How to deal with cat peeing on floor?

Hi L.,

If nothing has changed and the box is clean I would strongly recommend having the cat tested for a bladder infection! For my cat peeing outside the box is the only symptom she exhibits even for a bad bladder infection. The vet tech in the office said it was one of the worst she'd seen and my poor little girl never cried in the litter box, only peed on the carpet...

K. L.

Yes, there is stuff at WalMart called Kids and Pets (you can find it in the cleaning isle) you put it directly on the spots and it removed the odor.

Good Luck

Use Cat Attract litter. Wegman's carries it and some area pet stores. Costs more but cat will defintely use it! M. S.

WOW, you got a bunch of GREAT responses!!

I completely agree w/everyone re: infection or WORSE, A $600 SURGERY FOR KIDNEY STONES!!!!

MY ADVICE: CAT ATTRACT LITTER... IT DOES WORK. AS POSTED ABOVE, WEGMAN'S CARRIES IT.

IT "CURED" MY CAT

I, too, paid $10 for the magic recipe of hydrogen peroxide, dish dtgt, and baking soda. All it did was make my carpet lighter in the spots, since I had to go thru gallons of it. The carpet cleaner guys were able to get out the stains & when I get down on hands & knees to sniff, I can't smell anything, and I have a great olfactory system!

Best of luck!

First thing I would do is take her to the vet for a checkup; there could be a medical problem. If not at least you know she is healthy. When did Susie start urinating on the floor? Has anything new been added that has Susie upset? How old is Susie? Did you move her litter pan to another area? These are little things that sometimes upset them. Did she start after the new baby? Did you change her food? I have a kitty that urinates on the rug in the bathroom; but I am contributing to the fact that he is 22 years old. I don't get upset because it is a cheap rug and can be replaced. I hope you find the problem. G. M.

I feel your pain! I would definately take kitty to the vet! I've had similar situations, my one cat who died 2 years ago, peed everywhere. She got alot of urinary tract infection but, it also became a behavioral issue. The peeing would come and go and I dealt with it for about 9 years. I used Odorcide to get rid of the smell (it's heavy-duty stuff). You can find it online probably. Then when that cat died (I have 9 cats) one of the others started to pee... I thought she was kinda making her mark as the new head of the household. But it turned out that she had bladder stones. So going to the vet helps. If bill of health is clean, you have to rule out alot of stuff... maybe she doesn't like where the litter box is (too noisy)... is there something different in the household? That kind of stuff. You can ask the vet to give you anti-anxiety medication for her. I've used diazapam, buspar and amitryptillyn. I've gotten good results with them, altho I didn't like how my cat was woozy from being doped up, but it worked for a while. Good luck!

Hi. When my cat started doing that I assumed it was a plea for attention. I started taking time out whenever i could to play with him and only him. Give her some play time where u can focus on just her. If that doesn't help, call your local animal shelter (preferably an Animal Friends type place). They should have an animal behaviorist that will help you. Hope this helps!!!

Hi L.,
I don't have cats, but have had dogs all of my life. Dogs tend to keep peeing where they have gone in the past--they can smell the area. O. product I'm aware of to get the small out is called Nature's Miracle. I found this when my dog was skunked earlier this summer (YUK!). Maybe it would really get the smell out of the floor.
Have you ever caught her in the act? If you can, I've heard that with dogs and cats--a little water squirt from a squirt gun works to modify behavior. Just a thought. Good luck.

Cats really seem to have their own agenda. And they don't change habits without a reason. The problem for us owners is that sometimes those reasons are absolutely unknown to us. You didn't say how old your cat is, but I had a cat that started doing that sort of thing the last couple years of her life, and she lived for 20 years. Her litter box was kept in our basement, and she'd just wouldn't use it. The vet found no infection, but speculated that perhaps she was having problems climbing in and out of the box, tho no obvious problems in her joints were found. We had noticed that she had stopped hopping up on furniture, window sills, or really anything high at all. She had also stopped going up to the second floor. We could only chalk it up to her being elderly, slowing down and getting weaker. Eventually, she wouldn't even go down the steps. I had to take the top of the litter box off for her. I think the cover made the box higher. Eventually, I switched to a smaller plastic container that was quite low, only about 2 inches high, and that worked until about a week or so before she died.

