Cat Trouble

S.,
I don't know where you live but I would be afraid that my cats would be done in by the coyotes where I am. My neighbor's cats have been outdoor cats for 14 yrs, another's barely lasted 1 yr. I would try all of the litter box suggestions first. You might even put plastic next to the litter box to limit where you find pee.
Decide which would traumatize you more, having them in a new home or possibly having them torn up. I would probably not sleep much, listening for them.
This is really hard, been there and put him out and he was gone in a week due to car accident.
K.

I feel your pain; that is such a hard situation. They seem to resent their "replacement", right? I don't know if you've tried this, but some cats like to have their own litter box. Have you tried setting up 2 of them? Also, my cat peed ALL the time when I lived in an apt where she couldn't really go out (she had never gone out; it's not like she had a big yard before or something). As soon as we moved to a house and she could go out she completely stopped peeing inside.
Another thing that can work is to move the litter box to wherever your cats are peeing OR to put their food there. That assumes that there's a main place that they are going. This may sound ridiculous, but maybe you could even put multiple bowls of food in all the places they go and spray it w/ catnip and make it so nice that they couldn't possibly think of defiling it.
Or just let them duke it out w/ the neighborhood cats a few hours a day.
Good luck to you; I know this is so incredibly maddening. I'd love to hear if you do find a solution.

I assume that when you say they don't have anything healthwise wrong with them that you have recently had their urine checked for crystals? If you had them checked before your son came home and they were fine, doesn't mean they are still fine. Crystals can develop in a short amount of time and are painful so the cat thinks using their litter box equals pain - so they try other places.
If you've recently had a urinalysis done on each cat and you said you've tried all the pheromone products (hopefully not all at once), I would start by adding more litter boxes - especially if they are urinating in the same spot. We used to have a cat that urinated inappropriately. We ended up having 4 litter boxes around the house and that pretty much solved it. Yes, it is a pain to have to check and clean that many, but if you think your cats are worth it, then you'll find time to do it. Note that they can just be plain cheap boxes.
Another thing you can try if you're going to put out different boxes is different types of litter in each box. You may find that they have a preference of what kind of litter they use.
Do you know for sure that it is both cats peeing outside of the box? Have you actually caught both in the act? Are you finding the urine just on the floor or on your sons toys or on piles of mail (our late cat's favorite *cringe*)? If they are gravitating toward certain things, you can try to eliminate those spots.
I used to work for a vet so if you need someone to bounce ideas off of, feel free to send me a message.
Good luck!

Hello-I adopted a cat about two years ago and she too was not urinating in her litter box. It went on for about six months until I realized she did not like the automated litter box (LitterMaid I believe it was). Cats are so easily spooked. I went out and bought one of those cheap litter boxes and she never did it again. It seems the simplest you keep things for some cats the better off they do. I hope you find a solution!
Blessings-
Elizabeth

My 14 year old cat started peeing in the bathroom (not too big a problem) and then in my daughter's closet on the carpet (BIG problem). I tried everything but the smell is next to impossible to get out to THEIR noses so they will keep going back to the same spots. I do use Incredible which is an enzyme cleaner that you can get at Krogers/Target/HEB and works VERY well and is not THAT expensive. I took him to the vet and she ruled out any illness that would cause him to act up. Then she gave me a lesson on cat psychology and kitty boxes. Basically- they don't necessarily like those covered kitty boxes. I had gotten one of those in an attempt to keep the litter in the box. Get one box for each cat. They like to be able to come into the box from the long side- so put the short end up against the wall. If they are old cats then a lower edge on the kitty box might be easier for them to get into- if it's an effort- they may not feel like making an effort. So I tried everything she said. We have two boxes up stairs - both under one table w/ short ends against the wall- close but not touching. The cats can enter from all three sides for each box. No covers. They are cleaned religiously EVERY morning. And VOILA! no more accidents. Also-if you are using a heavily scented kitty litter- it may bug your cats' noses. Try a plain litter. And those automatic cleaners may have gone off and scared the cats- so they won't use it- maybe it's scary. I could not believe it was so easy a solution - you just had to think like a cat. Not ONE accident since I have made these cahnges. I even got to replace the carpet once he had cleaned up his act! Good luck.

