Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes

Cat Pees in Laundry Room! Post By Thomas (Guest Post) (12/05/2007) I have 2 cats and one or both of them keep peeing in our laundry room. I thought it was because the litter box wasnt perfectly cleaned. Everytime we get a new rug they pee on it, i dont know what to do and i dont know why they do it, i clean the litter box daily and they still pee...well one of them atleast. RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By Becky (Guest Post) (09/13/2007) My 3 year old kitty would also pee in the laundry. This summer we went on a 9 day vacation, so I bought a self cleaning litter box. She has never peed in the laundry again! The only thing I can figure is that she is one of those very finicky kitties that has to have a completely clean litter box every time she goes. Yes, it was a little expensive, ($80 at Wal-Mart) but is so worth it! Not only do I not have to rewash clothes because the smell didn't come out or soak it in Oxyclean (which works really well), I no longer have to scoop the litter! I know I sound like an ad for the self cleaning litter box, but this really worked for our kitty! Cat Peeing on bed Post By Diane (Guest Post) (06/19/2007) I have a 3 cats, 2 males and one female. The female has been peeing on our bed around the same spot on and off for a couple years. It started when my sister's dog mauled one of our cats to death in the presence of one of the males and the female. My sister not thinking put the dying cat on our bed where it died moments later. We threw away all the bedding and scrubbed the bed completely, which is a waterbed. Shortly after that incident the female started peeing on the bed close to the spot where our kitty died. She has also peed on other parts of the bed as well and pooped. Not wanting to restrict the males from coming in our room at night we put the female in the basement, where she has access to two litter boxes. We did this every night for a couple months and she did real good. Even though a couple weeks ago the basement got minor flooding. After it was all cleaned up and dried she started pooping on the basement floor. We had been letting her have free run of the house at night including our bedroom and for a couple weeks she didn't pee anywhere. Last night as we were trying to sleep, sure enough we smell that old familiar smell and look at our bed and there it is more pee in the same spot as always. So now she will be banned from the rest of the house at night. Is there anyone who can help me. I understand she was tramatized with the death of her fellow catmate, and maybe the basement flooding. But I am at my wits end. I love her and she has been in our family for 12 years since she was four weeks old. I bottle fed her and even had to stimulate her to go to the bathroom just like a mother cat would. I just don't know what to do with her. Thanks for any comments you might have. RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By gummybouncer (Guest Post) (05/07/2007) If your cat is peeing everywhere you might want to clean the litter box more often or buy another one. It is recomended that you have an extra litter box per number of cats you own. So if you own one cat you would want two litter boxes and so on. If you are not able to have an extra litter box try cleaning the one you have two or three times a day. If the problem still continues you might want to take the cat to the vet to rule out any health problems. If it's determined there is no health problem you could try moving the litter box to the area were the cat is peeing if able to. Also cats and dogs that are nuedered/spayed are less likely to spray urine around the house and has many other health benefits for the animal. For more info you can go here http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adopt_spayneuter .In regards to washing the clothes, I have found that washing them with white vinegar in addition to laundry detergant gets rid of the smell for both urine and poop. And you wont end up with a vinegar smell in your clothes. You can determine how much vinegar you want to add. If you can still smell the stuff after the clothes are dry wash again with more vinegar. RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By me (Guest Post) (05/07/2007) I really hate reading about everyone telling everyone else how terrible and how helpless cats become when they are declawed. Yes I agree it is a last ditch effort to get a cat to stop clawing things, yes I agree it's extremely painful, yes I believe it causes some cats so much anxiety that they stop using the box. But on the flip side I completely support declawing and properly caring for a declawed pet. The new laser declaw, while still painful is far less horrible a procedure than you would imagine. They don't