Cat peeing in house for first time. Help?
November 2, 2015 10:13 AM Subscribe
Hello Mefites,
You may recall that we welcomed Pumpkin to our family in early October. She has been a model cat in every way up until mid-morning today when she peed on a dining room chair pad. My gut feeling is that this is related to boredom. Please help me remedy this.
She has a clean bill of health from the vet. She eats, drinks, pees, and poops on a regular schedule. We have no other pets and a total of three adults in the house who love her to pieces.
Here is our daily routine:
530 am: Get up, have breakfast, and play for as long as she is interested, typically 20 minutes. She loves her fishing pole toy.
630 am: I leave for work. She cleans herself, plays a bit and visits with other household members. She will frequently wander the house mewing pitifully, especially near doors to the outside.
9:30 - 3:30: Sleeps with occasional breaks to urinate. Goes outside on a leash at some point for 20 minutes. Due to the weather, she did not go out yesterday. It was pouring slushy rain.
3:30-4:00: engages with people in the house.
4:00: dinner and play. May go outside a second time.
Afternoon/evening: sits near us while we eat dinner. Wanders, mews, plays, is brushed and sometimes gets catnip. Uses litter box to poop. Sits on my lap or hangs out in my area generally.
8 pm: Gets in bed or on chair near my bed to clean herself and rest. I go to sleep about 9 pm and she usually does too.
3 am: Walks on my face, whines, cries for a bit then settles back down.
She enjoys her fishing pole toy and a few "mice". Loves the catnip on them. We have tried bags and boxes, newspaper balls, those plastic rings with a ball inside and a scratching pad. She does not care for them. She has access to and loves being on various chairs throughout the house. The one she peed on today was a favorite.
She does like to claw and gnaw on bark from outside occasionally.
How else can we entertain her or provide entertainment? I don't want her bored. She is SO curious and smart! She CONSTANTLY wants to go outside, but we don't do that without a leash.
She has a clean bill of health from the vet. She eats, drinks, pees, and poops on a regular schedule. We have no other pets and a total of three adults in the house who love her to pieces.
Here is our daily routine:
530 am: Get up, have breakfast, and play for as long as she is interested, typically 20 minutes. She loves her fishing pole toy.
630 am: I leave for work. She cleans herself, plays a bit and visits with other household members. She will frequently wander the house mewing pitifully, especially near doors to the outside.
9:30 - 3:30: Sleeps with occasional breaks to urinate. Goes outside on a leash at some point for 20 minutes. Due to the weather, she did not go out yesterday. It was pouring slushy rain.
3:30-4:00: engages with people in the house.
4:00: dinner and play. May go outside a second time.
Afternoon/evening: sits near us while we eat dinner. Wanders, mews, plays, is brushed and sometimes gets catnip. Uses litter box to poop. Sits on my lap or hangs out in my area generally.
8 pm: Gets in bed or on chair near my bed to clean herself and rest. I go to sleep about 9 pm and she usually does too.
3 am: Walks on my face, whines, cries for a bit then settles back down.
She enjoys her fishing pole toy and a few "mice". Loves the catnip on them. We have tried bags and boxes, newspaper balls, those plastic rings with a ball inside and a scratching pad. She does not care for them. She has access to and loves being on various chairs throughout the house. The one she peed on today was a favorite.
She does like to claw and gnaw on bark from outside occasionally.
How else can we entertain her or provide entertainment? I don't want her bored. She is SO curious and smart! She CONSTANTLY wants to go outside, but we don't do that without a leash.
Best answer: I don't think you have enough info to know why she peed outside her box just once. Maybe she has a urinary tract infection? Maybe she has crystals developing in her bladder? Maybe she had never sat on that cushion before and it (for some reason) smelled like another cat's pee, so she tried to mark it?
There are just so many possibilities, it is hard to know what might be the one true cause. I'd just suggest (as painful as this is) doing everything you normally do for the next few days --i.e., the routine exactly as laid out above -- and see if it happens again (and again, and again).* If it does, note the location and time of day. Then see a vet to help you figure out what might be wrong.
*Be sure to absolutely get the urine smell out of that one item, or else it may signal to her that this is an OK place to continue her future micturation endeavours!
posted by Halo in reverse at 10:42 AM on November 2, 2015 [7 favorites]
There are just so many possibilities, it is hard to know what might be the one true cause. I'd just suggest (as painful as this is) doing everything you normally do for the next few days --i.e., the routine exactly as laid out above -- and see if it happens again (and again, and again).* If it does, note the location and time of day. Then see a vet to help you figure out what might be wrong.
