# Serious problems with Weeing cats! Help!



## Moomster (Sep 3, 2010)

Hi
I hate to introduce myself by asking for help, but I am desperate.
My name is Sarah and 3 weeks ago my partner and I rescued 2 cats from a friend of a friend. The reason why they needed re-homing was because their owner had recently passed away and for whatever reason the family could not take the cats on themselves. 

The cats are 5 and 7, neutered males called Smokey and Dillon and for the most part they are lovely cats full of character.
However we have been having some problems...

On the very first night we had them one of them sneaked upstairs without our knowledge and pood on the bed, but to the horror of both of us. But we put it down to the shock of the move and whoever did it found the place that our scent was the strongest and made his mark. 

Throughout the first week we had no more poos but wees. Now once again I put this down to scent marking and the shock and for a little while it stopped all together. 

But over the past week the weeing has now got worse and worse. On Sunday I found 5 different places on my kitchen counters where the cats had weed and it now coming a thing of every morning i find a wee.
So what i have done so far...
I have Feliway plugged in; that has been there since day one.
They now have two litter trayers and i have seen both of them use it. I empty the tray of any big mess whenever i see it. 
They have been to the vets for a check up and jab. Unfortunately they were behind on their jabs and i cannot let them outside for another week and a half. 
I also tried butter on the paws last night, one liked it the other didnt.

I understand that they are probably still in shock from the move and losing their owner. But it is making me very stressed and Im eating less and less due to not wanting to prepare food in the same area where the cats are weeing.

But can anyone think of anything i could do to stop them from weeing? 
And unfortunately I have never caught either of them in act. 

Also they are starting to fight more. It doesnt appear to be vicious fighting, and its getting rougher and they are knocking things over like a hyper dog! Once again is this just frustration from being trapped together in the same house?

I have spoken to loads of people who are experience cat owners and cat protection and everyone seems to be really stumped. 

Help! Please!


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

Oh boy, I really feel for you!

Okay, a very simple question but are you using the same litter as the previous owner had?


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

This might sound a tad cruel, but I promise its not I just cant go into detail right this very minute about why and how it works but limit the space available to them until they start using their trays faithfully IN that limited space.... chances are they are just feeling overwhelmed with a big new house all at once to explore, and when you limit their space, they start to feel more secure. 

For instance, start them off in a small bedroom, once theyre faithfully using their trays in that one room, then give them the hall at the top of the stairs plus that one bedroom if that goes okay add the bathroom to the space available to them, if that goes okay, add a second bedroom and so on and so forth. 

Each stage really should take a minimum of 3-4 days (but it can easil;y take a week to get them used to their 2st space, maybe even 10-14 days). So to just cover my upstairs (3 bedrooms, a hall and a bathroom) Id be looking at a minimal 3 weeks, but maybe more and thats before you start adding the downstairs spaces. 

Obviously you can bring them out or downstairs to socialize with you. but you have to be very vigilant at these times and continually on the watch. And obviously spend as much time with as possible in their restricted access spaces.


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## Moomster (Sep 3, 2010)

hobbs2004 said:


> Okay, a very simple question but are you using the same litter as the previous owner had?


I've very ashamed to say that i am not using the same litter box because i threw it out. Yes i know this makes me very stupid because it was full of their lovely scent. But it was disgusting. I you may think i deserve what i am getting for what i did. 
My partner is a bit funny about smells in the house and the tray was not something you would want in your kitchen. :mad2:

Tje

The boys have spent the last 3 week being only limited to the 3 rooms downstairs. We dont trust them to go on the beds. We have let them upstair to see have a look around. (They really like the big bedroom window)
Would it be worked in the reverse? So making them stay just in the kichen and dining room, shutting them off from the lounge?