I think that you should definitely take her to the vet and have her checked out. She definitely has a reason for her sudden change in behavior, and maybe the vet can help figure it out.

Try "Nature's Miracle", you can get it at PetSmart. It removes all stains AND the odor left behind so 1) your house won't smell like cat pee and 2) kitty won't keep peeing in the same places b/c it won't smell anymore. I used this when my cat was peeing in his bed and it worked like a charm. Good luck!

Try taking her favorite treats, smashing them up, and sprinkling them on the floor. I know this is not what most people would suggest, BUT I have tried everything myself from citrus sprays and deterrent sprays to scolding... everything! I took my cat to the vet to make sure there were no problems and he did have a minor infection, but it didn't solve the problem once he had a clean bill of health. Cats don't like to potty where they eat, so this was the only thing that I have found that has worked!

Hope this helps!

How long has this been going on? She may have kidney or bladder issues even if you don't think she is in pain at this time. Cats get kidney infections, disease, urinary crystals, bladder stones, all kinds of urinary tract issues that their human never pick up on until it's too late. They are good at hiding it.( I started going to school for veterinary medicine but couldn't hack it) The easiest cause of kitties peeing outside their box to treat is medical. Then if it is truly behavioral you have a challenge. Cat's are sooo particular and peculiar and when they get in a "snit" it is often hard to figure out why. Something you can try is getting a second litter box, I know it's a pain but many cats like having an alternate spot to go. Also, use nature's miracle to clean the area(s) she is going in. Not sure how it works, but it is a "miracle" with stains and odor. If it is a carpeted area you may have to pull up the carpet and treat all the way down to the wood flooring.

This happened with my cat, Katie. I had to litter box retrain her twice- each time it was because of a move. It sounds a bit harsh, but since cats are pretty smart, they catch on pretty quick. Basically, you put your cat in a small room, preferably one that doesn't have carpet- I chose my laundry room and a bathroom. You place their litterbox and food in there (seperated as far apart in the small room as you can) with them and that is where they stay until they consistently go potty in the box. It took three- to five days each time and we never had an accident until she got cancer and she passed on- I still miss her-she was the best! Please do make sure there isn't some illness causing the peeing accidents before you do this. I did get this technique out of a reputable cat book, but it has been such a long time, that I don't remember which on it was. I wish you the best of luck!

I would take the cat to the vet just to make sure there is no medical issue going on here. My cat is a wonderfully behaved cat so when she started peeing on the rug I knew something was wrong. It turns out she has a chronic kidney issue and cannot eat certain foods. I now have her on a special diet and it hasnt happened since.

If you're cat is healthy then I would try using Feliway products. They are homeopathic and come in a plug-in or a spray and supposedly calm and relax the cat....I know from experience they work! They're expensive, but are well worth it. I got mine at Petsmart. Good Luck!

My cat is doing the same thing. When she first started it, it was because she had a bladder infection (because it hurt to pee, she associated pain to the litter box and peed outside the box) she didn't make any painful noises when she peed. May be you may need to take her to the vet to check and make sure it isn't an infection. I also put her food dish by where she was peeing, they don't like to eat where they pee. I may have to take my cat back to the vet because she is starting to pee in the spot she did when she had her infection (still poops in box but won't pee in box).

M.

I had a cat (who I just had to put down in May) who I could always tell when she had a bladder infection...she peed outside of the box!! LOL She never cried and never had any blood in the urine or anything. One time I took her and the vet said she had a raging infection!! And other then the peeing outside the box, she showed no other signs of any discomfort.

Have Suzie checked. I too have had cats all my life and never changed litters and scooped too. You have done everything right on your end!

~C.