Hi S.,
I guess you know by now that cats are very jealous and sensitive animals- once they start what they are doing they do not stop- you have no choice except to get rid of these cats..........sorry- it is just their nature to behave this way at times. They are "angry" at you . I have had this experience and it is difficult to have to give cats away or put them down but for health reasons I don;t think you have a choice at this time.
Sorry
good luck and blessings

Prozac. They have a generic for cats, and it works!!! If you are sure they don't have kidney stones, or any bladder problems, use this. Promise..it works GREAT!!

Hi S., I didn't have time to read the responses so you may have already read this. Anyway, it is very difficult to stop the behavior once it starts. However, I seem to remember reading something several years ago about a medication that you could give to cats to help with this. I recommend you speak with your Vet about it because other than that it is nearly impossible to stop them. My problem started when my mom moved in with her cats. I already had a cat that was 11 years old, when hers moved in they started a pee war. We ended up having to tear out our carpet downstairs and tile the floor in 2 rooms. I didn't find out about the medicine until after we replaced the floor.

I admit that I am a dog person but these cats sound like more trouble than they're worth. I would try to find them a home because you have enough to deal with, then you can focus on what is important - your baby and husband. When your boy is old enough, you might consider a puppy for him.

You have some MAD kitties! Mine like to urinate in the laundry! NOT a fun surprise when I go to do the wash.

Have you tried confining them to one area? Not something I like to do, but it may help. Do they have unlimited access to you? My oldest is 12 and my cats are only now warming to him (they are 14 and 17).

I would try to spend more time with them. It may be that they are jealous and want more attention.

I do not know what else to offer, sorry! Good Luck!

You can call your vet, and they will prescribe a pill the cats can take for a while until the behavioral issues end.

We have been thru this with our five year old boy and girl cats too and still there is an occasional accident. We also have one female and one male. We have an automatic box and now two other regular ones. We read a lot about it and they just change some times and need an additional box. They just did not like sharing a box any more. And even though you have an auto box you still may have to change the litter out more than normal. We two have tried many products but have used a product that you can get online that was affordable and a large size, and it smells normal not weird called "Dumb Cat"
...funny right?! that worked fur us too. Mostly we had to eliminate any temptations like you have tried to do. We found that our cats and read that lots of cats detest down feathers. They ruined three bedspreads and some pillows - so now more down for us. Anyway I know this can be hard. Our cats have gotten better and I wish you the best.

You might try finding out if it is both cats misbehaving - perhaps boarding one or finding a friend to take one temporarily and then the other? I had two cats of the same age when my daughter was born - and it really didn't go well behavior wise. But my mother finally noticed that it seemed to be the female cat that started the problems and then her brother would get into the act. My mom volunteered to take the female and see if that made anything better. What a world of difference we saw when the one cat was on his own... Might not be the same thing - but might be worth it to see if seperating them helps you at least be able to keep one of your cats. My mother kept the female cat and she returned to normal once she didn't have the baby around!

I too have a pee'er, cat that it is, He has been doing it almost 15 years now. Not to be pessimisstic but once they start it is hard to stop. If you give them away, they will most likely continue doing it. I never had an issue with it until I moved to Houston and have no basement. He primarliy did it on the concrete. But now, oiy. My only solution that works 40% of the time is to fiugre out where they want to go and I laid down a shower curtain and line it with wee-wee puppy pads. He will pee on those. But I have to check on the countless times a day. They also sell a litter at Petsmart that attracts them to their box. It worked initially and on occasion still he may use the litter box. I love my cat, we deal. Don't have a lot of house guests over. LOL. I also had two preemies, one 31 weeker and one 34 weeker, both boys and are now 4 and 5 yo. You may also want to have the cats checked by a vet. Maybe there is a UTI, crystals in the bladder, could be their diet. My cats and dog didn't care that I had kids. This cat was an old tom cat and jsut refused his litter box. Oh gosh the stories i could tell about the trouble he has gotten me into. But I love my cat more than my carpet. We deal, but some days I get really sick of it too. hang in there.