That said i have just remembered something i forgot to post in my main post. Over the first 2 weeks when we went to bed we shut them downstairs and we would just hear them scratching at the carpet at the doorway to the hall. They have now almost ruined that bit of carpet (new last year carpet) :cryin:
I now have a cheap doormat to cover the spot and a scratch post has been purchased. Although Dillon tried to use it, he scratches the carpet while looking at the post.


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## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

Oh dear sounds like your haveing a nightmare  just a thought but what are you cleaning the patches where they mark with?


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## Moomster (Sep 3, 2010)

Dally Banjo said:


> Oh dear sounds like your haveing a nightmare  just a thought but what are you cleaning the patches where they mark with?


I started off using 2000 carpet spray, but because the smell got on my chest i've been using a Pets At Home stain and odour remover. 
In the kitchen i've been using Anti-bac wipes.

I've also got a citrus smelling cone thing for one room and citrus and mint odour mist.


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## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

You might be better cleaning the areas with just washing powder & water some cleaning stuffs dont get rid of the smells that cats can pick up, you could also try a little Pure Essential Orange oil mixed with water that stops all sorts of unwanted attention but make sure you dont get the stuff you burn.

Have you had the cats to a vet they may be able to help but it does sound like stress which can take a while to sort


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

Moomster said:


> I've very ashamed to say that i am not using the same litter box because i threw it out. Yes i know this makes me very stupid because it was full of their lovely scent. But it was disgusting. I you may think i deserve what i am getting for what i did.
> My partner is a bit funny about smells in the house and the tray was not something you would want in your kitchen. :mad2:


Gosh, under no circumstance will anyone think that you deserve what you got because you chucked out a smelly box. What I meant is, are you using the same brand of litter. Some cats are really fussy having a change.


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## Lulu's owner (May 1, 2009)

Tje said:


> This might sound a tad cruel, but I promise its not I just cant go into detail right this very minute about why and how it works but limit the space available to them until they start using their trays faithfully IN that limited space.... chances are they are just feeling overwhelmed with a big new house all at once to explore, and when you limit their space, they start to feel more secure.
> 
> For instance, start them off in a small bedroom, once theyre faithfully using their trays in that one room, then give them the hall at the top of the stairs plus that one bedroom if that goes okay add the bathroom to the space available to them, if that goes okay, add a second bedroom and so on and so forth.
> 
> ...


That is excellent advice. I remember it worked many years ago when I had a cat who was weeing on the bed etc. We only had a bedsit type flat and we were at the end of our tether, thinking he might even have to live outdoors, it was so bad. Then we confined him to quite a small kitchen (just overnight, as that was when the weeing took place), and he became clean in just a few days. We never had any more problems with him for the next sixteen years that he lived.


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## Moomster (Sep 3, 2010)

Dally Banjo

Thanks, i shall try the wash powder on the carpets if they did it there again (i really hope they don't!). And will got and get some orange oil tomorrow. 
I did wonder if the anti bac wipes could be too strong for their smell. i know cats to have habit of letting you know when they dont like something. 

We're due at the vets on Wednesday for the second round of jabs. I will grill the vet when i'm there. The lady that i spoke to at cats protection said that i might get the vet to test for ... Seritus (sp?) 
But i do think i could be stress related.

Hobbs



i am using the same litter make as their old home. Also the same food, although i have been trying to give them different things. Turns out Smokey love the James Wellbeloved stuff 

Could it just be that i have evil cats?


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## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

Not sure what "Seritus (sp?) " is  but sounds like stress to me  I would try the cleaning stuff etc & Tje's ideas as they may have already got into the habbit with their previouse owner but you can stop it  eventually just takes time I afraid.


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## tyrole (May 5, 2009)

The op may mean cystitis


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Moomster said:


> Tje
> 
> The boys have spent the last 3 week being only limited to the 3 rooms downstairs. We dont trust them to go on the beds. We have let them upstair to see have a look around. (They really like the big bedroom window)
> Would it be worked in the reverse? So making them stay just in the kichen and dining room, shutting them off from the lounge?
> ...