usually take as much bone as older methods. Healing is quicker, and less painful and less stressful. My cat was and still is happy and healthy, and was running around and jumping on furniture the same night he came back from the vet. No blood, no real tenderness. He hated his antibiotic more than his lack of feet. He still scratches everything and continues to use the litterbox. And as for "poor defensless little declawed kitties" I know big brute cats, that would tell those sissy kitties to shove it! I personally know 3 outdoor, declawed cats who can fight with the neighbors dog (antagonizes it is more like it) and climb trees! Cats are smart and will adapt! But if you are going to declaw you need to be responsible about it and do your best to adapt to them as well. So, now I'm sure I've gotten a whole bunch of animal lovers mad... I won't be reading this string of posts again, so save yourself (and other readers) some time and don't bother cursing me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I just wanted to give some of the declawed cat owners some encouraging thoughts. I'm positive none of us did it to see just how much pain we could cause our cats! RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By Heather (Guest Post) (02/05/2007) Thank you everyone, we are having trouble with this too and I had no idea what to do. My cat is almost 12 years old and never had any issues before. In the last year she has suddenly started peeing on my clothes, either in the closet, on a chair, in the laundry hamper, wherever. When we cleaned those up she started peeing on beds and carpets. She's had the same litter box for years, and not much has changed. She is an inside only cat--she was declawed when I got her 12 years ago, a condition of having her in my college apartment. I thought it was old age, as she was upstairs and the litter was downstairs, until I realized she was jumping up on furniture to get to her peeing spots. We recently banned her from our bedroom, a first in 12 years, and she's done alright, but now is peeing and pooping on a bed in the basement. That's the thing--it always includes poop. She uses her litter box too--so its a real mystery as to why she's doing it. RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By natalie (Guest Post) (12/27/2006) I have two female fixed cats, 8 and 9 months (with their claws). We adopted them both about 4 months ago. From the very beginning the older one started to urinate on our fabrics; anything with our smell on it. Be it dirty clothes, pillows, or our bed. I am under the assumption that she does it when I am gone. If I come home late from work, even if my boyfriend is here with here, she will urinate on the bed. Whenever he is out of town for work they sleep in our bedroom and she does fine. However, if she begins to feel neglected by me she will urinate on anything cushiony (Throw pillows, blankets, duvets, pillows, and clothes). Because it is not possible to always be with them, I have made sure to continuously keep their litter clean. Also, if we will be gone overnight I make sure a friend stops by to visit with them and to replenish their food. One thing not mentioned above is the need for kittens and young cats to have a routine for their food. We leave dry food out but only replenish it once a day. we make sure this is done around the same time everyday to give them a schedule. These ideas can only help. I don't think there is a defintive answer to stopping this nuisance! Good luck! Things that have helped slightly... Post By Selya Eve (Guest Post) (10/18/2006) My fiancee and I live in La Maddalena, Italy and we came apon a stray cat, about 1 year old. We brought her into our home and figured out that she must have been a house cat befoer a stray, she used her litter box right away. About two months ago she was spayed and was also diagnosed with FeLV (feline lukemia) so she has been to the vet numerous times for blood work and vaccinations since. Ever since her initial visit for spaying she has been peeing outside of her litter box in the same room, mostly on the laundry to be done, so we have to wash our clothes two to three times per load. At first I chalked it up the her being mad at me for the vetrenary visits (she doesnt take the vet very well). Living in italy makes it a little harder to find most products to help prevent this. Our local american vet has been nice enough to order Feli-way and it was working for about a week, then she started again. We have since moved her litter box to the second bath in our apartment, placed a towel under it for warmth (Italy tiles are really cold all year round!) and scrubbed the laundry room with everthing from clorox wipes, moping and then placed aluminum foil on the areas she was prone to peeing on to deture her from the area. Even