# Male Cat Urinating At Front Door



## Sarahcake (Aug 30, 2012)

Hello All, 

This is my first post here so be gentle with me 

Was looking for some advice if possible regarding my 3 year old male tabby, Moogle. For the last, oh...I would say 10 Months? He is constantly using the floor outside the front door to go pee on. 

Its gotten so bad now that ive had to ditch the carpet, it was beyond cleaning and he's soaking the MDF board beneath now. It smells horrid and it just lingers throughout the house. Im 7 months pregnant and its making me gag every time I have to go down there (Were in a flat so its at the bottom of our entry stairs). 

Ive tried cleaning the spot with orangy smelling things - a wide variety of them, cleaners with no amonia, specialised keep away sprays - which work for a few days then he gets used to the smell and goes anyway, bleach, you name it ive tried it. 

He still insists on going. The even more annoying thing, is he does use the normal litter tray too. Id say for every 4 times he pee's, its half and half - twice in the tray, twice down the bottom of the stairs. 

The tray is changed every other day, we have 3 other cats none of which have this issue at all. We did think maybe he's just a bit more snobby so we gave him his own freshly cleaned tray on a daily basis but the results were still the same. 

Im at my wits end to be honest, I love him dearly but I just dont know what to do with him now. Were in a rented property who was good enough to let us keep 4 cats in to begin with and he's just ruining the place. 

Does anyone have any advice at all for me please? Would massively appriciate it. 

Thanks for reading


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

Is he neutered? The first thought is he is scent marking. If not neutered this is the very first thing you should do.

For 4 cats you should have more than one tray - really the rule is 1 tray per cat and one extra - so 5 trays in your case. I know that seems a lot and you could probably get away with less but I have 4 cats and three trays, and no accidents. It could be that he doesn't like to use a dirty tray. 

To clean the spot he goes you need to use a cleaner that will eat away the enzymes - bleach is actually the worst thing you can use as to cats it smells like they SHOULD go there. Try simple solution. 

Try a feliway plug in too - he may be picking up on you getting stressed and this will make him more likely to soil. How big is your flat? He may be feeling stress from over occupation.


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## Sarahcake (Aug 30, 2012)

spid said:


> Is he neutered? The first thought is he is scent marking. If not neutered this is the very first thing you should do.
> 
> For 4 cats you should have more than one tray - really the rule is 1 tray per cat and one extra - so 5 trays in your case. I know that seems a lot and you could probably get away with less but I have 4 cats and three trays, and no accidents. It could be that he doesn't like to use a dirty tray.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your response 

He is neutered, they all have been as we have 2 girls and 2 boys. He was neutered young as well so its not a recent thing.

As for trays, we currently run with 3 trays here as we kept up the extra tray that we thought may help. Will go out at the weekend and buy a few more over the weekend though and give that a shot.

Im not sure what other cleaner we can try, there's been several different brands and types on that floor that have made no difference really :S Do you have any you could suggest?

The flat is actually fairly big, they get free run of the place also so im not sure its a space issue. Will try the feliway plug in aswell as I am getting stressed, and he's like my baby, very close to me. So is probably sensing that from me. I try not to get mad, I understand he is a cat and this is what they do sometimes but he must sense my annoyance


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Sorry to hear you are having this problem with one of your cats. As he is weeing right by the front door he is undoubtedly scent marking, as others have said, due to territorial issues.

So whilst I agree with Spid, you need to have 5 litter trays for 4 cats, personally I don't see it making much, if any, difference to your cat's scent marking behaviour.

I have a male neutered cat who does the same thing intermittently. He is an outdoor/indoor cat. He uses his litter trays when he is indoors (e.g. at night), and then on his way out he sprays by the back door. It is his way of notifying any roving strange cats that the house is *his* territory.

Also, I must add, when I first got this cat (from Rescue) and had to keep him in for a month, he sprayed by the outer door constantly, because he was desperate to get out. The spraying reduced massively as soon as 
he was allowed to use the catflap 24/7. But as I say, it still happens now and then, and no doubt always will.

I am assuming your cats are all indoor cats and there is no way they can be allowed to go outdoors?

Is the cat who is spraying the latest arrival?

You mention you are in a block of flats -- do neighbours in the other flats have cats? If so, do any of the other cats have access to the communal area outside your idea? Even occasional access.

Can any cats get into the block from the outside?

I think it's possible a strange cat is spraying somewhere in the communal area and your cat can smell it through the door. His instinctive response is to 
scent mark to give the strange cat the message that the flat is *off limits*.

It is even possible your cat can smell a neighbour's cat, from an adjacent flat, without the neighbour's cat setting foot in the communal area.

