Pet Lovers

[aubnwa01]

I have a nearly 7 year old spayed female Maine Coon mix that I adopted when she was about 2 years old from the Humane Society.  She's beautiful & a real sweetheart & was never any trouble at all & was fine until last summer, when I started smelling pee smells in my master closet.  She has never had any incidents of doing either #1 or #2 outside of her litter box until this spraying started.  I looked in my closet with a black light flashlight & was appalled!   

I took her to the vet last summer & the vet did a complete workup on her & did blood & urine analysis & all was found to be normal & she is healthy & had follow up tests a couple months after that came up normal also.  The vet suggested I use Feliway & clean the carpeting in my closet with an enzyme solution to eliminate the scent, plus I used a steam cleaner in there. 

Since last summer, my closet door has been kept closed so she hasn't been able to go in there & I thought that had solved the issue, but last week, I noticed she's been spraying again, but this time, it's in my great room on an oak end table & spritzing a lamp of all things & a cordless phone that sits on the table.  I'm at a loss as to what's causing her to do this.  I ended up throwing out the mat that was under the lamp & the cordless phone, because of the smell & wiped down the table with wipes & spraying the table & the lamp with the enzyme cleaner.  Plus, I wasn't sure the cordless phone would work right after she'd soaked it anyway.

I did some Googling & found that cats dislike aluminum foil, so I put several sheets of foil on the table under the lamp & kind of curled it up so it would make a sound & hopefully deter her from getting up there, but she spritzed it again overnight.  My next attempt was to drape plastic (saran) wrap from the lamp in an attempt to at least keep the urine off of it & last night she spritzed the plastic wrap.  She's still never failed to do her normal business in her litter box, so this is some sort of marking behavior & she seems to do it at night while I'm sleeping.  She can't see outside at all at night, because I close the shutters at night, so if there's something outside that's stressing her, she's hearing it or smelling it, but I've never noticed or smelled anything outside & I've not seen any cats in the neighborhood for years.  Nothing different or unusual has gone on here at home, it's just her & I here & no one working around the house or anything like that lately.  My house is very quiet all the time, so I can't figure out what's stressing her out to start this again.  The vet didn't have any ideas when I last saw her & the cat is due in a couple of months for her annual check & vaccinations, so I plan on asking.  Do they make Kitty Prozac? 

Does anyone have any ideas on how to get her to stop this behavior?  I can't figure out what caused her to start doing this last summer to begin with & then resume it in a different spot last week.  Why would an otherwise clean & tidy & sweet natured kitty start doing this?  She doesn’t get up on the end table during the day, just at night after I'm asleep.   I love her to bits, but this is really trying my patience!  TIA

[OnlyShopsOnline]

Has something changed about the position of her litter box?  Did you move it, or move something else around it?  They say to have one more litter box than you have cats, so maybe place a second litter box someplace else, in addition to the one you already have.  And, make sure you keep them both very clean.  (not implying that you don't. )

[aubnwa01]

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@only shops online wrote:

Has something changed about the position of her litter box?  Did you move it, or move something else around it?  They say to have one more litter box than you have cats, so maybe place a second litter box someplace else, in addition to the one you already have.  And, make sure you keep them both very clean.  (not implying that you don't. )

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No, nothing has changed anywhere in the house.  The litter box is in the same place it's been since I brought her home almost 5 years ago.  Her litter box is cleaned when I get up in the AM & also after every time I hear her in there scratching around & checked again before I go to bed.  She uses the litter box just fine, with no accidents ever, other than this fairly recent pesky marking behavior. She's a very clean cat other than this, I need a kitty whisperer! 

She's asleep next to me on the top of my desk & I'd hope she'd be mortified by the fact that I'm discussing her toilet habits on a chat board!  

[lolakimono]

@aubnwa01

Check blood sugar for diabetes.

Check her backside to make sure she doesn't have any mats that are causing her pain.

If the litterbox has a lid, get rid if it.  She may have arthritis and find that it's uncomfortable to get in and out of.

Try this litter: (it works!)

[carlycat]

Hi, I have cats and totally understand your frustration! You have a spraying problem not a litter box problem. I've dealt with this too. Cats spray to mark their territory. I suggest two things, first Feliway spray. You spray it in the area and it makes the cat feel calmer. Lasts about an hour. They won't mark where you use Feliway. 

I also use and it really works, Spirit Essences by Jackson Galaxy. This is a holistic essence that you put in their water. It sounds ludicrous but it really does work! I use Safe Space, which stopped marking in my female tortie. It says it makes them feel safer, (and they mark their territory to feel safer). You just put this in their water every day. Google it, and good luck. Something is stressing your kitty, who knows what! 

[NickNack]

It sounds like you need to take her back to the Vet.  A lot can change between summer and winter.  

According to Web MD, here are some things to check for.

Medical conditions and litter box problems

Your cat may have a medical condition that makes urinating too painful -- in or out of the litter box. Common medical conditions which may affect litter box use include:

• Urinary tract infection (UTI). If your cat frequently enters her litter box but produces small amounts of urine, she may have a UTI.
• Feline interstitial cystitis. Feline interstitial cystitis is a complex disease that causes inflammation of the bladder. It can cause a cat to eliminate outside the litter box because of the urgency to urinate.
• Bladder stones or blockage. If your cat has bladder stones or a blockage, she may frequently enter her litter box. She may also experience pain and mew or cry when she tries to eliminate. Her abdomen may be tender to the touch.