though she has her accidents, all I can do is clean it up and then close her off from the area again. Cat Peeing On Leather Couch Post By Nicole (Guest Post) (09/21/2006) My 10month old female Maine Coon has recently started peeing on the coushons of my leather couches. She has always used her litter box, and still does, so I do not understand why she has suddenly decided to urinate on my couches. She does not have a uti, I clean her litter regularly, I am home just as much as I usually am, and she has not been declawed.. nothing has changed, i don't understand!! RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By Siberria (Guest Post) (09/14/2006) I have a problem too! We have two cats, one female and one male. Both are fixed, related, and indoor cats only. Iam with them pretty much all day everyday, but as soon as i go to bed or leave for the day. They go into our bathroom and pee on the towels or whatever else they can find. They used to pee on the sofa and pillows. We changed the litter box litter type, moved it, changed their food, and food location. Nothing is new in the house that would make them mad, we have no new pets, nothing has changed in the last year or so. They are a little over 2 and a half years old. We have had to take the female cat to the vet a couple times for urianry tract infetions, but this last time the vet said she was fine. The male cat doesnt apper to have ANY symptoms whatso ever. They get plenty of attation and space to run around. Can someone help?? They also do use thier litter box, so i dont know what we can do?? Is their any way to tell which cat is peeing? Ive herd of putting dye in their water, to see which cat pees it out. Any suggestions? Some people just shouldnt own cats..... Post By The Divine Miss K (Guest Post) (08/31/2006) My cat will pee on dirty clothes sometimes. if she is not happy with me. Cats are very emotional animals, almost like people. They arent like dogs - you cant abuse them and expect love back. Cats need several litter trays, at least 2 per cat. They do not like to go in one when it smells of another cat, even if they get on with each other. Never EVER EVER put a cats food, water or bed near their litter tray. Would you like to sleep near your toilet, or eat sitting on the toilet? Of course not. Animals have no better ammuity to bactieria and disease than humans do. Cats are also very very clean and a very big commitment. They can have emotional issues from a previous owner or anything. They never forget. You can buy cat repellants, usually citrus, cats dont like citrus. Its just a spray, safe for furiture carpet and the like. The most humane way to train a cat to do anything, is a spray bottle with WATER ONLY. Keep these hidden around the house and when kitty does something naughty, she gets a quick squirt. Dont let her see the bottle though. Rubbing cats faces in their mistakes is stupid and doesnt work. Cats dont associate punishment with a previous behavoir. This will only cause more distress. To the woman who got her cat declawed and locks it in the bathroom. You need a new vet!! This one obviously is not interested in the welfareof animals. Only money. Declawing is only an EXTREME absolutle last last resort. Only preferable to euthanising the poor creature. If you arent prepared to have your leather sofa ripped to shreds, you shouldnt own a cat. And as for locking the poor thing in the bathroom. I think you are the reason the cat peed on his bed. Cats need to be comfortable in their environment. Your home is their palace. THey are the kings and queens and should be treated that way. They are a blessing that bring joy to our lives. RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post by debbes (5) | (08/19/2006) Profile | Contact I have a female cat that pees on dirty clothes. She has a litter box but won't use it. I usually soak in borx or lysol and it will take the smell out. I also have a male cat that won't use the litter box, but will pee in the shower, which I don't mind because its so much easier to clean. RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By Stephanie (Guest Post) (08/19/2006) I have the same problem! My cat peed on my sisters bed yesterday and she has taken to pooing on the bathroom floor. She has peed on dirty clothes too. I don't know why she does it because she seems very relaxed and happy. We got her 9 months ago, she was a stray and was found injured and roaming in the woods. She doesn't like to go outside much so we have a litter tray for her... not that she likes to use it that much lol. I'm going to try moving her food away from her litter tray as someone suggested, and getting some deterant spray. Any other suggestions or ideas as to why she might be doing this? RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By Megan (Guest