*Be sure to absolutely get the urine smell out of that one item, or else it may signal to her that this is an OK place to continue her future micturation endeavours!
posted by Halo in reverse at 10:42 AM on November 2, 2015 [7 favorites]
You can't assume that your kitty is still healthy, unfortunately. You might want to wait a bit and see if this behavior repeats or if you notice other changes in routine. It could be a UTI or some kind of other discomfort. You said you just got her in October, yes? (she's beautiful, btw!) Which means she's recently had a change in food, she's still getting used to new life with you/new environs. This can all lead to odd behaviors.
But let's assume your assumption, that she's bored, is correct. I have a similarly inclined cat (in that he needs constant stimulation, not the peeing on chairs part). So some things I do to try to make his life a little more interesting: I make sure every day that before I leave for work I open the curtains on his favorite windows and make sure his perches are available, which gives him a lot to look at all day. I have a couple of kitty tunnels for him to hide in and several toys out that he can carry around in his mouth. I use the laser pointer and fishing pole toys when I get home (and sometimes when I work from home). I have a couple of automatic toys like the Cat's Meow that he likes. Sometimes I put on an iPad game for him when I'm home. I used to stream one of those shelter/rescue kitty cams for him on my big monitor. He really liked that.
But the biggest fun for him is that we have another cat. He chases her around when she tolerates it (she's not his biggest fan). Some of his day is spent watching her, hanging out near her, and jumping on her. For now I'd advise sticking to your routines, put some plastic on the chair seats for now to discourage unwelcome elimination (or take them off altogether), and give her some time. If she can't settle down, maybe she'd like another kitty! Probably a boy kitty.
(BTW — my boy didn't do very well with the automated laser pointer. He'd go right up to it and knock it over. He gets where the light comes from so he thinks that it might be fun to attack that thing. It's not something I'd leave on in the house when someone wasn't there)
posted by clone boulevard at 10:54 AM on November 2, 2015
But let's assume your assumption, that she's bored, is correct. I have a similarly inclined cat (in that he needs constant stimulation, not the peeing on chairs part). So some things I do to try to make his life a little more interesting: I make sure every day that before I leave for work I open the curtains on his favorite windows and make sure his perches are available, which gives him a lot to look at all day. I have a couple of kitty tunnels for him to hide in and several toys out that he can carry around in his mouth. I use the laser pointer and fishing pole toys when I get home (and sometimes when I work from home). I have a couple of automatic toys like the Cat's Meow that he likes. Sometimes I put on an iPad game for him when I'm home. I used to stream one of those shelter/rescue kitty cams for him on my big monitor. He really liked that.
But the biggest fun for him is that we have another cat. He chases her around when she tolerates it (she's not his biggest fan). Some of his day is spent watching her, hanging out near her, and jumping on her. For now I'd advise sticking to your routines, put some plastic on the chair seats for now to discourage unwelcome elimination (or take them off altogether), and give her some time. If she can't settle down, maybe she'd like another kitty! Probably a boy kitty.
(BTW — my boy didn't do very well with the automated laser pointer. He'd go right up to it and knock it over. He gets where the light comes from so he thinks that it might be fun to attack that thing. It's not something I'd leave on in the house when someone wasn't there)
posted by clone boulevard at 10:54 AM on November 2, 2015
Any cat that has a sudden change in litterbox habits should go to the vet ASAP, even if she had a clean bill of health a week ago. Urinary tract infections can develop quickly and they're very easy to treat.
Generally speaking, cats with impeccable litterbox habits who suddenly begin to relieve themselves in other places are trying to tell you that something isn't right.
posted by jesourie at 10:55 AM on November 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
Generally speaking, cats with impeccable litterbox habits who suddenly begin to relieve themselves in other places are trying to tell you that something isn't right.
posted by jesourie at 10:55 AM on November 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
Nthing the vet--we assumed that our male cat peeing inappropriately was due to the stress of a recent move, but he ended up having crystals in his urine. (Well, they were probably triggered by the stress of the move, so we weren't wrong, but he needed vet assistance.)
posted by telophase at 11:22 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by telophase at 11:22 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I agree that you should probably check this out with the vet. UTIs and the like can crop up suddenly, so unless she was at the vet yesterday, I don't think you can rule out something like that.