Can your cat see other cats nearby when he looks out of the window onto e.g. gardens?

It is important to establish your cat is getting on well with the other 3 resident cats. No squabbles for territory amongst them? If there are then that would contribute to making the spraying cat feel more insecure and this would need to be addressed, as the cause of the spraying could be largely be coming from *inside* your premises, not outside.

You will be best to replace the MDF board by the door, as once urine has soaked in, it is going to be impossible to eradicate the smell completely. Even the slightest whiff will be apparent to your cat and he will be drawn to 
re-mark the same spot. So ideally, replace the MDF board and then lay some laminate flooring on top which will be easy to wipe and is impermeable. I appreciate you are in rented property, but IMO it would be better to invest a smallish amount now to protect the floor, rather than lose your deposit to the landlord because of a ruined floor when the time comes for you to move on.

Then, after the floor is smell free, place a litter tray (the smallest size will do) over the spot where your cat has sprayed. The idea of this is not to get the cat to toilet there, because he probably won't. The fact is because toiletting and scent marking behaviour stem from different instincts, a cat does not usually toilet in a place where he scent marks. So putting a small tray where he usually scent marks is intended as a *preventative measure*
Hopefully, you would not need to do this forever, but for long enough for him to forget the attraction of spraying in that spot.

Use Urine Off Odour/stain remover or Simple Solution and spray it around *outside* your door, on the floor and on the *outside* of the door itself. I don't know how big the communal area is, but if it is not large, then I would spread the odour remover everywhere with a mop.

Having done that, I would thoroughly clean the outside of your outer door and the door frame *every day* with pet odour remover solution. Remember your cat has a far better sense of smell than you do.

Hopefully this should stop any strange cat odours wafting in through your door, and if so it may (fingers crossed) stop your cat spraying/scent marking in your flat. Worse case scenario is that he stops spraying by the outer door and finds another spot in the flat to scent mark. If this were to happen, (which I hope it doesn't), then we need to look again at the dynamics of what's going on within the flat, between the 4 cats.


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

Simple Solution was what I suggested, Urine Off is good too.


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## Sarahcake (Aug 30, 2012)

chillminx said:


> Sorry to hear you are having this problem with one of your cats. As he is weeing right by the front door he is undoubtedly scent marking, as others have said, due to territorial issues.
> 
> So whilst I agree with Spid, you need to have 5 litter trays for 4 cats, personally I don't see it making much, if any, difference to your cat's scent marking behaviour.
> 
> ...


Hiya, thank you for your reply.

I should clarify though when I say I live in a flat, I mean I live above a shop. So its not like a communal block or anything, just a normal street.

They are all indoor cats yes, not ideal but with the area we live in, unfortunately it cant be any other way. The kids here are very cruel and there has been a number of cats turn up dead in the last year, it would break my heart should that happen to any of them.

We didnt get them with the intention of them being housecats, its just how the circumstances have played out that we have ended up in this cat unfriendly area.

The cat that is doing it, was actually the first ones we got. Long story short - Me and my ex partner got Moogle and his brother Maw. We broke up and I was not allowed to keep the cats, my ex partner wanted them. I moved on and found someone new and I missed having pets around so we got two girls this time, Ibuki and Fluff. A few weekends after we got them, my ex partner rang and told me to take Moogle and Maw that weekend or they were being let out and they wouldn't be getting back in as he was moving up country.

I couldn't see that happen, id had them since they were little so we ended up with 4. That was 2 years back now.

All 4 get on really well, have done from day one. As I type this they are all curled up in a mass of legs and fur on the bed snoozing 

I did contemplate putting a tray downstairs where he goes but its just not possible, the way the place is, a tray would take up the entire space the front door needs to open and close. I can attach pictures if that makes it easier for you to see what I mean.

I think im going to go and price up some new flooring as like you say, the MDF is ruined, I dont think there's any salvaging that. I just didnt want to replace it, and then have the exact same happen again.

Is there any good deterant sprays and solutions that you might be able to recommend? I love this cat to bits, I just want it sorted - I dont want to be angry at the poor thing forever over this.


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

I think you may need to put up with the inconvenience of a tray in front of the door for a while to break him of the habit. Spray fleiway spray around the door too - there may be other products but I personally am not aware of any. If you want to crack this you may need to put up with a tray there now - in two months time you want him cured rather than waiting for then when you need to get a buggy in and out.


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## Sarahcake (Aug 30, 2012)

spid said:


> Simple Solution was what I suggested, Urine Off is good too.