Post) (08/19/2006) My cat has always had a peeing problem. Every now and then she will just pee on a couch and then a month later she will pee somewhere else. We have found that Lysol does the trick of getting the smell of cat pee out. When the cat does pee on something, just submerging it in lysol and water does the trick of eliminating the odor. Cat Peeing/pooping on bed and couch Post by AWhitehair (1) | (08/06/2006) Contact My 4 year old cat has been in and out of the vet for the past few months. It all started with allergies where she was losing her hair and getting all scabbed up. Then, we found she had tape worm and I had no idea how she possibly got that...she is on advantix and never goes outside. Now, she is biting at her leg all the time and has caused it to look all red and nasty. For the past month she has been going to the bathroom on my bed. That stopped when I started closig my door all the time. Now, she has moved on to the loveseat and couch. I scoop her litter box two times a day although it is out on the patio and she does share it with my other cat who has been around for about two years. SHe never had a problem with this before. My husband wants to get rid of her, but I am one to believe when you get an animal you make a life-term commitment to them. What can I do? RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By Julian (Guest Post) (07/31/2006) Cat anxiety? Hmmmmm. My female cat, whose claws are intact, recently peed on a packed suitcase I left on a chair. A few weeks ago, I got a box in the mail and put it on the sofa; she peed on it. Separation anxiety? I know she misses me when I'm gone and sometimes I'm gone a lot but she always has food and water. But sometimes she will just sit right in front of me and pee on something. Drives me insane. RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By Jacki (Guest Post) (06/08/2006) My cat has been peeing in my laundry basket and on any dirty clothes for years- I have resorted to making absolutely sure there are no dirty clothes in the house to prevent her from having dirty clothes to pee on. But when there were no dirty clothes in the house for her to pee on, she started to pee on my rugs and even in the middle of my bed. I have taken her to the vet wondering if she had some sort of urinary tract infection or something, and the vet keeps telling me nothing is medically wrong with her. The vet suggested that I place bowls of food where she normally pees because cats will not pee where they eat, but I thought it was absurd to have bowls of food on my bed and in my laundry basket! THEN IT HIT ME! I keep her food bowl about 2 feet away from her litter box in the laundry room! SHE WONT PEE IN THE LITTER BOX BECAUSE I KEEP HER FOOD NEAR HER LITTER BOX! Since I have moved her food into the kitchen area, far away from her litter, she has not urinated on anything, not even once. I hope this helps some of you, because I know how frustrating it is dealing with cat urine and cats can be very hard to figure out. Cat Peeing on my bed Post By geovanna (Guest Post) (04/24/2006) i dont know why my cat does it, only one of them..the other doesnt RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By Carmen (Guest Post) (04/05/2006) Declawing can cause all kinds of behavior problems most common is litter box problems and biting. An article written by Jan clower, Assistant Director of the Humane Society of Wichita County makes it clear the horror of declawing. Veternarians do this for the money. There are many ways to teach a cat not to claw if only they would tell people, but declawing is a big money maker for vets so why would they tell you. It is a mutilation and leaves the cat without any way to protect himself and he knows it so becomes panicked and then people have to give them anti-anxiety meds as remarks in another response. The answer is to stop declawing. You can use Nature's Miracle it works well and do all possible to make the cats environement safe so he will not be afraid. Do not inprison him in a half bath or any other room -- that is more torture. Try Swheat Scoop cat litter -- it is soft and is not supposed to have chemicals which may but the poor things bleeding and painful paws. RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By Carmen (Guest Post) (04/05/2006) Michelle, The reason your poor little cat pees is because he is so stressed from being declawed. Vets do this for the money. They could give people alternatives to this mutilation, but they choose not to. The cat becomes fearful because he is now helpless to defend himself. I read an article years ago written by a Director of the Humane Society in Wichita County. She explained all of this. I wish I could find a way to attach this so you could read it. The poor little cat was already a stray and God only knows what