Yes of course you can start them off with the downstairs first, just personally I wouldn't give them 3 whole rooms of the downstairs.... I would give them the smallest room or the room with the least traffic. I have even in an extreme example of weeing, restricted a cat to a toilet or a bathroom. Not as bad as it sounds... cats MUST learn to use littertrays, no one (NO ONE!) wants to own a cat who pees in the house.

Touching on what Hobbs is referring to.... the type of litter tray filler you are using.... I totally agree with that. _If_ they used a litter tray with their last owners, and _if_ you can find out what kind of litter tray filler the old owners used, I would certainly try re-introducing that. Perosnally i think consistency in the type of litter used is more important than consistencyof the tray the litter was placed in. So don't knock yourself over the head for thrwoing their old tray out... it really shouldn't make a difference.

Other things I would try...

I have no idea what kind of litter tray filler you are using... but say you are using woodchip cat litter... it could be they hate that particular type, so I would be tempted to get a 3rd tray and fill it with something completely different like a clumping clay based litter or a paper based litter. Some cats CAN be terrible with one type of cat litter and fine with another different type. We see this quiet often with adult rescues, and I think it's just down to "eeeeek you want me to wee on woodchips, oh no, I always wee on clay based litter, so I'll just do it by the door instead".


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## Moomster (Sep 3, 2010)

tyrole said:


> The op may mean cystitis


Yes! thats the bunny!

I am prepared for the long road that is ahead...just wish there was a short cut.

But i want the boys to happy more than anything.


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Moomster said:


> That said i have just remembered something i forgot to post in my main post. Over the first 2 weeks when we went to bed we shut them downstairs and we would just hear them scratching at the carpet at the doorway to the hall. They have now almost ruined that bit of carpet (new last year carpet) :cryin:
> I now have a cheap doormat to cover the spot and a scratch post has been purchased. Although Dillon tried to use it, he scratches the carpet while looking at the post.


sorry, I forgot to address this bit.... if you shut them in a room, expect that they will claw the carpet at the door, or even the door surround or the door itsself. Play it by ear, listen for it happening... if it does happen.... you need 2 things.

a role of cheap duct tape and a bottle of terpentine

cover the carpet area with duct tape doubled in a loop. That is to say, if the door is a meter wide, then get a bit of duct tape at least 2 meters long and loop it, so one sticky part is down stuck to the carpet, and the other sticky side is facing up the way. Cats (99 times out of a 100 that is) wont tread on, or scratch at surfaces that are horribly sticky to their paws or nails. If they are scratching the door itsself or the door surrounds, you need to put the tape on here as well. This does leave a horribly sticky substance when you remove it, but the terpentine will get rid of the glue residues. Just a adab of terpentine on a soft cloth and gentle rubbing till the the sticky residue is gone. If you doors and surrounds are painted, you'll need to be extra creative and place paper under the duct tape so the duct tape is fixed at the two ends and not over the whole length. Other people achieve similar results by putting tinfoil on surfaces they don't want the cats to scratch at, personally though I have never had that much success with that.

Leave a radio on for them when you leave them alone. And please don't be afraid to DRASTICALLY reduce the space available to them. Really, for a lot of cats it's a relief to them. I have had adult cats be totally terrified in my "kitten bedroom" then when I put them in my 2m long, 1m wide, 1m high cat pen.... they actually calm down and become more relaxed and contented.


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## Moomster (Sep 3, 2010)

Thanks for all your advise guys! If you think of anything else then please let me know!! 

I've also added a few pictures of the boys in the cat photo's bit for your pleasure.


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## Moomster (Sep 3, 2010)

Tje said:


> sorry, I forgot to address this bit.... if you shut them in a room, expect that they will claw the carpet at the door, or even the door surround or the door itsself. Play it by ear, listen for it happening... if it does happen.... you need 2 things.
> 
> a role of cheap duct tape and a bottle of terpentine
> 
> ...


