Help!!!!! My cat won't stop peeing?

Question

My cat is already litter trained he started peeing outside the cat box after I moved. I thought it was a behavior problem but took him to the vet anyway, found out he had an urinary tract infection. The vet says he quit using his litter box because it hurt when he went pee so he assicoated the pain with the cat box. Now he is feeling much better because of the medcation but is still peeing the vet says he has to be re-litter trained, but should not be corrected by rubbing nose in pee because cats will tend tto pee more when corrected like the I really love my cat and need help with this problem asap not only is it gross to have cat pee in my house but I am about to have a baby and I don't need a cat peeing everywhere but i don't want to get rid of him any suggestions? Please HELP!!!!!

Answer 1

Hi Jennifer..I hope I can provide some helpful suggestions to get your little guy to improve his potty habits. Because the Yahoo Answers can limit the ability the learn as well as share all the necessary details to determine the problematic causes and to provide solutions I will try to assume any possibilities to consider likely reasons as well as some helpful retraining ideas.

It is best to isolate him into a small room with his litter box (food and water as well) until he consistently uses the box. Please don't fret by keeping him in this small room awhile longer (such as a bathroom). As long as you provide him food, water, fun toys and attention he will not become bored or neglected. The reason it's best to confine cats to a smaller area is that it helps with litter box retraining time again.

While he is confined to the small room it's imperative to remove the urine odour stains with a urine neutralizer product such as Nature's Miracle (PetSmart or Petco). If any hint of the odour remains cats will continue to mark this area to cover it up repeatedly especially with male cats. Ideally these areas will need to be soaked deeply and thoroughly in order to remove all of the urine scent as animals can smell even the slightest lingering odours which humans cannot detect. This product is considered to be environmentally friendly and effective if used as instructed.

As a feline trainer I have found that any time a cat has an accident it is best to not scold or punish a cat in any manner. The reason is that they will associate that whenever they need to go potty they will be punished for the act that nature intended rather than understanding it is WHERE they are going potty that is bad. Cats are unable to separate these two ideas so it's best to quietly clean up the accident and reward the kitty with favourite food treats whenever you catch her using her litter box. This way he learns that the box is a fun place because he’ll be rewarded with yummy treats. This method can also be applied to train cats to scratch appropriate places versus bad places...whenever they scratch somewhere you do not want touched pick them up quietly and place them to the scratch post/toy and reward with food treats.

As a very final resort some cats can benefit with antidepressants prescribed by your vet. However, depending on his age if he is young still I would suspect he would benefit more from litter retraining.

Aside from the above suggestions there are also products such as Feliaway to help calm stressed felines, which sometimes may or may not work. These additional ideas however don't control the inappropriate soiling effectively as well as isolation into a small space and the UTI exam. They are only supplemental in nature.

It's wonderful that you are trying to learn how to best resolve the inappropriate soiling early. I hope you will take into consideration some of the above suggestions.

Answer 2

First off, with you being pregnant, you shouldn't be handling the kitty litter at all until you talk to your Dr. about that. From everything I've heard something in a cat's waste can be harmful to an unborn child. So have someone else change the box for you or check with your Dr. and see if wearing gloves and a mask is good enough. I don't think this is an old wives tale and it should be taken seriously.

As for Kitty:
Try moving his litter box to a different area so it doesn't have the urine smell on the outside of the box. You may also want to get him a new box.

If the vet said he is associating using the box with his pain he may be associating that particular smell of that box with his pain also. Give him a fresh start with a new box and in a new area. Once he gets back into using a litter box you can move it back where you originally had it.

Clean his accident areas well. Resolve for Pet Stains makes a great carpet cleaner and it also nutrilizes the odor. Follow it up with Lysol spray. I wouldn't use amonia as it has too close a smell to a cats urine and while he may be able to tell the difference, you won't and he doesn't need to get any extra blame for any trace smell it may leave behind.