torture he's been through at the hands of his original owners and then starving on the streets. Then a loving person adopts him and then unknowingly cause him extreme pain and suffering and torment and now he is a prisoner in the bathroom. It's horrific to me. And, it's all the veternarian's fault for not telling you the truth about declawing. I read another article by an intelligent, compassionate veternarian and he said, "You could not pay me $100,000.00 to declaw a cat". There is not much you can do now except try to make the cat feel safe and give him a place away from the dogs. He has to feel safe. Declawing can cause litter box problems. Cats despise being locked up so keeping him in the bathroom is more punishment and for something that is not his fault. PLEASE DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO STOP THE HORROR OF DELCLAWING. Cat peeing in his bed Post By Michelle (Guest Post) (04/02/2006) Question: We adopted a stray cat 3 weeks ago. He is about a year old. We had him neutered and declawed. He has ALWAYS used the litter box. The first week we had him, he stayed in the garage with "supervised" visits in the house. We have a dog also, so we wanted to be sure to make all comfortable with the new pet situation. After the surgery, his home was our half bath, again, visits outside the bathroom were supervised. We let him out for good and unsupervised 2 days ago. He is still using the Yesterday's News litter as the vet said to use for 2 weeks. Today he was laying under my feet and I didn't realize it. I stepped on a paw and it bleed some drops. I consoled and apologized. Had to leave house for an hour, so put him back in bathroom for that time. I have kept litter, his bed and food and water (not near the litter) in the bathroom to ease the transition to whole house access. Tonight (about 7 hours post the stepping on paw incident, and he isn't favoring that paw when walking) I went to check the litter (I change 2 times a day) and he had peed in his bed. So wierd. Why would he have done this? I am washing the bed. Have confined him to bathroom again, replacing bed with box and towel. His personality is very friendly and loving which is why we rescued him. He and our dog seem to be co-existing very well. He goes back to the vet in 2 days for post surgery check up. Thanks for any tips. RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post By shirely (Guest Post) (03/09/2006) mine did the same thing..I change the product i was using in the litter box..did not seem to help then I remembered how much he liked the evergreens in the yard...I started spraying the litter box with a pine scent and back to the litter box he went..he has been fixed for a long time never had no problems with sort of thing when it happened..the pine scent..worked ...shirley RE: Cat Peeing on Dirty Clothes Post by valleyrimgirl (440) | (03/07/2006) Contact Pick up your dirty clothes off the floor. Wash them and hang them up and/or place in your dressers immediately. The cat may pee on something else now, but at least it is not on your clothes. Cat Pee! Aaaaargh! Post by ThriftyFun (3815) | (07/12/2004) Profile | Blog! | Contact Request: Please help me! I have a 4 year old male cat, neutered, who has decided to pee on my couch instead of in his litterbox. Each time, I clean the couch with vinegar and wash the blanket/pillow/etc that he has hit, and the smell goes away but a few days later more pee appears. We have 2 cats in the house, both male, both neutered and 2 litter boxes. My pee-er has been to the vet, who says there is no medical problem. Is there something better than vinegar to use for cleaning? Does anyone have advice on what I should try next to get him to stop peeing on the furniture? My roommates are ready to give him away if it doesn't stop. Help! Sharon Answers: Anne H. (Guest Post) Here's some ideas: They sell some cat pee/spray deterrent at Pet Smart, can't remember what it is called. Just ask them. Try a different little and make sure there is a enough little that the box doesn't tip when they get in it, that can scare them. Try moving your litter box or boxes and see if they are more likely to use them in a different place. Ness (Guest Post) Try a product called Feliway. It comes in a plug-in dispenser (sorta like a plug-in air freshener) and a spray bottle. It is a pheromone that calms and reassures cats, and only cats (not humans ) can smell it. It has a 95% success rate. Petsmart sells it but you can find it cheaper online at KV Vet Supplies and other pet & vet supply companies. I've been using it with my "problem" cat and it seems to be working so far. There are also MANY online articles about cat spraying and marking that you can read. I read up extensively on this subject and found that changes in the household, too many cats, not