Ok!
My mum offered me a rather large pet cage, should i take her up on the offer? and would i be ok putting two cat in there? size wise i think it would be ok, i'm just worried in case the would kill each other.

i shall try the carpet thing. I did try something close, but with foil. i was told that cats didnt like the feel of tin foil.


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Moomster said:


> Ok!
> My mum offered me a rather large pet cage, should i take her up on the offer? and would i be ok putting two cat in there? size wise i think it would be ok, i'm just worried in case the would kill each other.
> 
> i shall try the carpet thing. I did try something close, but with foil. i was told that cats didnt like the feel of tin foil.


two things with caging.... the cage has to big enough not just for the cat, but also for his water, his food and his litter tray. My cage is *really* big... it's the size of the space under a large desk, so high, long and deep. Even with that amount of space, personally I wouldn't cage two adults together. But I wouldn't rule out a bathroom.


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## Moomster (Sep 3, 2010)

The bathroom...thats a good idea. Thanks


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## shellyann1971 (Jun 25, 2010)

Hi

how long have you had the boys?

Have you got any sctaching posts about? they would rather use scratching posts than the carpets....I have 7 cats , and the younger ones love the post... the older ones are not bothered to scratch. 

Also when cleaning up the wee , dont use anything that has smells in it, as it just makes the smell worse. Also have you tried bicarb soda? it brill for helping get rid of the smell. 
One of mine has wee'd in the hallway, not sure who, and I have used bicarb... either use it on dry or wet... and leave it on for about 24hours, and hoover off. 
Have you bought any catnip, that helps calm and relax them.. 
Also once you have cleared the area, pepper is a good deterent of them going back there... I had to use this in the kitchen, left it down for a few days after the bicarb, and I havent had wee in there since.. 

hth

Michelle


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## Janee (May 4, 2008)

Excellent advice here.

Try rubbing the catnip on the scratching post and mat to encourage scratching there.

Nobody has mentioned that these cats are used to going out and may be extra stressed because they can't. I know your intention is to let them out once it is safe to do so (vaccination), and that they will be indoor/outdoor cats.

I had a problem with an indoor/outdoor cat who prefers to wee outdoors. I found that Cat Attract litter (available on net) worked for him.


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## Moomster (Sep 3, 2010)

Morning Everyone.

Last night I put pepper on the worktops and this morning there was no wee's :thumbup: but then as soon as Smokey saw an open door he was in the hallway to the stairs and weed on the carpet. We thought he weed on some old post put i put some baking soda down to obsorb it and i could see that he got more of the carpet than we throught.

After some fun and games they are in the bathroom with their pet beds, litter trays and food where they will spend the rest of the day. I have also put the radio close to the door for some music.
Dillon doesnt seem to like what i've done as i can hear him meowing and scratching. but there is nothing he can harm there so he's just going to have to wait. I'm really enjoying that i can open some windows and let some fresh air throughout the house. 

I have some catnip stray, but i dont think its very good. If i went to a more old school petshop i can get more of a neat form of catnip?


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## shellyann1971 (Jun 25, 2010)

Hi

I just bought organic petnip the other day, all my 7 are loving it, my dominate cat, also went all soft and was nice to the others for a good while!!

You can get toys with catnip already in it, my lot love that also, even my moody diabetic cat, and moody old boy, cant resist a play. 

Some one told me a long time ago, as I had cat who would wee in corners, to use that bubbles plastic stuff, as when they stand on it , it busts and scares them, I never did , but it might be worth a try. 

Also the cat I had who would wee in corners, was stressed, I didnt know at the time, as there was her and her brother, they both would fight, nothing serious, but her brother would always win, but they would also cuddle together. when her brother died, she stopped weeing, and I never had problems, for the last few years she was alive. 
I am guessing you cats are stressed, new owners, new enviroment, etc, so try as much as you can to keep them calm and relax. being as there are two males, one is going to be the dominate male, do you know which one? if so , he has the food and cuddles etc etc first, which will calm him, and the other will have cuddles after.. once the dominate cat has his place again, he will calm, and the none dominate cat willow follow him, then they will both likely relax, knowing where they stand in the household. 

