Cat Not Using Litter Box All the Time

I have three cats plus many dogs..lol..you have received many good ideas - uti, box location etc. My 12 year old cat is very particular about his litter and will not use the box if he doesn't like what is in there...have you changed litter recently? Good luck, you can work this out.

Hi J.,
If she were going anywhere other than your bed I would suspect a urinary tract infection. (which still may be the case) However, in my experience, cats urinate on the bed when something in their life has changed. (i.e. new baby, new marriage, recent move, new pet, etc.) If you live anywhere close to Grapevine I'd take her to Dr. Hartland at Hartland Cat Hospital. She is the cat expert in the area and a wonderful vet. I can understand you not wanting to get rid of her and I feel sure Dr. Hartland can help. Good luck!
M. Casella
____@____.com

you definately need to take her to the vet to see if it's a medical problem. my cat started doing this when he was much older, but it was the first sign of a serious illness. it also happened one other time with a UTI.

if it's psychological, it may be harder to break her of the habit. if anything's changed in her/your lives that may be contributing.

good luck!

Hi,

I would definately check for a UTI at your vet. My cat stopped using her box for a couple of weeks because we had moved her food bowls to close to her box. Also, I would just go back in your mind to see if you had changed the litter you bought...sometimes they can be REALLY picky.

Good Luck!

Hi J.,
You probably will have to get rid of them. I had two at different times and they both did that. Oh, You think its easier than a dog because they will go in a litter box. I had 3 boxes to try and get them to stop because me and my daughter were attached. No go. Had to get rid of them. You have to remember. In the long run thay are animal. There doesn't have to be a reason. People just speculate about what could be the cause and you end up prolonging the inevitable and getting your house ruined in the meantime. Sorry I wish I had the answer.
Lonie

I can completely understand your situation! We had a black kitty named Fred which we adopted last year. He had accidents all over our house! From our couch to our bed to our rugs to our bathtub....he went everywhere! We tried everything because my boys were attached too....they picked him out from the SPCA! Unfortunately it got really bad when we were out of town for a few days....he completely destroyed our bed and our couch! We had to buy a whole new couch and all new bedding thanks for Kitty Fred! And as hard as it was to get rid of him...I just kept reminding myself how much our new sofa and bedding cost us. But I have to admit, I do miss him tremendoushly and it breaks my heart when my 4 year old tells me "I miss Kitty Fred!" But I know in the long run, it was the only thing to do....we tried everything else! So I hope your kitty doesn't cause as much damage as ours did but I just wnated to let you know....I have been there too! Good luck!

Hi J.
You know what, I'm having the same problem! Approximately same age cat, too.
I have found that when she does this she is acting out because she's not getting enough attention (it's hard with kids and job). Give her some extra attention for a few days and see if she still does it. I bet she doesn't! Good luck. Its frustrating, I know.
J.

I don't know why she is doing this. Go to Petsmart and get petzyme...it will get rid of the smell that is now attracting her back to the spot to go potty. You will need to do it in early am and let it have chance to dry and add a little to the wash to make sure to get the enzyme out of the bedding. Best I can offer is to ask your vet, guess as to any changes inthe house, and keep the box clean.

My father-in-law is a vet...
Two possible problems...
Urinary Tract Infection or it may be behavioral. Have you introduced anything new that the cat may be jealous??

J.,
I have had many cats all my life, I have 5 now. The responses you are getting are great and I agree with all of them except the one that says get rid of them. That person is not a cat person and does not understand them. My first instinct is to say the cat is "Pissed" off. No pun intended. The location of the attack is a direct attack on you or your husband. Try to figure out what she wants and give it to her. I have a cat that does the same exact thing, and what I figured out that she wants is to go outside whenever she asks. So now when she goes to the back door and looks up I let her out, even when I don't want her out. She does not do that when she gets her daily dose of the outdoors. This cat was raised to be in or out and when I decided to not let her out she rebeled. Your cat may want attention, different litter, or there is the possibility she has a uti like the other responses told you. Your cat definately needs to be checked for that. It is sometimes hard to read what they want but with patience you will find out. Let me know if I can be of help to you any further.
Cat Woman,
T. W.

Mine had done that when she's upset with us, dirty box and sometimes we just don't know why. It's always on our clothes when she does. Good luck, because that is such an awful smell. Odor Ban from Sam's is great on that stuff and I use World's Best Litter. No chemicals and flushable and safe on my cat. It's made from crushed corn. You can find it at Pets Mart or Petco.

I agree with the others about the UTI. I have 4 cats, and have been through that. Before you get rid of the cat, take her to the vet, if still nothing, put the cat outside and bring her in everyday and watch her and play with her. All my cats are outside cats now but they come in everyday for a visit. They love being outside. Make sure the cat is updated on all its shots before you put her outside.

Mother of a beautiful 7 month old son, wife to a wonderful husband.

J.

We had a similar problem with our cat when we moved.

To get the smell out, try using 1/2 white vingar and 1/2 water. We used it on a stain that was a week or more old and it got the smell out completely.

Regarding what is causing the problem, your cat may have a urinary tract infection. You should take her to the vet. Alternatively, she may have just decided to reject her litter box location. If that is the case, your vet should have some good recommendations regarding how to address that - in our case we had to move the litter box and have the area she was urinating in professionally cleaned (it was carpet so there was a problem getting the pad completely dry).

Good luck!

We just had the same problem with our cat before we moved. He started peeing on our bed when we had a house full of guests visiting and they would lock him out of the room his litter box was in. So, we moved his litter box to a location he wouldn't be locked out. Unfortunatelly, it continued to happen after everyone left. Only this time he would pee near one wall in the dining room. I then started to reflect on similar issues I've had with other cats I've owned in the past. It couldn't be a bladdar problem because he had no blood in his urin. So, it had to be teritorial because in the five years we've had him he never did this until the neighbors next door in our apartment complex got a dog. He must be peeing on the other side of the dining room wall and my cat could smell it. Our cat stopped this behavior once we moved.

Before we moved we had to clean it up and get the smell out. My husband went to Pesmart and they refered him to a cleaning product that worked well and then we sprayed Febreeze to help with the smell. I know there is also a product out there that you can spray in areas that will deter a cat from peeing there.

My suggestion for you would be to first check with your vet and make sure your cat doesn't have a health reason she is trying to tell you about. If they determine it's behavioral then they should be able to advise you of methods to correct it. I know cats can get very jelouse and very teritorial. Sometimes their behavior is a way to communicate what is going on.