensland home, Gilbert had been there for a few years, comfy and settled in her well-established territory, so Sully employed her pheromonal protection system. When we moved to Alice Springs, they entered the home as equals, sharing within the trauma of relocation and new territory.

Sully (left) learning from older and wiser Gilbert. Sully (left) studying from older and wiser Gilbert.

So does that imply that you must transfer home to cease your cat from marking their territory? Hopefully not! It’s not a very economical resolution! But, I had a pal make use of a model of this methodology when she was having the identical downside along with her cats. Like Sully, considered one of her cats had joined the home later than the others and had taken to urinating on numerous gadgets and areas. Having tried the whole lot else, she took my recommendation and despatched her three cats to remain at a cattery for per week. While they have been gone, she did a radical clear of the home, furnishings, bedding, and garments, even utilizing a UV lamp to test for traces of pee.

Lo and behold; when the three felines returned dwelling collectively, the territorial urination stayed away.

It might seem to be an excessive approach to method this downside, however in case you are coping with inappropriate urination in a multi-cat family, and you’ve got explored all doable causes and options, per week away might be simply what you must preserve the cat pee odor away! At least it’s price a attempt.

Dr Karyn's paw print signature