Have you thought of setting up cameras to try & catch which one it is? What about putting a bell around one of the cat's necks that way, when it happens & you hear the bell tinkle you'll know which it is or maybe separating the two temporarily? Cats are funny creatures. When a change in their environment happens, like a new baby, they may change their behavior, their stress levels can elevate or they become very frustrated & just can't express themselve like we can. Sometimes change doesn't affect them at all & some breeds really change their behavior. You didn't say what breed they are or if they've been spayed/neutered. Maybe they're being territorial w/the new baby thinking the baby is some type of 'threat' to their environment or maybe they're possessive of you & feel very jealous of the new baby...having to spend more time w/the baby than the cats. If you live in a neighborhood type area then it may not be a good idea to let them out unless you have a screened in porch or closed in porch type area to let them out on, otherwise yes, they MAY run off, get runover or someone may take them so you may want to microchip them if that is your choice to let them out. It's a simple procedure & my cat didn't even seem to notice them injecting the chip in. That way, you can register your cat online in their database (the microchip company) in case they do run off or someone picks them up, they can be scanned & hopefully returned to you. Another worry is that they may get runover if left outside. I think indoor-outdoor cats are more happy b/c they're not indoors all the time & can get fresh air, etc. but if they're not used to being outdoors, they may not know what to do as far as their 'boundaries' lay (i.e. not running off). That's a hard situation to deal with. Some cats just cannot behave in a new situation & yes, you may hafta give the cats away b/c of this. There ARE other cats that behave VERY well w/children or have been around children/babies so if you have to find some new cats then I'd look on the SPCA type shelter websites like petfinder.com or even the Siamese cat rescue which is a WONDERFUL rescue (they have other cats besides Siamese if you don't want a Siamese), places like that will generally post online what the cat is used to being around like kids, babies, dogs, etc or if it's a single cat only household required. There are a great many cats who WILL behave themselves & unfortunately if you don't know which one of yours it is that's peeing then you may HAVE to give them away. Good luck & hope these suggestions help!

My cats get upset at certain things because they are very sensitive. You can move the furniture around and it will upset them. Any change can upset them. My friend got a new bathrug and her cat started urinating on it. I have always felt that when you adopt a pet it is for LIFE, no matter what, unless there is an aggression problem that could harm your child or someone else. Your cats would be happier with you than at a facility in a cage and they may not get adopted for a long time.Some cats stop eating at shelters and then go into liver failure. It doesn't take long for this to happen to a cat. I am a vet tech of 30 years and have seen this happen at our shelter. We force fed the cat, but it was in liver failure because of anorexia from depression. It died. Your cats were fine before the baby and they will be fine again, it may take some time though .How committed do you feel to the cats?. Have they given you a lot of love or a lot of trouble before the baby came into their world? Most animals bring happiness and give unconditional love to humans which we need to do in return. Sometimes something happens that makes them sad and confused like us. Give them as much love as you can in your free time. Get them new toys and their own furniture.They have great cat tree furniture at Petco. Introduce these things with the baby close by so they will associate good things with the baby. Catnip sometimes helps too. I have had to put a cat outside because I could not solve the problem any other way. They are in the garage at night where they are safe. They actually love the outdoors and my neighborhood is safe for them to be outside, but they don't leave the area either. I have heard that aluminum foil works great for where they are urinating. They don't like the slippery feel of it.You can put their food bowls there also so they won't use that area. Also multiple litter boxes too and I don't like the hooded ones. My cats have had problems with the hood so I got a bigger box like a rubbermaid plastic container without a lid and it is great. No more problems. Auto litter boxes scare them I have heard. I really hope you find a solution. The SPCA has a website and an animal behaviorist that could help you for no cost I believe. There are a lot of sites out there to help also.Take care and good luck.

S.,

You may want to consider finding them a new home because cat urine can be very hazardous to your baby's health. If you have gone to all of that effort to get them the list of things that would make them want to not pee on the floor then I think you have done pretty much all you can. Cats tend to be more hard headed than dogs and tend to do what they want. Well at least from my experience. It might be best to find them a new home and then later get another cat. Sometimes animals don't take well to being the baby and then being replaced with a human baby but if they are brought into a house that already has an infant or toddler then they understand their place better. Not that your cats would but you don't want them to become so jealous that they become aggessive towards your son. Good Luck either way.

i was a cat person. our pedi told us about the dangers of having a cat, cat box in the house. the cats carry all that bacteria all over there paws and track it threw the house. i hate to tell you because i know that cats are family but i would find the cats a good home. i would not have cats till your child is older and you wont have any babies around. ask your pedi what he thinks of cats in the house. i hope you find the answer, i am not judging you this is just what i would do. best wishes...really.