How long have you had the cats? I be totally honest with you, I havent been told not to let my cats out in between there first and second injections? I could be wrong tho. My two that lasted until 13 years old and 15 years old, both only had there injections a couple of times in there lives.... it was not something I kept on top of. Now I do with my cats, but the only reason I do, is I have to being as all of them are insured now... 

Michelle


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## Moomster (Sep 3, 2010)

Hi Michelle

Smokey is the more dominate of the two, but he's not really big on being cuddled at the moment. We were told that was the more affectionate of the two, but since they have been here Dillon has been more affectionate and loves a good play. 

We've had the cats for 4 weeks on Monday. 

They are currently in the bathroom and Dillon is crying his eyes out by the sounds of it. But I do want them to spend some time in a small room. Gives me a good chance to get on top of the distruction that they have caused.

While cleaning the pepper in the kitchen this morning i did find i couple of really tiny drops of wee on a shelf. One place i didnt pepper. I'm really amazed that who ever did it was able to get there.

What i'm really confused about is that i have seen them both use their litter trays for their business. So is it dominance or attention seeking or just bad behaviour that who ever it is peeing?


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## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

Just a thought it may be worth getting one of these they show up pee staines UV Money Checket Black Light Torch Hand Held Battery on eBay (end time 17-Sep-10 10:35:43 BST)


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## shellyann1971 (Jun 25, 2010)

Moomster said:


> Hi Michelle
> 
> Smokey is the more dominate of the two, but he's not really big on being cuddled at the moment. We were told that was the more affectionate of the two, but since they have been here Dillon has been more affectionate and loves a good play.
> 
> ...


Hi

My personal opinion, if they didnt do anything like this in there old home, then its stress.... 4 weeks isnt a long time. 
With a couple of my cats I didnt let them out for a few months, purly they were showing stress and they were nervous. 
I think once your two have had there second injection, I would judge them going out on there behaviour, meaning that they need to be relaxed,and enjoying what they did in there previous home, so if they enjoyed cuddles in there previous home, then they need to get back to this before they go out. 
If they are not quite themselves in your home and you let them out, there is a high possibility they may try and get back to there old home, and a high percentage get lost this way. 
When cats are dominance, they dont tend to wee, especially males, they spray just to get there scent around to let other cats know its there territory, so it would go up furniture or wall... as your two males have been newtered, if they did this , it doesnt smell, it only smells if they have not been newtered. 
Do you find they are going for corners more or any kind of link between where they are peeing, as the cat I had would go for corners, or by the front or back doors, so I would always have something in the corners, bit more difficult by the doors, but I would use pepper...

Michelle


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## Janee (May 4, 2008)

Catnip: you can get catnip proper from [email protected] - it is like a dried leaf bits.


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## Moomster (Sep 3, 2010)

shellyann1971 said:


> When cats are dominance, they dont tend to wee, especially males, they spray just to get there scent around to let other cats know its there territory, so it would go up furniture or wall... as your two males have been newtered, if they did this , it doesnt smell, it only smells if they have not been newtered.
> Do you find they are going for corners more or any kind of link between where they are peeing, as the cat I had would go for corners, or by the front or back doors, so I would always have something in the corners, bit more difficult by the doors, but I would use pepper...


When they have peed on the kitchen tops they have peed in all the possible areas, it was almost like they/he was doing north, south, east and west. 
I've put pepper on the work tops 2 nights in a row now and they have not gone on it. 
Smokey did wee infront of the side door yesterday, but nothing most since.
But the other places that they weed in are around the sliding doors to the back bit, in front of the stairs and up against the walls in the dining room and lounge. And i did find a wee in the lounge windowsill, which really suprised me because i thought cats didnt wee where they like to hide/sleep.


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