Assuming she does have a clean bill of health, what's the situation with her litterbox? Do you clean it several times a day? Have you switched litter types recently. If you only have one box, you may consider getting a second litterbox in case she decides she doesn't like the old one. Either way, I would definitely make sure you're cleaning it regularly. Cats can be pretty fussy about that kind of thing (understandably).
Also, I would probably move that particular chair somewhere that she can't get to it for awhile in addition to cleaning it very, very thoroughly. Even if the smell is gone, she may still have it in her head that this is the chair she pees on, so keeping it away for awhile could help. When you re-introduce it, consider putting something on it that blocks her from going up there for awhile, just to be on the safe side.
If this is related to boredom, and all else fails, you might consider getting a second cat. Sometimes it can be tricky getting two strange cats to become friends (much easier if it's pair bonded kittens), but if she's a social cat and you can find a second cat that's similarly social, it really is the best way to keep your kitty friend entertained.
posted by litera scripta manet at 11:35 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Assuming she does have a clean bill of health, what's the situation with her litterbox? Do you clean it several times a day? Have you switched litter types recently. If you only have one box, you may consider getting a second litterbox in case she decides she doesn't like the old one. Either way, I would definitely make sure you're cleaning it regularly. Cats can be pretty fussy about that kind of thing (understandably).
Also, I would probably move that particular chair somewhere that she can't get to it for awhile in addition to cleaning it very, very thoroughly. Even if the smell is gone, she may still have it in her head that this is the chair she pees on, so keeping it away for awhile could help. When you re-introduce it, consider putting something on it that blocks her from going up there for awhile, just to be on the safe side.
If this is related to boredom, and all else fails, you might consider getting a second cat. Sometimes it can be tricky getting two strange cats to become friends (much easier if it's pair bonded kittens), but if she's a social cat and you can find a second cat that's similarly social, it really is the best way to keep your kitty friend entertained.
posted by litera scripta manet at 11:35 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: To answer a question: Litterbox is kept meticulously clean. It is scooped several times a day and she used it without batting an eye from day 1.
posted by harrietthespy at 11:54 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by harrietthespy at 11:54 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Double nthing a trip to the vet to check for a UTI.
posted by thomas j wise at 12:05 PM on November 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by thomas j wise at 12:05 PM on November 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Other signs to watch out for: apparent straining or discomfort while peeing, unsuccessful attempts to pee, suddenly going to the litter box a lot, excessive grooming of the nether regions, peeing in a way that's meant to get your attention (e.g. right in front of you, or in your shoes or handbag). Cats can have urinary problems without any of these symptoms, but their presence is usually a red flag. A urinary tract blockage is a medical emergency. Keep an extra-close eye on her and her litter box for the next 24-48 hours, and call the vet right away if anything about her or her box seems strange.
All that said, it might not be physical in nature. Cats have a tendency to literally get pissed off about seemingly minor things. If there have been any changes or new smells in the room, or in her litter box, she might be expressing her displeasure over that. If your dining room has big windows and she can see or smell a neighbor cat through them, she could be attempting to mark her territory.
For additional entertainment options, I think she'd especially like some shelves on the wall for her to climb, and maybe a bird feeder outside a window. A cardboard box with a couple holes cut in it and a toy inside might interest her, and maybe a puzzle feeder. If you have hardwood floors, hard ball-style cat toys are worth a try. Since she's smart and outgoing, she's probably a good candidate for clicker training - you could train her to fetch, which will give her maximum entertainment and exercise without you having to get up!
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:38 PM on November 2, 2015
All that said, it might not be physical in nature. Cats have a tendency to literally get pissed off about seemingly minor things. If there have been any changes or new smells in the room, or in her litter box, she might be expressing her displeasure over that. If your dining room has big windows and she can see or smell a neighbor cat through them, she could be attempting to mark her territory.
For additional entertainment options, I think she'd especially like some shelves on the wall for her to climb, and maybe a bird feeder outside a window. A cardboard box with a couple holes cut in it and a toy inside might interest her, and maybe a puzzle feeder. If you have hardwood floors, hard ball-style cat toys are worth a try. Since she's smart and outgoing, she's probably a good candidate for clicker training - you could train her to fetch, which will give her maximum entertainment and exercise without you having to get up!
