Our 2 cats are urinating on the most random things..WHY?

Question

My husband and I have 2 cats, sisters. And they have started peeing on things. They are almost 3, spayed, and NEVER had this problem before. Why now would they randomly start? What can we do to fix/help them? We cannot keep them if they continue, and I really don't wanna give them up. HELP!

Answer 1

Hi there...if this is something that recently developed, first consider all the possibilities such as:
- one cat may have a urinary disorder or an another underlying medical condition and the 2nd cats is urine marking over the first cat's accidents which needs to be thoroughly cleaned with an enzyme cleaning solution such as Nature's Miracle Just for Cats. (see product info below)
- changes with litter brands
- location of the litter box isn't private enough
- some cats like to have one box to defecate and another to urinate
- cleanliness (some cats are very finicky and prefer a super clean box)
- as a general rule there should be one litter box for each cat plus one extra as a back up


If all these have been ruled out, there's a chance that one or both cats may have developed another underlying medical problem which can contribute to accidents outside of the box. Cats will associate pain while using box and change their habits as a result.

Here's an article about why cats inappropriately soil outside their litter box by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/Housesoiling.html

House soiling is the most common behavior problem reported by cat owners. It includes urination and/or defecation outside the litter box, as well as urine spraying.

Why do cats eliminate outside of the litter box?
One common misconception is that cats soil in inappropriate places for revenge. It is tempting to conclude, "He defecated on the living room carpet to punish me for leaving him for the weekend." But this kind of calculation requires sophisticated cognitive abilities that cats aren't believed to possess. Furthermore, this conclusion assumes that cats view their urine and feces as distasteful, when in fact they do not. It is only we humans who view it that way.

Medical Problems
So why do cats urinate or defecate on your bed or carpet? Medical problems are one possibility. Inflammation of the urinary tract may cause painful or frequent urination, inability to urinate, bloody urine, and crying during urination. An affected cat is likely to eliminate outside the litter box if he comes to associate the box with painful urination, or if he has an increased urgency to urinate. In addition, kidney, liver, and thyroid diseases often lead to increased drinking and urination. Inflammation of the colon or rectum, intestinal tract tumors, intestinal parasites, and other gastrointestinal conditions may cause painful defecation, increased frequency or urgency to defecate, and decreased control of defecation. Age-related diseases that interfere with a cat's mobility (for example, arthritis, nervous system disorders, or muscular diseases), or with his cognitive functions can also influence his ability to get to the litter box in time. In short, any medical condition that interferes with a cat's normal elimination behavior can lead to house soiling.

Litter Box Aversions
Behavioral problems, such as litter box aversions, inappropriate site preferences, or urine spraying can also lead to house soiling. An aversion implies that there is something about the litter box that your cat finds unsavory. It could be the box, the litter, the location of the box, or all three.

...please consider visiting the website for further details

Nature's Miracle Just for Cats works by soaking the affected areas thoroughly and allow the solution to air dry. Repeated applications are necessary for very heavily soiled areas.
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441775019&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302025596&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023690&bmUID=1167132360710&itemNo=0&Ntt=nature%27s+miracle+just+for+cats&In=All&previousText=nature%27s+miracle+just+for+cats&N=2

Answer 2

I'm guessing that something has changed in their world, new food, water, litter, plants, etc. You may not have realized it would affect them but it has. It may even be an animal that has started visiting from outside that you haven't noticed.
If you can find what has changed then you can correct the problem and they should go back to normal. But it could also be a health problem.
Maybe one has a urinary tract infection and the other could be just responding to what her sister is doing. If they seem at all unhealthy get them to the vet immediately. These problems can develop very quickly, but can also be fixed easily if caught in time.

Answer 3

Like most animals they will continue to go where they have left there mark. You must clean the area/s with a solvent such as lemon juice or vinegar. It will take out the smell. The smell of the vinegar and or lemon juice may discourage them from returning.
An outside solution to flower beds is cayene pepper. Not sure you will want to have cayene pepper in the house though. Hope this gives you some ideas. If you catch them in the act quickly scold them and put them in their kitty litter box.. Good Luck.

Answer 4

They are getting tempermental. Cats with emotional issues sometimes do this.

Answer 5

take them to the Vet to make sue that they have no Urinarytract infection!

Answer 6

um ok have u been feeding them like just water cuz like u cant give them milk if their not babies anymore and u have to feed them cat food and not like scrapes and stuff.............u should take them to the vet

Answer 7

gross....keep them outside