How Can I stop my cat's bad habits?

Question

My kitty has a couple of bad habits I'd like to break before my boyfriend gets rid of him! First of all, he will randomly bite us when we sleep...he gives no warning, just *chomp*. Secondly, he likes to pee on my purse and my boyfriend's shirts...we don't know he's struck until we smell it on our stuff. THIRD, he poops in my bathtub while i'm at work...I have tried spray bottles, light spankings, etc..nothing works...please help me!!

He IS neutered...and what type of training?

Answer 1

Hi there... cats love to play and of course it's can happen at the most inopportunistic time such as when we are sleeping. It may be helpful if you bring some cat toys to bed to leave out on the floor to encourage play with these rather than you and your boyfriend.

With regards to the inappropriately house soiling, 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
- senior cats 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 your cat may have developed another underlying medical problem such as something as simple as a lower urinary tract disorder: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_lower_urinary_tract_dis.html 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.

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Answer 2

How old is your cat? If he's old, he may have a health issue with his bowels. Actually, regardless of age, get him checked by a vet to make sure there are no medical problems.

For whatever reason, your cat has chosen to pee on your purse/BF's shirts because they smell like you...

Does he have a litter tray or does he do his business outside normally? Make sure the litter tray is clean - a lot of cats are fussy about that. Maybe set up 2 trays? If he's an outside guy, you might want to set up a litter tray for him inside (maybe in the bathroom) so he doesn't have to leave your house. Some cats change their toileting habits as they get older.

As for the chomping in bed - my cat does a similar thing when she's a bit playful. If you want to teach him not to do it, keep a water spray bottle near the bed and just give him a squirt next time he does it. He will soon learn!

I hope that helps.

Answer 3

Hi Tigeress, First of all thanks for neutering your cat. We could use more of that and it makes your question easier to answer.
First, I'll deal with the biting cat issue. I'd say close the door? However, if for some reason or another you door needs to be open at night, there are a couple things you can try. Most of these are actually things outside of the bedroom at night. Make sure he has other things he can redirect his play/'agression' at. He will need a variety of toys he can rotate through, he'll get bored of them. You may want to consider getting another cat too. Then they can play together. A spayed female would be best, about 6 months - 2 years. Try http://www.petfinder.com they will have some wonderful cats for adoption there. If that's not going to work, make sure your cat has toys, and also try to play with him before you go to bed, it will wear off some energy. Another thing to remember is to not encourage your cat to bite you at any time. If you encourage him to come chase your wiggling fingers, than don't blame him for biting them while you sleep! I find throwing pen caps and dragging belts are the quickest and best around the house toys.

About the peeing on clothing. First of all - again, try to limit his access to clothing. Make sure you thoroughly clean up everywhere around where he pees. You see, cats will go to the bathroom where their smell tells them to. You may wash your shirt, but if it was on the floor, some pee may be on the floor too. Scrub wherever it was thoroughly, spray with febreeze or a different smell remover (they even have some natural type ones at petstores) and if possible then air it out. Again, you may want to limit his acess to these rooms and areas as much as possible for awhile.

I will say a third time, if your cat is pooping in the bathtub shut the bathroom door. I find that often cats will find a new 'fun place' to go to the bathroom, and all they need to have it cured is their access cut off. However - again, make sure the smell is removed thoroughly. Light spankings will not work, and spray bottles only work if he's caught in the very act. Animals do not comprehend punishment with activity unless they are doing it while they are punished. Ex: sprayed while they are digging in dirt, not after.

Some other suggestions - if nothing else seems to be working, get him checked out at the vet. If he has an urinary infection, he may associate the litter box with pain from going to the bathroom, same thing if he has worms. Try a different litter. Clean his box like crazy. (this is a major one, definetly do this) Maybe he would be prefer a bigger box (no, you don't need a mansion but he may not fit well) maybe he'd like a covered one, maybe an uncovered one. If you got him declawed this will be much harder to deal with, declawed cats will often associate litter box with pain in their paws and not want to use it after declawing. Also, you don't need a litter box in every corner of the house but make sure it's in an accessible spot and he's not scared of something where it is. You also may want to consider getting another litter box.

There is a chance he is spraying all over, this is a territorial thing, however, I'm not going to use up lots of room, I'll just give you a site link to http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1310&articleid=174 which covers everything and more I would say.

In case you still want more info, this a really nice site about the litter box issues: http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_housesoiling and http://www.catsinternational.org/articles/housesoiling/index.html is even more comprehensive.

For more info on the biting issue, try http://wvcats.com/biting_cat.htm and http://cats.about.com/cs/behavioralissues/a/bite_scrat.htm

I hope it gets better! I've found that cleaning the litter box like crazy, limiting access, and removing smell are the three keys to fixing this problem. It's worked well for me!

Answer 4

I Was Going To Say Spray A Little Water.

Answer 5

Maybe your cat gets seperation anxiety when you are not around. One idea is to put him in a speacial room or crate. I know that dogs respond well to this. Another idea might be to get him a friend.

Depending on where you live, he might be a good candiate for "indoor/outdoor" cat. As long as there are no big streets or predators like Coyotes, you could just kick him out for some fresh air when he starts being a brat.

Answer 6

Is your cat neutered? If not, this would almost certainly help, at least w/ the spraying (peeing) and the aggression.

Answer 7

Spankings will only teach aggression or fear. Is he declawed, that is why he bites. Do you leave him home alone alot?

Answer 8

your boyfriend is trying to do you a favor. listen to him. he is the man in the relationship. god would want you to obey him. read the bible.

hang up your boyfriends shirt, btw. you need to learn to be a good housewife

Answer 9

Well an intensive training will be great.

Answer 10

dont let him sleep with you,close the bathroom door.oh and dont spank him.