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:38 PM on November 2, 2015
Best answer: Our second cat Crocket peed on our spare bed the other day, with no warning and no litterbox issues of any kind on the run up to this.
I knew that the upstairs litter box was being utilized more frequently by our two cats than the downstairs one, so I assumed it was a turf war and I added another large litter box in the similar vicinity but away from the spare bedroom.
I also watched out a lot for all of these symptoms apparent straining or discomfort while peeing, unsuccessful attempts to pee, suddenly going to the litter box a lot, excessive grooming of the nether regions, and I figured that if he exhibited any one of these signs OR peed somewhere inappropriate again, then I would take him to the vet.
Crocket has been happily peeing and pooping in the other litter box now which does indicate to me that the issue was behavioral...many litter box type issues can be easily solved with the addition of more boxes. But of course, I agree a vet trip will be in order if it happens again, or if little kitty seems in pain.
posted by JenThePro at 2:08 PM on November 2, 2015
I knew that the upstairs litter box was being utilized more frequently by our two cats than the downstairs one, so I assumed it was a turf war and I added another large litter box in the similar vicinity but away from the spare bedroom.
I also watched out a lot for all of these symptoms apparent straining or discomfort while peeing, unsuccessful attempts to pee, suddenly going to the litter box a lot, excessive grooming of the nether regions, and I figured that if he exhibited any one of these signs OR peed somewhere inappropriate again, then I would take him to the vet.
Crocket has been happily peeing and pooping in the other litter box now which does indicate to me that the issue was behavioral...many litter box type issues can be easily solved with the addition of more boxes. But of course, I agree a vet trip will be in order if it happens again, or if little kitty seems in pain.
posted by JenThePro at 2:08 PM on November 2, 2015
Response by poster: Thank you, everyone. I appreciate it.
posted by harrietthespy at 2:16 PM on November 2, 2015
posted by harrietthespy at 2:16 PM on November 2, 2015
BTW- as was mentioned upstream, once an item is peed upon, you have to get the odor out completely or it will be considered as a peeable surface no matter the original reason. Nature's Miracle is the stuff that works on getting odor out. I have not heard of anything else that really get the odor out. And be aware, it doesn't necessarily work in all cases.
posted by rtimmel at 2:31 PM on November 2, 2015
posted by rtimmel at 2:31 PM on November 2, 2015
Yeah...I've actually never heard of a cat peeing in unusual places outof boredom. By *far* the most common reason for what you're describing is medical.
Anecdata point: last year one of my cats jumped up and spontaneously peed in the (human) toilet. She'd never done that before, and after a few minutes of "um, wow, did that actually just happen?", I called the vet. They said to bring her in, so I did, and she went home with antibiotics for a UTI.
posted by aecorwin at 3:16 PM on November 2, 2015
Anecdata point: last year one of my cats jumped up and spontaneously peed in the (human) toilet. She'd never done that before, and after a few minutes of "um, wow, did that actually just happen?", I called the vet. They said to bring her in, so I did, and she went home with antibiotics for a UTI.
posted by aecorwin at 3:16 PM on November 2, 2015
Cats peeing outside of their litter boxes has in my experience been because of one of two things:
1) There aren't enough litter boxes, and they aren't being cleaned often enough
2) The cat has a UTI.
posted by turbid dahlia at 4:36 PM on November 2, 2015
1) There aren't enough litter boxes, and they aren't being cleaned often enough
2) The cat has a UTI.
posted by turbid dahlia at 4:36 PM on November 2, 2015
after similar symptoms we also took our (male) cat to the vet. Checked out- a ok. the next week he'd hold up behind the sofa. at that point it was an emergency...he was noticeably warm. the undiagnosed uti was about to take him down. Vet said he couldn't have gotten it the 1st time we took him in. cats get worse so quickly...if we hadn't had inside cameras we wouldn't have known his lack of normal activity. RedOfFangandClaw lived and prospered. that week gives us pause to this day. His chow was changed to better help stop any recurrence. [our experience may be more common in male cats~~we went though it all with the vet, especially the chow Red ate.]
posted by Twist at 10:38 PM on November 2, 2015
posted by Twist at 10:38 PM on November 2, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by chaiminda at 10:24 AM on November 2, 2015