[birkin baby]

I can't solve the cat peeling issue but I can suggest going to Am-a--zon and ordering ATMOSKLEAR odor remover. I swear by this stuff . I use it for so many odors but I had a very stubborn cat who liked to pee on soft surfaces,like my couch arm. This works better than anything I tried. Granted, you would have to literally drench the smelly areas,but  it has to reach the pee.  It also is great for stinky anything else...shoes, cooking odors,cigarette smoke in your hair, musty fabrics,etc It has no odor so our minds don't associate the pee with a fragrance....we all know covering odors with a fragrance makes us smell the pee and the flower smell...lol.  Good luck with the cat.

[ginirn]

Just a shot in the dark but I just read a book where the cat owner had the same problem.  The vet made home visit and noticed another cat outside.  A new neighbor had moved in with a cat.  Once the newbie was spotted the spraying begain.  Vet's Rx was close the blinds.  Problem stopped.  

[Jeremiah 2911]

Not knowing whether this is a (undiagnosed) medical problem or a behavioral problem, I would suggest that you address the issue a few different ways:

Address possible medical problem:

You can add some canned cat food to your cats diet if you haven't already done so.  You can also add a pet fountain to entice your kitty to drink more water.  Some of these wierd spraying issues are due to feline cystitis -- can be difficult to diagnose.  More water/moisture in their diet will help this condition.

Address possible scent-confusion:

I'd definitely get the Feliway plug in and put one in the living room.  I'd remove the lamp -- it probably has u rine residue that will continue to attract your kitty. 

You can spray a tea -towel with a little "KEEP-OFF" spray deterent on it and lay it on your table.

In addition to the litter box that you already have, I would suggest that you put a new litter box directly under or next to the end table.  Fill it with CAT ATTRACT litter (like other posters suggested) and leave the top off of the litter box.

Address possible boredom by adding exercise:

Buy a Turbo-Scratcher (Walmart, about $12) and put it in the living room.  Put some of the cat-****** (that comes with the scratcher) on the center of the scratcher.  Kitty can play with the scratcher by herself.

Buy one of those wands with the feathers on the end of a lanyard.  Flick the feathers at her and let her jump and play with it.

If all else fails, keep your cat isolated in one room for a couple of weeks.  Replace the litter in her box with Cat Attract litter.  Put the Feliway diffuser and the Turbo Scratcher in the room.  Let her out to roam the house when you can be there to supervise her.

You probably already know this but I always include this when I make a post about pet care.  Make sure that you don't raise your voice or scold kitty when she makes a mistake.  Just gently pick her up, tell her "No, no" in a montone voice.  She will get the message.  If a cat is scolded it causes them to be more confused and fearful and this causes them to make more mistakes. 

Thank you for adopting a mature kitty.  Hope this helps.   

[aubnwa01]

Thanks for the suggestions. 

She was checked for diabetes (& lots of other things) by the vet & found to be totally fine.  They did bloodtests at each visit & also a urine draw (needle inserted thru her tummy under xray to withdraw a sample directly from her bladder) & all results came back perfectly normal. The vet said she's a very healthy cat.  Her eyes are bright, her coat is glossy, & she weighs about 8 lbs.  She's a beauty.

She's a dry food eater only & I keep 2 bowls willed with 2 different types of food & she's afree feeder & doesn't like people food or canned food.  Never had a cat that wouldn't eat canned food before.  She's not food driven at all, but loves to play.  She has access to fresh water at all times & her water bowl is filled every morning, plus I think she enjoys a sip of toilet water, too at times!  I also run a little water in the bathtub in my master bath for her to drink & she enjoys lapping up the drops in my shower after I take my shower.

I have a Feliway Plug-In plugged in right next to the table where she started spraying the lamp.  Maybe, I'll give the Feliway spray a try.

Last night, when I went to sleep, she was snuggled up next to me asleep on the bed & was there when I woke up, but she'd gotten up & used her litterbox twice in the night, although one time might have been while i was taking my shower after I got up, as I don't check her box until I'm dressed.  She's very soft footed & I never notice her coming & going on & off of my bed at nights.

Like I said, she was 2 when I got her & the word I got from the humane society about her was that the previous owner was having a baby & didn't want her around a baby, which I don't understand, because she's a total sweetheart.  Then, she was adopted by someone else & she didn't get along with their 1st cat & they returned her & then , Ifell in love with her & she's been with me now for almost 5 years.

She can't see outside at all at night, as the shutters are only open during the day.  She's an indoor only cat & has zero interst in going outside & I live in the desert & roaming pets don't last long outside here. 

I want her to stop with the marking behavior, but I don't want to shift it to another spot in my house.  It was bad when it was in my closet & on the carpeting, but at least in my great room, the table is on a tile floor, so it's easier to clean up & also easier to see on the hard surfaces than on carpeting, although I do use the black light to see where she's going. My 3 bedrooms have carpeting, so i have my guest room door closed, so she can't go in there anymore & also my closet door has been closed to her. .

Keep any suiggestions coming.  Thx