Please Make It Stop!

My brothe-in-law has a cat that started doing this same thing, I do not recall exactly what was wrong, but it was something like kidney stones. Anyway, it was not too expensive and he is fine now although he does have to be on a special diet (more expensive than grocery store brands, but not outragous!)
I would call the vet.
Good Luck.

Only thing I can think of is that the cat is upset about something or she has a medical condition. Take her to the vet asap to rule anything out. I once had a cat that did that and I didn't respond soon enough and he died of kidney failure. Also, is she spayed? If not, get her fixed.

Hi S., I had a cat when I was little that started doing that and it turned out to be a UTI. Just wanted to add my 2 cents and agree with everyone else make a vet appointment. Good Luck!

Hi S. -

I once had a cat that began doing that. He did not like my little Jack Russell Terrier (or was very nervous by her - we aren't sure which). We got him as a kitten but I think as he got past the kitten stage he didn't like to play like he had used to and the dog never got that through her head. Cat pee IS awful so I can totally understand where you are coming from. Thankfully, I had a HUGE laundry room with a bay window and linoleum flooring so I began keeping him in there with the door closed. He didn't pee in there except for his litter box. That seemed to work well BUT when I found someone to adopt him I did that as I felt like he probably didn't get quite enough attention living in the laundry room as we only went in there mostly to attend to laundry. So, in the end it was sad for us but better for him!!! He didn't have any problems from what I know at his new dog-free house. The decision was made after I took him for a checkup at the vet and the vet told me that since it wasn't medical, it was behavioral, meaning it probably wouldn't change unless the situation changed. We had had the dog for 4 1/2 years and the cat for 6-7 months. It was a VERY HARD decision. I still miss him BUT I know he is happier.
I can totally understand that you want to keep your kitty! I would say take her to a vet and see if you can find one that has studied a lot on behavioral issues with cats. Maybe they can give you some ideas. Cats are very sensitive creatures so maybe if you figure out what she is bothered or uncomfortable by then you maybe you will be able to fix it.
I am a germ freak too so I can absolutely see your point on the smell factor. Plus, cat pee is very pungent and hard to get out. My vet told me once they start doing that it is very, very hard to break. I do hope you can figure out something! Good luck!!!

Also - I am very sorry for you anf your family's loss! :(

Take her to the vet. She probably has a urinary tract infection or something else could be wrong.

Also, to get rid of the urine smell... after cleaning the spot with an enzyme cleaner, try making sachets filled with coffee beans. Let the beans set on the spot and it will help soak up the smell.

Another thought just occurred to me... you say it's been happening for several months? How long? Could this be a reaction to her missing your children's father? Pets get depressed too... just a thought.

We are having the exact same problem...my male cat is doing this especially in my kid's closet EWW. I hate it. I will be watching your responses to see what everyone has to say about it!

I've never had a cat but I had a chocolate lab that would do this when she didn't get enough attention or thought she had been slighted... As a tight family, I would recommend a family conference to discuss each situation in depth...what happened leading up to it, what could have caused her to do this? No reprocussions, just honest answers as to what is going on...I mean, let's face it...kids will be kids and it is fun to see what a "Cat-a-pult" will do...LOL...not saying your kids have but you catch my drift.

Also, if your schedules have changed and you are paying her enough attention, that will definitely cause it...the situation needs to be addressed or kitty goes outside or to another home....

BTW- my lab always peed on our bed...even appropriate sides based on who she was mad at; hubby or me!

Give her the benefit of the doubt and take her to the vet for an examination, but I'm pretty certain they are going to just tell you it's a behavioural and territorial thing...something has her fur ruffled.

Don't underestimate the cat, she knows what she is doing is wrong. It's not like she doesn't know where she's supposed to go to the bathroom. Sounds crazy, but I'd have a chat with the cat too! She needs to know that marking her territory in that manner is unacceptable.

4yrs old isnt old for a cat. She could have a urinary tract infection oo something else going on with her, I would call the vet and check with them. Has she been fixed?

Hi, S.! So sorry to hear about your cat difficulties! My first suggestion would be to make sure that the cat doesn't have a urinary tract infection of some sort. In dogs, I know that this is a symptom. I would also look for changes in your family. I noticed that you have a newborn. My guess is that your cat is, well, basically jealous. Some animals really have a hard time adjusting to such life changes. If (s)he checks out okay with the vet, I would ask the vet for some suggestions, as well as checking with some cat rescue groups that might have some helpful ideas too. Look for a rescue group that deals particularly with cats. In our area, there is a group called Cats R Us. Sorry, I don't know the website off hand. Hope this helps! Blessings!

well since she's a girl she's not spraying, i'd say it's probably more of a stress/behavioral issue (cori, with your male cat it might be spraying - we had a cat that we had from a kitten, and couldn't get him in to get fixed right away, so by the time we did he'd sprayed about everywhere, and i think even though we cleaned like crazy he could still smell it because even after he was fixed he kept right on doing it in the same places - we gave him to my brother and his house was pee-free, and he never sprayed over there at all) anyway, i'm no animal behaviorist but i do know cats are WIERD and get their noses out of joint for apparently no reason. you mentioned you have a new baby, could that be a stresser for the cat? or a recent move or anything? i would talk to your vet, obviously it's a big problem. they also make sprays that are supposed to deter them from peeing in an area, but i don't know if that's for females, or just males who are spraying. i'm not a cat person myself but i have "ended up" with two, since we are in an apartment that doesn't take dogs. hope it works out for you, i know how the little ones get attached!

PS, LOVE your saying "never give a child more than you want to clean up". never heard it put like that but i realized, that's what i live by too!

good luck!

Sometimes this is an infection like the other poster suggested. But often times it's a behavioral thing. Sometimes they are marking territory if there are other cats in the house. But sometimes they develop fetishes.

I have a cat that will pee on anything that is on the floor and wet. This means we can not have a towel or rug on the floor outside the shower. So we got rid of the rug and we pick up our towels immediately. We can not keep wet laundry in a basket in the hallway or the cat will pee in it. Oddly enough, I find this behavior interesting in that we have no business leaving this stuff lying around. Is it possible in some strange way the cats like the house to be clean just so? When my house is picked up and we don't have laundry laying around we have zero problems.

I also have a theory about the blankets and clothing on the floor. Dirty clothes and towels we have dried ourselves with have bodily odors and fluids on them. It's in such a trace amount we don't notice it, but cats do. It's possible that in their mind that stuff is wet, it stinks already so it should be peed on.

Also, sometimes they don't like their litter, where it's at or that they are sharing it. I make it a rule to have litter in at least 3-4 places in the house and to have it clean all the time. We have tried various kinds until we settled on the crystal cat litter that Walmart sells. It's the only litter of it's kind that is affordable. It keeps the urine from smelling just so long as we change it weekly. Since we have 4 boxes in the house, none of them get too bad before we change them.

Sometimes the animal is mad for another reason like they don't like the food or that they feel neglected or something in their lives has changed.

With a cat like this you just have to be very vigilent. I think it's great that you can probably deal with this by making sure blankets and clothing never sit around or get left on the floor. I'd get more litter boxes and experiment with better litters and maybe even buy a better brand of catfood if you aren't using something high end. It wouldn't hurt to use the science diet that was developed for cats prone to urinary tract infections. Then you'll be covering all the basics.

Don't forget that if the cat can smell any urine from previous times he's peed, then they will keep doing it in that spot. So you'll want to bleach the floors like crazy in those places. Just picking up the clothes may keep you from smelling it, but they have better noses than we do.

Goodluck.

Suzi