enough litter boxes, litter that the cat doesn't like, and other factors can aggravate marking behavior. This is not an uncommon problem, so a little research will yield lots of results. Good luck, and have patience with your kitty! Ness Post by SharonS Ness - Thank you SO much! Best advice I've had in a long time. Linne Dodds (Guest Post) I use Out from WalMart . It smells great, like Vanilla and the creator of Thriftyfun advised me to use Arm & Hammer laundry detergent to take the smell out of things. it's great. I saw an expert on TV who recommended putting foil where they pee as thay don't like to walk on it. I don't think there's enough foil in the universe for my house. Ann (Guest Post) When you wash the blanket, pillow, etc. make sure all the odor is gone from that too. I wash first in Lysol and then a second time with detergent with a vinegar rinse. Also, really soak the cushion in vinegar. Also put vinegar in a spray bottle and spray around the area. I really think they are attracted to the same area because they can still smell it. You could also spray the vinegar toward them (but not on the cat) when they went near the area. Post by Thrifty_Fun Some other things you might try is getting the piddle pads from PetSmart. They are normally for dogs with bladder or house training problems. Cover the couch with them or at least the place that he normally pees. They can be easily thrown away but trap the odor inside them. You could also crate up the cat during the times he normally does this. Each time you take him out of the crate, put him in his litter box. -Susan Post by Patticat Vinegar may remove the smell as far as a human is concerned, but leaves plenty of scent calling the cat back to the same area. You need to use a product specifically designed to remove pet odors. Pet Out works well, and is available at WalMart, or look for something that says it uses enzymes to break down the odors. With cushions, you really have to soak them to eliminate all of the odor. Once you have totally eliminated the smell (use a black light, urine with glow green) you have 2 more jobs: find out why he isn't using the box and train him that the box is the only acceptable place to go. Think back to when this first started: is the litter box near the furnace/laundry/water heater or anything else that could have cycled on, was there a change in school/work/social schedule, new significant other or roommate, significant other or roommate left, one or both cats went to the vet, there was a stray cat or dog outside the window, a change in litter or litter box location, litter box not as clean as the cat would like, litter box is covered and he wants it open or vice versa. There should be one litter box per cat plus one extra (2 cats need 3 litter boxes), and the box should be in a location where the cat can have some peace and quiet. If the roommates are frustrated with the cat, he may be sensing that and that alone could cause the anxiety and innappropriate litterbox habit. Feliway (available through vets or pet stores) can reduce the anxiety, but you need to try to find the root cause, not just treat the symptom. Retraining the cat to use only the litter box may be more difficult. Try keeping him in a room (bathroom works well) or large dog kennel with litter box at one end, bedding in the middle, and food and water at the other end. This arrangement doesn't really give him the opportunity to go anywhere but the box. During the evening or when you can watch him, let him out and spend time with him. Interactive play (fishing pole toys) will give him additional exercise and relieve stress, and grooming or cuddling will reassure him that he is important and loved. Placing a layer of aluminum foil or carpet runner turned nubby side up in the area he likes to use may discourage him from using the area. Feel free to contact me with any questions: patticat@siscom.net Post by sshep I have found; and, I know this will go against the grain of thought, but it works. I have a keen sense of smell and hate cat pee (any other for that matter!). My problem was a brand new rug that my cat decided to urinate on even when there was a clean litter box 3 feet away. What I did was soak the area with water and then rubbed baking soda into it and then had to wait for it to dry. took a couple of days and all the yellow came up and I was able to vacuum it. I could not smell it anymore even when I put my nose to check on the rug. Hope this helps. She never went there again. Al (Guest Post) I definitely have problems with my 10 year old male cat. Lately, he's been peeing everywhere! and I heard that if you let him outside once in a while, the peeing seems to stop, but my cat's front paws are declawed, so would that be a problem if we let him outside? I mean, what if he got in a cat fight with