# ive tried everything! Cat still pees where she shouldn't!



## Joanna Carpenter (Jan 1, 2017)

I have had princess who is a regular moggy and now 5 years old from when she was 8 weeks. I got her for company as I bought my apartment just for me.
She has always been a fairly difficult cat so I have always researched her behaviour.
The main behavioural problem is peeing on soft furnishings, I don't have carpet but I assume she'd also pee on carpet if she could.
My apartment is 1 bedroom and she has 3 litter trays to try and stop her from peeing where she shouldn't I have tried many different designs and cat litters over the years and most of the time she uses them no problem but occasionally she will pee on the sofa or my bed. I say occasionally because she has no access to my bedroom unless I am home and the sofa is covered in a plastic cover when not in use due to her ruining 2 others.
I have tried feliway, I keep the trays clean, I have seeked advice from the vet, I have completed hours of research and I am getting to the end of my tether.
I have become a pro at cleaning it up after she has ruined laminate flooring (where it's soaked through the sofa), 2 sofas, an arm chair and a bed.
I constantly look through these forums and never find anything I haven't already tried. I love her dearly but I don't think I can continue. I want to move house and have carpets but with princess I don't see this being possible. I'd be devastated to give her up for rehoming but I don't see another way.
It might help any advice if I explain some of her other behaviours...
She has access to the communal garden of the apartment block which she loves but she has always been neurotic in the way that she is only happy to go outside if she has access back to me 100% of the time.
If I close the door she uses to go outside she is immediately back at the door meowing to get in. She checks on me every 10mins or so once she's outside which is very sweet but a bit trying!
If I get up off the sofa to go and do something she has to come with me EVERY TIME.
She wakes me up in the middle of the night for attention. If she is displeased about how long I have been in bed for or generally bored, she likes to knock objects on the floor to make a loud bang.
I was worried she was bored and as she's so clingy decided to research how I could make her happier. All forums said to introduce a kitten of the opposite sex. So in comes Salem and after tirelessly researching how to introduce them and keeping them separate (no easy measure when you live in a 1 bed apartment) 8 weeks on and a purchase of 'feliway friends' she despises him. He adores her and wants to play and cuddle with her but she is not interested and gets very angry with him and quite literally screams at him. It's a very stressful environment to live in.
To be honest I probably wouldn't have considered rehoming her if it wasn't for Salem. He is such a good lad he uses his scratching post instead of my soft furnishings and is brilliant with using his tray. No accidents at all. I can trust him to stay in my bedroom whilst at work and not come home to the dreaded huge puddle of wee. 
Prinny has now figured out how to get under the plastic cover on my sofa and has been weeing on it again. Before when she'd wee it was on the plastic cover no harm done and easy to clean up. I know you might be thinking she's doing a bit of territory marking since Salem but no, same huge puddle of wee as always for no apparent reason.
If any of you can suggest anything I've not already tried please please come forward and make suggestions. I love this fur baby to bits and often find myself in tears over something she has done. I don't want to rehome her as a pet is for life but I really don't think I can do another 5 years of this let alone the rest of her precious life!


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Hi and welcome 
I presume she is spayed?
How long ago did she see a vet? I would want to rule out any possible UTI or any other health issues.
Have you tried very soft sand type cat litters? And open trays not closed? 
What do you feed her?


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

Joanna Carpenter said:


> I really don't think I can do another 5 years of this let alone the rest of her precious life!


That hit home with me totally - my 2 hate each other and have to be separated 24/7

It's manageable but certainly not easy - and I hate that one or the other has to be shut in so the other can have their 'out' time - and I hate not just being able to open the back door in the summer and let them all come and go as they please ..... but iit is what it is - and you just get on with it

TBH I think you'd struggle to find a suitable home for Princess - rescues are overflowing with kittens / youngsters so older cats struggle to find homes as it is, let alone one who toilets inappropriately

Sadly I think the introduction of Salem will only be adding to Princess' stress - and I'm sorry to say makes solving her toileting issues even harder 

I do wish you'd have posted here before getting him as I'm pretty sure everyone would've said it wasn't a great idea why she was toileting inappropriately and that it was likely to make the problem worse - not better 

I'd probably add some more trays - I know you have 3 but now you have 2 cats, that's the minimum recommended - so try another couple

As @moggie14  asks - are the trays all different (eg both open and enclosed) and do you have different types of litter in each?

If medical issues have been ruled out then it's probably down to stress in one form or another

Re her going out - have you tried stopping her outdoor access for a periods of several weeks and seeing if this makes any difference?

It doesn't sound like she's hugely bothered about being out and it could be sounds / smells of other cats outside are contributing to her stress and could even be why she toilets inappropriately in a scent marking way


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## Joanna Carpenter (Jan 1, 2017)

Hi Moggie14
Thanks so much for replying to me. Yes she was spayed as soon as she was big enough. 
She was last at the vet 8 weeks ago for her annual check and as usual the vet showed no concern about her inappropriate peeing and felt it was a good idea to get Salem to provide her with a distraction. 
The litter she prefers is an anti bacterial no clumping and she prefers the privacy of a hooded tray although she has another to choose from.
I am currently weaning her off wet food and onto science plan dental due to early signs of gingivitis. She also has a cat mate water fountain she enjoys as will only drink with running water.


moggie14 said:


> Hi and welcome
> I presume she is spayed?
> How long ago did she see a vet? I would want to rule out any possible UTI or any other health issues.
> Have you tried very soft sand type cat litters? And open trays not closed?
> What do you feed her?





moggie14 said:


> Hi and welcome
> I presume she is spayed?
> How long ago did she see a vet? I would want to rule out any possible UTI or any other health issues.
> Have you tried very soft sand type cat litters? And open trays not closed?
> What do you feed her?