Woops, sorry I didnt see this post. Thank you for the suggestions, I will look for them during the weekend


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## Sarahcake (Aug 30, 2012)

spid said:


> I think you may need to put up with the inconvenience of a tray in front of the door for a while to break him of the habit. Spray fleiway spray around the door too - there may be other products but I personally am not aware of any. If you want to crack this you may need to put up with a tray there now - in two months time you want him cured rather than waiting for then when you need to get a buggy in and out.


Yeah Im thinking you might be right, If we can get a shallow enough tray it may work where the door can pass over it actually, just been down and had a look how much room we actually have down there.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Sarahcake said:


> Yeah Im thinking you might be right, If we can get a shallow enough tray it may work where the door can pass over it actually, just been down and had a look how much room we actually have down there.


I completely agree with Spid

I do appreciate it is a very inconvenient place to site a litter tray in front of your door though! But as you say, if you can get a tray shallow enough, then that would work. A thin layer of litter in it should be enough. (Fingers crossed one of your other cats doesn't then decide the new tray is a great place to toilet!! )

I was interested to read that yours is the only flat (above the shop). But when you mention "stairs" do they go down to an outer door at street level? (Am trying to picture the layout) If so, then a strange cat could easily be spraying the outside of the outer door, or in the porch if there is one..

There is a possibility your cat has started spraying because he feels anxious for some indefinable reason that hasn't occurred to us yet. For this reason it would do no harm to try him on a course of Zylkene, which is a supplement, excellent for calming stressed cats. It's available online from pet pharmacies or from the vet. No side affects, as its not a drug. Comes in capsules which you open and sprinkle contents on the cat's food. Has an acceptable taste, so is not usually refused


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## Sarahcake (Aug 30, 2012)

chillminx said:


> I completely agree with Spid
> 
> I do appreciate it is a very inconvenient place to site a litter tray in front of your door though! But as you say, if you can get a tray shallow enough, then that would work. A thin layer of litter in it should be enough. (Fingers crossed one of your other cats doesn't then decide the new tray is a great place to toilet!! )
> 
> ...


The best way I can describe my place, is a flight of stairs then a small bit of flat surface (where the door swings open and shut) and the front door which leads out into the street.

It is absolutely possible that another cat is spraying there, the rain would wash enough of the scent away so I don't smell it I guess but cats noses are far better than ours so its a possibility he could be smelling something. Would it be worth spraying some of the repellent outside the front door in case this is happening?

I shall have a look into the Zylkene also, ive just bought a Feliway diffuser so will give that a shot first. I did initially think maybe its because im pregnant that he's doing it, but he started before that even happened so im not sure. He just seems so contented and is such a good cat in every other way, loving, well behaved - no out of place scratching or anything, just literally this issue! Baffles me lol


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## sarahhenderson (Aug 28, 2012)

this is a long thread and after glancing over it i dont know if this has lreay been suggested, but perhaps getting something lemon or lavender scented that is uncomfortable to squat or walk on - like pot pourie (excuse the spelling!) could discourage him, or orange zest and peels. 

some cats also don't like the smell of garlic but hopefully he won't like something that smells good to you  - even a lavender plant could deter him.

we tried sprinkling lemon pot pourie on our sofa which kept our troubled cat off it, its just a little bit of a nuisance to sit around, though it compensates for the peeing 

replacing the floor is the first step- he'll continue as long as his scent is there for him to recognise the floor as his toilet. 

I hope this helps, 
Sarah x


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## Sarahcake (Aug 30, 2012)

sarahhenderson said:


> this is a long thread and after glancing over it i dont know if this has lreay been suggested, but perhaps getting something lemon or lavender scented that is uncomfortable to squat or walk on - like pot pourie (excuse the spelling!) could discourage him, or orange zest and peels.
> 
> some cats also don't like the smell of garlic but hopefully he won't like something that smells good to you  - even a lavender plant could deter him.
> 
> ...


Yeah replacement of that piece of flooring is a definate must for us, its beyond salvage now and smells so bad. Will be checking out the DIY stores this weekend to price up another piece of board to go there.

I was actually thinking of pot porie (excuse my spelling...I don't think anyone knows how to spell that correctly!) so will get some of that. Weve gone and got a couple of orange scented gel fresheners from ASDA last night as a temporary deterrent whilst we get the rest of the things mentioned and ive looked down there this morning...and he's not actually pee'd! Which is the first time in quite a while thats happened.

Trying to think what other orangey scented stuff we have at home, the only thing I can think is orange shake and vac but I dont wanna put that down if its gonna make him (or the others) poorly should he stand on it.

Thank you all for your suggestions! Will continue to update this thread once ive been able to try out the ideas you have all put forward, your help is massively appreciated though


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Sarahcake said:


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