another cat, and he can't fight for himself? Mary (Guest Post) If you want to get rid of cat pee stink, you should try "Nature's Miracle". It's sold at Pet supply stores such as PetsMart. It'll take a couple of days for the product to chemically break it down, and the side effect of this is that the smell gets worse before it gets better. But, after 2 days, the stink is gone forever, unless your cat does it again. BTW: You can detect where cat urine is with a black light. Good Luck!! Post by Cavelady I have a 7 year old cat who will pee on my bed if the litter box is too dirty - I can sympathize. I also adopted a cat that peed everywhere. Here's a hint - cats will not pee where they eat. Place small bowls of food where they tend to pee when you leave home or go to bed. Your cat may need to be retrained. We had to keep the adopted cat in a LARGE cage for two weeks with the litter box, only letting her out to use the box. It worked. Post by Toddio Nature's Miracle works well.Also keeps them from going back and doing it again. Can be found at most pet supply stores. Cayla (Guest Post) My cat started peeing on one of our oversized chairs. Can't figure out why, the litter is clean and hasn't been changed (like the brand)... I feel like i've tried everything, i've resorted to buying one of those vinyl mattress protecters and putting it over the entire chair and taping the ends up to catch any run off...it stopped it from getting to the chair but she still pees on it. I put some tinfoil under the sheet and we'll see if that scares her off...I'll let you know it works. Post by Cherub77 A fantastic product for getting out urine odors from upholstery, clothes, shoes, wall to wall carpeting, etc, is called Get Serious. It breaks down the protein/enzymes in the cats urine and therefore, prevents the cat from being drawn back to the spot where he has previously urinated. Once they have urinated outside the litterbox, this new area becomes their NEW litterbox as they're attracted to the smell of their own urine. Frustrating as it is, it's not entirely their fault when they toilet outside their boxes. Usually we, humans, have done something to contribute to their behavior. Declawing is a major cause of cats urinating outside litterboxes. It leaves their paws extremely sensitive and they're in extreme pain when standing/squatting to relieve themselves. Declawing is akin to amputating the first quarter of our fingers, and in addition to that, cats claws act as a cushion when they jump, walk etc. Remove the claws and you remove their "cushion" which leaves their paws extremely tender for the rest of their lives. Depending on the type of litter you're using, it makes toileting a painful experience and therefore, they avoid the litterbox. The smaller, finer grained litters are preferable to use, such as Arm & Hammer, unscented, Tidy Cat, and so on. Bringing in an un-neuterd cat to the household will most often offend the resident cat/cats and start them spraying in retaliation. Not properly introducing them with separation, facillitates the problem even further and litterbox avoidance usually results. My heart goes out to all of you who are experiencing the peeing problems. I've had it as well. BIG hugs to everyone! Shelley www.catconsultant.net (Guest Post) I, like the rest of you have a cat that likes to pee outside the litter box. But he only goes right infront of the litter box, nowhere else in the house. The other cat I have has no problems at all. I have tried a lot of things to try and get him to stop but he can still smell it there even after you scrub for your life and he will go again. We have decided to tear the carpet out there and lay down tile, thinking that might get him to stop. Atleast it will be easier to clean. Post by Thrifty_Fun Hi Guest, It sounds like your 12 year old cat has a urinary infection. It is not normal for cats to pee themselves or stay in a corner. Because of his age, I'd definitely take him to a vet. He may have kidney stones or a bladder infection. After getting him checked out, if you can, put him in a separate place, like the bathroom with his own box for a few days. If for some reason you can't take him to the vet, get him some good urinary tract cat food and see if that helps. Susan from ThriftyFun (Guest Post) If your cat is declawed, get a softer litter for it for sure, if you ever get another cat do NOT declaw it, do some research into the pain it causes the cat, and DON'T abandon these declawed cats, as they're totally defenseless against a predator outside. (Guest Post) I bought a mat that goes on ur couch that makes a high pitched noise when weight goes on it. I put it on my new couch and it trained the cats to not want to jump on it. I put it on during the day when I'm at work. They learned quickly. I bought it from