You should never, ever rub an animals nose in it when they have accidents. That is just cruel and will send the wrong signal. Once the mishap has happened it's too late, all you can do is clean it up.

If you catch kitty in the act, pick him up and move him to the box and put him in it but be sure to praise him when you do. Never yell at him and NEVER HIT AN ANIMAL.

If you praise him he will know that what he is doing is good and will be more apt to continue the behavior. Be patient and don't give up!

If he hasn't come around in 2-3 weeks call your vet back and let him know and ask him what you should do next. There may be something else wrong and your vet should be made aware.

Best of luck!

Answer 3

You have to make sure first that he has completely recovered. A urinary tract infection takes time to heal, and can still be painful for a while after the animal seems to be feeling better. Your vet is right - definitely don't use punitive methods like rubbing his nose in it, that will make him worse. The key here is patience.

Get him a brand new litter box, fill it with a different kind of litter that he's never seen before, and put it in a new area. Then when he pees in the wrong place, show it to him by holding his head close to it, but don't touch his face to it or handle him roughly. Just show it to him and say, "No" in a stern voice, then put him into the litter box and tell him "You go there." It sounds silly, but it works. Cats are very intelligent, and they respond well to being treated in a way that lets them know what you expect while leaving their dignity intact.

Be sure that all cat messes are completely cleaned so that no scent remains, and do not use pine cleaner - pine scent makes them pee more. Lemon scented cleaners or deodorizers like Nilodor work well.

Good luck, and be patient - you and your kitty will get through this :-)

Answer 4

Last year my beautiful Manx cat Theodore went out for the evening and never came back. I love cats and the house didn't feel the same without one, so I picked up Lola from a rescue centre. She was very frightened and would pee all over the house. I found Cat Spraying No More� on the internet and the techniques worked almost immediately. I haven't had a problem with Lola since. Amazing!

Can't stop your cat peeing in the house? Then worry no more...

Answer 5

Get your cat spayed or neutered if not already. Even though the cat is associating the box with pain this will help while re-litter training. You may want to try to move the box to another location if possible and go to a pet store for training products. They do carry a product that you spray in the litter that has another cats scent so they will want to mark there in the box.

Answer 6

try taking the cat in the litter box with the two front paws rub the litter 3 or 4 times and just leave the cat in the litter box let him leave the litter box by himself and explore the house after,that might help if he's not in pain any more an is a clean cat,good luck

Answer 7

I would ask your vet for referrals and hunt on the internet for others with the same situation.

maybe you should move the litter box to a new location (a fresh start experience) and stand beside him when he pees so he is comforted.

Maybe when he pees on the floor, say 'no', pick him up, take him to the litter box again, put him in, and rub his paw in the box, as if he is covering his pee. This is a good way to train your cat without swating him, or rubbing his nose in it. I think that he can be retrained but with the motion and reconition that he needs to go in the box. Yet I would still check out other sources.

He isn't doing it because he isn't trained. He is doing it out of fear of pain and that's a completely different kind of disobedience.

Your patience with him may transcend to a greater patience to yoru child once you have him/her....

Answer 8

The cat stopped using the litter box because of psychological issues, retrain him using psychology. You can a) slowly get him more accustomed to the litter box again by putting his food closer and closer to it and eventually in it to show him it's not a bad thing (its also possible that once he realizes the litter box doesn't mean pain he'll remember what it's for), or b) use rewards and punishments i.e. a treat for using the litter box and a time out (in the cat carrier if you have one) when he doesn't. be consistent, persistent and loving, these will take time to learn. Hope this helps

Answer 9

short answer - lots and lots of litter boxes around the house. Then start removing them one-by-one. If kitty is peeing in the same place, definitely put a box there.

Answer 10

Sounds like a problem. Maybe you can lock the cat inside a cage with a litter box setting and leave him inside for a while. He will eventually have to pee and see that it is not painful anymore. Well, good luck with the problem.