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## Joanna Carpenter (Jan 1, 2017)

Hi Lilylass thanks so much for your response.
I felt terrible about the one I'm. Not spending time with so I'm glad I'm not the only one.
To be honest I've no idea what Prin could be stressed about before I got Salem and the vet didn't seem to know either. As you can probably tell she is very spoilt and she's actually the only cat in the building. The communal garden is her own and she loves greeting my neighbours. She's not been outside since October due to it being too cold for me to keep the French doors open for her in the lounge.
Salem uses his own tray in his room so until they start spending more time together I will leave her with three. It's only a 500sqft apartment so I'm not sure where I'd put anymore!
I volunteer for a cat charity and I know what you mean, as soon as a litter of kittens are ready they all get reserved and the adults and pensioners get overlooked. I guess I was hoping someone may come up with some miracle advice! Just about to pay for the sofa to be steam cleaned again and could do without paying for that this time of year


Lilylass said:


> That hit home with me totally - my 2 hate each other and have to be separated 24/7
> 
> It's manageable but certainly not easy - and I hate that one or the other has to be shut in so the other can have their 'out' time - and I hate not just being able to open the back door in the summer and let them all come and go as they please ..... but iit is what it is - and you just get on with it
> 
> ...


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## Jannor (Oct 26, 2013)

Have you tried puppy training pads in one of the litter trays? It works with my cat who won't pee in normal litter since she had cystitis once years ago.


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

Joanna Carpenter said:


> Hi Lilylass thanks so much for your response.
> I felt terrible about the one I'm. Not spending time with so I'm glad I'm not the only one.
> To be honest I've no idea what Prin could be stressed about before I got Salem and the vet didn't seem to know either. As you can probably tell she is very spoilt and she's actually the only cat in the building. The communal garden is her own and she loves greeting my neighbours. She's not been outside since October due to it being too cold for me to keep the French doors open for her in the lounge.
> Salem uses his own tray in his room so until they start spending more time together I will leave her with three. It's only a 500sqft apartment so I'm not sure where I'd put anymore!
> I volunteer for a cat charity and I know what you mean, as soon as a litter of kittens are ready they all get reserved and the adults and pensioners get overlooked. I guess I was hoping someone may come up with some miracle advice! Just about to pay for the sofa to be steam cleaned again and could do without paying for that this time of year


Have you tried keeping a diary and keeping track of when she does it?

You'd need to write everything down - from whether she's been outside (if summer time) to there's been a loud noise outside / elsewhere in the building etc - anything could be causing her stress

It's time consuming but may help to shed some light on why shes does it - there WILL be a trigger ..... it's trying to find out what it is


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Have you tried OKO or Worlds Best litters? They seem to be favoured by many cats as they are soft on their paws. Might be worth a shot.
Also, there is a supplement which contains a calming ingredient and also supports the urinary tract. It can be sprinkled on food. This can be given safely as it's not a drug, again worth a try.
https://www.viovet.co.uk/Cystophan_Sprinkle_Capsules_for_Cats/c8434/
I'm guessing your vet recommended the dried food? I wouldn't bother to be honest, it won't help with her teeth.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Good advice from the others. 

I agree with moggie14, I definitely wouldn't change her diet to dry food. No cat with a bladder problem should ever be fed dry food as it is likely to make the problem even worse. Also dry food won't make any difference to her teeth. The major thing that helps teeth and gums is brushing them regularly with a pet tooth brush. Giving Princess raw chicken wing tips to gnaw on may also help.

It sounds like her bladder is a far more serious issue at present than gingviitis, so I would keep her on a wet food diet and also add a little water to her wet food meals. If you can make home made chicken broth for her and get her to drink some every day that may also help. The aim is to increase her fluid intake so the urine is higher in volume and more dilute. This will encourage Princess to pee more often, which is what we want.

I agree with Lilylass, the introduction of Salem has not helped matters. His presence may not have made an obvious difference to the frequency with which Princess soils but it will certainly have made it harder to resolve the cause of her soiling. Poor Princess! She is probably now twice as stressed as she was before the arrival of Salem. It is quite possible she has stress related cystitis which causes her to avoid the trays because she associates them with pain or discomfort.

As for rehoming, no-one is going to want her I'm afraid unless you can first resolve this problem. If you can get a Shelter to take her they are going to find it very hard to rehome her, and she may end up spending a very long time in the Shelter. It will be no quality of life for her. Some rescues will euthanise a cat if their soiling can't be resolved after a certain time.

Before you think of giving Princess up I strongly recommend you bring in a qualified Pet Behaviourist who can observe Princess in her own environment and advise you what might help. If you have pet insurance you are covered for help from a behaviourist as long as the vet makes the referral.

These people are good:

http://www.apbc.org.uk

or these:

http://capbt.org

Or you could contact Vicky Halls, who has written several helpful books on the subject of problem cat behaviour.

As well as keeping your cat on a wet food diet and adding more fluids I would also add Cystease or Cystaid to her food, and a supplement called Waterfall D-Mannose, which is marketed for humans but has been hugely helpful to various forum members whose cats had issues with chronic cystitiis and soiling. Cats with intermittent chronic cystitis often pee on soft furnishings.


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## elmthesofties (Aug 8, 2011)

My local shelter puts lavender on soft furnishings when they have issues with cats soiling inappropriately. It seems to have worked in the past (although it may have just been a coincidence) but it might be worth giving it a go.


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