Dr. Fosters. It's called the Sofa Scram. (Guest Post) Try cat attract litter it works wonders. Feliway spray works wonders and natures miracle should eliminate the order. I had a similar problem, try adding an extra litter box and no tops on them, change to cat attract litter. Look up the website for cat attract. He is a feline only vet and solved my issues. He has instructions available online. He solved my problem erica (Guest Post) i work at an animal hospital. i recently moved homes, where there is no carpet, i decided to have my cats declawed, with a lazer ( barely hurts), so that they would not claw on my furniture. well, my male decided to start using soft, cushy, things as his peeing place. i know that cat attract really works, and then for getting the smell out, try urine off. use a black light to find all of the urine spots spray this stuff, and it really gets it out. we sell out everytime we get a shipment. Post by stagecoach My cat peed inappropriately (sometimes a little red) when I first got her from the shelter and it turned out she had bladder stones. Now she drinks more water and is always goes in the litter box. But a common theme I see in the posts above is declawed cats. Declawing must be traumatic to some cats and can contribute to compensating marking in other ways. But I bought natural cleaning products for cat urine/vomit cleaning from petsmart.com and my local cat store and they work for very cheap. (@ 2.50/bottle) I use it for the occasional hairball vomit. I also feed my cats dry cat food where chicken is the main ingredient and fresh water all the time and my once ill shelter cats are now very healthy. KJ (Guest Post) Ok, after seeing all the hopeless posts here, I feel obligated to respond. I had a major, major problem with my cat peeing where she shouldn't. I tried everything - enzyme cleaners, new boxes, cat attract (she hated it!), Feliway, you name it. The vet said she was healthy. In the end, what cured her was Buspirone. It is a prescription anti-anxiety medication that my vet gave me. It only took a week or two before she stopped and she hasn't done it since. I took her off the meds after two months. Why was she so anxious that she was peeing all over the place? I have no idea and neither does my vet, but it worked. Don't give your cat away or live in filth - ask your vet for some anti-anxiety meds for your kitty. j thomas (Guest Post) I had this problem for a long time. The very first thing to do is call the vet. Ask if you can collect urine sample and have him test it. (cheaper than office visit) You may have to isolate offending cat to get it. If this shows nothing, I'd have blood tests done. My new cats are declawed (found them that way) One bites and one urinates sometimes on the clean laundry.Don't tell me de-clawing doesn't "hurt" them. Had all the tests-crystals in urine- treated for that, but goes back to the scene of the crime. I'm going to try Urine Off. Vet also suggests only high quality canned food (to prevent kidney disease- a hideous and all-too-common way for older cats to go) Also, feline biotics for digestion (good for them) Maybe there aren't enough cat boxes, maybe they hate scented litter (mine does), maybe place litter boxes in different places. Try everything but don't make them outdoor cats or give them away. They are trying to tell you something. A little help for you guys Jo (Guest Post) We have a 10 year old cat and since we first got her she has always wee'd in the house and also poo's. One of her favourite places to poo was the bath, but she no longer does it there, she just chooses corners. We watched her as much as we could and when she was about too wee on the floor we picked her up and put her in her litter tray and that worked. If she did wee on the floor then we simply put her face by it and told her it was bad and that worked too. I hope this helps a few of you out. Carol (Guest Post) There is a product called "Ickeepoo" that you use full strength or dilute to spray areas used by cats when they urinate or spray. Pet stores, vet clinics carry it by the gallon and it works for most cats. If there are no children or dogs in your home, try scented (yes) moth balls. Keep them in the wrapper (pretty strong scent otherwise to us humans) and place them around the areas that are most heavily soiled. It keeps most cats away! Another option for cleaning the furniture is lemon in the water, spray the microfiber, brushing the nap in each direction (not circular), let try & use a soft dry brush to freshen the furniture nap. A more drastic approach is dilute small amt of bleach in a quart or more of water, place in water bottle ONLY for areas that the bleach will NOT ruin any fiber. i.e. walls around kitty pan. Good luck! Editor's Note: Mothballs can be deadly to cats and dogs so be careful with them.