I have no idea why your cat is peeing on the floor, but I understand how you feel about it!! There is nothing worse then the smell of cat pee!!! Here is a receipe for getting rid of the smell...it really works, and I've tried everything. Soak the area throughly, you might have to do it more then once. Maybe if you get rid of the smell, your cat won't go there again...good luck!!

8 ounces of Hydren Peroxide
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 drop of liquid hand soap

you can double the reciepe if desired

Hey L.! I have the same problem. My cat is 20 years old though so I contribute it to that. However other than cleaning it often which I'm sure you do, charcoal draws the scent out of the air. We put a bunch of paper plates or bowls in hidden areas in our basement and it seems to have helped. It's not perfect, but definitely better. We also got a second litter box so there are two down there in different locations because I think since she is so old she might have a hard time finding it sometimes. Hope you have some luck! Don't give up!!

First, take her to the Vet.
There does not need to be pain to have a medical problem.
Second, try Feliway. Check it out on the internet to find out what it can do.
Then you can purchase it at PetSmart.
Please, FIRST, don't hesitate and please rush to the Vet.

While channel surfing a few months back, I inadvertently caught a Martha Stewart tip (she usually annoys me with her obnoxious perfection). She said that cats hate citrus, so you should put your peels in the garden - maybe you could use something like that in your basement. Maybe even a lemon or orange scented cleaner or air freshener... Good luck!

In my experience when my cats have peed on the floor right by the litter box it was a sign they were sick. I took them to the vet and they had a virul infection. Once they were treated they stopped. Don't wait to contact your vet. My cat had a fever of 105 and was dehydrated.

Sounds like she has a bladder infection - pretty common in cats. I went through the same issue - my cats were great about their box, then all of the sudden one would pee not in the box. I think it's almost an instinctive way to get your attention to tell you somethings up... I know that sounds weird, but cats have been domesticated for so long, you never know...

Natures Miracle works great for eliminating the smell.

Good luck!!
T.

I would definitely have her seen by the vet, for all of the reasons listed previously. My male cat had FUS and still associates his litter box with the pain and will eliminate away from the box. He also was precribed different food to keep this from coming back. He eats Science Diet *C*...
The best way to find out is having your cat looked at by the vet. Good Luck and God Bless.

Foreseeing that your cat doesn't have a medical problem, there is a product called bitter apple. We got it when our cats were eat plants and scratching on doors. We just sprayed it on things he was not supposed to touch and it seemed to do the trick. With anything read the lablel before especially since you have youg children. good luck!!

Hi L. - I'm an animal technician and cats rarely cry in pain when they have an infection. I would advise taking a urine sample to your vet to be checked. Make sure there is no liter in it. Also, where in the basement is the litter box? Is it near the heater or washer/dryer? Sometimes if the location is noisy or if something has changed in the path from the steps to the litter box the cat will go elsewhere.

Try Nature's Miracle to get the smell out. I've bought it at Petsmart. I would definitely take her to the vet to make sure she isn't sick, especially if she's never done this before.

Are you sure she doen't have abladder infection? My cat did and he was not crying or anything just kept peeing on the floor and i tok him to two different vets and he had one. 9the first vet sais he didn't and theni took him for a secong opinion and he did.
take care jade

After you make sure it isn't a bladder infection, try spraying something that is a citrus smell where she pees, one of mine used to pee in the sink, nothing wrong with him but I read somewhere cats hate the smell of citrus I have an all natural veggie and fruit wash I got at the store its all made with organic citrus so no chemicals so it's safe =) Good luck!

Hi L.. Usually cats pee outside the box when they are having bladder issues. If you take your cat to the vet they can tell you if the cat is sick or just having behavior problems. We had a cat that peed on the floor and we used Nature's Miracle. You can buy it in pet stores and it will get rid of that smell. Good luck.

I agree with the previous posters about making sure she doesn't have a bladder infection; if that comes back negative, she might just be acting out because of the baby. We've had waaaay more pee incidents with our dog since my son was born and especially now that he's mobile.