Can I stop my cat from going on the carpet??

Question

She never went pee or poo on the carpet in all of the 10 years that I have had her. We have moved to many different houses, and never did she do this until our new house we have been in for two months.

She can see, doesn't have arthritis and still goes 50% of the time in the litter box. She prefers three spots in a particular room- but will go in other rooms as well. I have used products from Petco that supposedly break down the scent and take stains away, doesn't work. I have tried a product called No- Go that supposedly smells like garlic and cats don't like it. Forget about it. I have tried layers of baking soda. She goes right on top of it.

What on God's green Earth can I do. Help PLEASE.

Answer 1

Hi there... first consider all the possibilities such as:
- 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
- cats over the age of 10 will develop age-related disorders such as chronic renal failure (CRF), hyperthyroidism, diabetes, etc.

If all these have been ruled out, there's a chance that one of your 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. Once urine marking begins other cats will try to cover over it with their own and it's important to thoroughly clean those areas with an enzyme cleaner such as Nature's Miracle Just for Cats to destroy the urine markings.

Here's an article about why cats inappropriately soil outside their litter box and how to clean urine stains/odours 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.

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Answer 2

Remove the carpet and just put litter down. There really is not much you can do. You have done everything that I would recommend. Maybe if you confined her to a room where the litter box is for a few days? Ask the vet.

Answer 3

Some other animal has probably peed in that same spot. She is marking her territory. Put the litter box on top of that spot if possible. There is a product you can spray on it to stop the behavior. It smells and burns their nose and eyes. They stay away from the spot. Close the rooms off from her.

Answer 4

Cats loathe tin foil - it feels astonishing and volatile below their paws. Un-roll some foil and scrunch it up somewhat, comfortable it out and lay it over the climate the place you cat has pooped. She won't circulate there returned - of direction you ought to make beneficial she would not attempt to hunt down different aspects so:- a million) Cats are fussy and a few will refuse to re-use the clutter attempt whether they have in basic terms wee'd in it so each time it quite is been used, scoop out the grimy clutter and replace with clean. Use clumping clutter, it quite is easier! 2) Water bottle. whenever you spot your cat doing "The Bum circulate", you recognize how they form of squat, shift approximately and hover their tail earlier toiletting? properly, you the two say "NO" to them or sprint over, %. them up and placed them interior the tray or supply a sprint squirt of water and say "No!". 3) each time the two cat has used the clutter tray, heap compliment on them - a great form of strokes and "sturdy ladies" will do the trick. It takes time to lavatory prepare a cat, no over-night restoration however the foil factor quite does artwork!

Answer 5

Mine started doing that for no reason at all. Never moved or anything. After she got old she just started going in other places around the house. Maybe that's the way they get sometimes with old age.

Answer 6

sounds like your cat's problem could possibly be medical rather than behavioral. You should take her to the vet to rule out a bladder or uninary tract infection. A typical sympton of this is inappropriate urination. Rule this out first, which would be easier to solve than a behavioral problem.

Answer 7

You must have a litter box. Keep the box clean.

Answer 8

there is this stuff that u put on th carpet that u can't smell but they can and they don't like the smell so they don't pee on the carpet. i think they have it at longs but i have no clue what its called sorry