Ok, I "adopted" a stray cat from my apt. complex and all she seems to do is pee on my bed. How do I make her pee in the litter box? She is over 9 months old and I've tried showing her what to do and even made a litter box just for her. She will poop in the litter box, but will not pee in it. I really need help.
2007-10-24 09:59:16 · 17 answers · asked by StarrieEyes 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
She may have a UTI, and that is why she is not peeing in the box. Cats with a UTI like to pee in soft areas and associate pain with the box. I would take the stray to the vet for a wellness check, which you should do with any new cat, and explain what is going on.
You also need to clean all the soiled areas with an enzyme cleaner such as Simple Solution that is made for cat urine, or the cat will continue to go in those areas.
2007-10-24 10:09:23 · answer #1 · answered by Crystal 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had to go through litterbox training with a stray I took in a couple of years ago. It really wasn't too difficult for me and hopefully you can give some of these tips a go and see if it helps with the training at all.
At the pet store, they sell a litter call "Cat Attract". A little more expensive for a little less litter, but it's supposed to have some attracting qualities. They also have "Kitten Attract" for you guessed it...and a "Senior Attract" for older cats that may have started having problems. I know people who have tried these litters and will swear by the effectiveness of the product. What I ended up having to do was to fill the litterbox with the "CAT ATTRACT" and some dirt from his favorite potty spots outside. He sniffed and gave the "ok, I get it" look to me, but then we started having some potty issues on the couch. What ultimately "taught" our boy was that we watched him inside and the second he hunched down to pee, we scooped him up and placed him in the litterbox. We never had a problem with him not using his box until he started suffering from UTI's. But that's a whole 'nother story.
How many litterboxes do you have in your apartment? We have 2 cats and 2 litterboxes. We actually don't need both (they are fine with sharing a big litterbox), but we like to keep one in each room of our apartment so that they don't have to travel far should the urge to use the potty hits. Most times, they choose the box in the living room versus the secluded one in the bedroom. We've had them for over a year so far and no problems.
What type of litter are you using? Sometimes, it's a guessing game to try and find the litter that your kitty will be happy with. Especially if she has grown up as a "stray" outside. Try a few different ones (after you've tried "CAT ATTRACT") and see which she takes to more. You may also want to clean thoroughly the areas on your bed that she has peed. Although you may not smell anything, kittys have very sensitive noses. I would reccomend using Nature's Miracle as it is an enzyme cleaner and should remove the scent not only for you, but for your kitty as well. I would also reccommend washing your sheets, blankets, everything that is washable that has been peed on in vinegar and some detergent. While it may not be fun having a lingering vinegar smell on your posessions - it sure does beat having to constantly clean accidents on your bed. The stray did that to my roommate after a surgery. We just washed her comforter in vinegar and Oreo never gave her comforter a second glance!
If none of these seem to work in getting your kitty re-directed to the litterbox for all her bathroom needs, I would take her into the vet as it could be that she has a Urinary Tract Infection and may not be able to control her eliminations.
Good luck!
2007-10-30 09:26:01 · answer #2 · answered by bosnjgal 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I took in a stray over 2 years old, and she caught on to the litter box pretty quick after I caught her peeing in a corner and reprimanded her in a firm way. Make it very clear that you are upset about what she's doing and place her in the litter box after she does it. Don't give up on her, if she knows #2 belongs in the box, she should be able to catch on that #1 does too. If you have multiple cats, more than one litter box might help. And thank you for having the heart to take in a homeless animal.
2007-10-24 10:05:41 · answer #3 · answered by Kate J 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You use DIRT in the litter box first...They won't know until they smell something like soil that they are use too. You can pull some grass shreds from the yard as well. Then just start lowering the DIRT amount and add Litter everytime you change until the Litter is all used only and no longer the dirt.
2007-10-24 10:02:56 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
This will sound a little disgusting. But, can you get some of the pee from your bed onto some of the litter that you put in the box?
This might give her the clue.
2007-10-24 10:03:30 · answer #5 · answered by ignoramus 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
confident, he's marking his territory. The male cat has a heady scent gland and urinates a sticky substance all up your partitions and fixtures and it will scent. Dont even think of of attempting to punish him, it wont artwork, the cat will in basic terms be certain your not observing while he does it. The cat will see no incorrect in any appreciate as he's in basic terms marking his claimed territory as a warning to the different male cats that could trespass, it quite is soley concerning to territory and breeding rights of any lady in that territory. Your basically answer is to have the cat neutered yet while this cat has been doing for some years he won't stop even after the snip.
2016-10-07 13:04:43 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good job getting her to use the litterbox at all!
Leave tin foil on your bed or other things she pees on to keep her off of it. They don't like how the foil feels under their feet or the noise it makes. Try to "catch" some of her urine and put it in the litter box - something she peed on, for example, so she can follow the smell and identify it with that space.
2007-10-24 10:03:37 · answer #7 · answered by backwardsinheels 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
i'm a vet in training and i faced the same complication just a couple weeks ago. cats are fast learners. they pick up quickly and are very smart. rewarding the cat with a small tret after something ( it can be anything besides the sandbox) is done correctly. if the cat starts to go to the bathroom, say on the carpet, do not swat it with a paper of pencil. especially not your hand. only reward, not punish with actions, but words. saying a firm "NO." and placing cat in the sandbox, then rubbing its head will give it the surefire idea that it will be rewarded if used the sandbox. after a while of rewarding, the cat will forget the reward idea, and will use the sandbox naturally.
2007-10-24 11:07:41 · answer #8 · answered by bumblebee 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
try to catch some of her urine, and put this in the litter box. when she smells ammonia in the litter box, she'll pee in there.
you also need to clean your bed thoroughly. if you don't, she will continue to pee on there because she will smell it.
(my cat used to pee on my bed, so been there, done that - now i have a cat that poops in the bath)
2007-10-24 10:05:31 · answer #9 · answered by kittens_say_mew 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would try to do it as I would with a kitten which is just getting to know the toilet. A while after our cat had litter, the kittens started to sometimes go on the toilet. Sometimes, however, they would pee & poop on the carpet. The only way we got them to do as we wanted, was to keep putting them in the litterbox whenever they show signs of having to excrete, also close the door to the bedroom until she learns to use the toilet.
2007-10-24 10:05:09 · answer #10 · answered by Johannes F 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