i know this is an old topic but i need to vent..

[diamondklp]

I have three cats, one dog and a new baby girl. One of my cats ( I think it is Sabrina, my fav) has started peeing almost every where in the house. She pees on the sofas in the rec room, on the afghans in the living room and now she is peeing on my bed. We have had this problem before we had the baby but I think it was because she wasn't spayed, which she is now. I have tried many sprays etc. to stop but to no avail. When I clean I do use an enzyme cleaner. My husband now wants to get rid of all the cats which is upsetting because I don't. He is afraid that they will start peeing on the baby's things. Help please with any suggestions, I am at my wits end and I will miss my kitties.

[Ash]

She has to be seen by a vet. Urination in 'wrong' places often comes from UTI. Please have her checked out!

Which 'sprays' have you used? Do you mean Nature's Miracle or something similar?

Please have her checked out. This is important! Cats often have no other way of communicating that something is wrong with them than peeing somewhere.

Another issue to consider are litterboxes. How many boxes do you have and are they kept clean at all times?

And please talk with your husband and make him understand that with a bit of patience this can be straightened out, whereas an atmosphere where you both are upset and impatient with her will put her under more stress and will likely make the issue worse.

Good luck! And please check in here again later for more advice from other members!

[diamondklp]

We have three litter boxes in a quiet private area that are cleaned daily. She has recently been checked for UTI during her visit to the vet and she doesn't have it, neither do my other two cats. We used a spray that was suppose to calm cats, Feliway?? I think, but I am not sure. I have been trying to give the cats and dog some extra attention since the baby has come, so has my husband. He told me that he doesn't really want to get rid of the kitties, but feels there are no other options.

[Ash]

You said that she had these episodes before. Could it be that she responds to stress with urination? Now the new stress for her being the new baby, of course. She might feel disturbed by its crying, the fact that you get up a lot at night and there is activity where before all was calm. Cats are very sensitive and don't like their routine disturbed. Mind you, you and the baby are not to blame, I'm not trying to imply anything like that.

How old is the baby now? How does Sabrina react to it? Have you tried sitting together with both of them, baby and cat? Sabrina might feel she's missing out on intimate moments with you, even if you give her more attention. She might also miss having you to herself. Are you making sure she gets enough individual play and cuddle time?

[diamondklp]

My baby is almost three months, and she actually doesn't cry that much (yes, i am very lucky).

Sabrina kind of ignores the baby, she doesn't seem that interested at all. The other two cats, Daisy and Meatball, seem more interested and will sniff the baby etc.

I recently quit my job to stay at home and take care of my daughter and I truly have been trying to pay attention to all of my pets. Some times it is hard to do, honestly sometimes it hard to even take a shower!

The issues we had before was with Sabrina peeing on my step-childrens clothes if they were left on the floor, she also would pee on their beds. We closed all the bed room doors and she wasn't able to pee there.

So she started on the rec room furniture and then to our bed. Years ago she peed on my husband's recliner constantly, that was before she got spayed and that is what we blamed it on.

I just want to find some sort of concrete solution that my husband will understand before he becomes too frustrated to listen.

[Ash]

Unfortunately, 'concrete' solution are not really available in such a situation. It takes a lot of patience and commitment and understanding to resolve or improve a cat's behaviour. If your husband just sits back and hopes for a miracle nothing will be resolved. If he's disapproving of her he will make it worse.

I wish I could be of more help. Inappropriate urination is mostly due to unhappiness in a cat (if UTI's are ruled out). It is often hard to pinpoint the exact reason, and since I have never been to your home and don't know the situation first hand, I can only make guesses.

If you feel it has nothing to do with the baby, think of other factors that might make her feel unhappy. Is she good friends with the other cats and the dog? Maybe there is an ongoing disagreement and/or power struggle between them?

Does something outside the house disturb her? Some continuous noise, other cats prowling the neighbourhood? What else has changed in your household apart from the baby coming home? Have you changed her food? When did she start with this behaviour? Can you pinpoint the week it started?

Sometimes a cat will respond to stress with urination and will then continue to pee in those places even if the stress source is not longer there. That's why it is so important to use a cleaner like Nature's Miracle. Are you using that?

[diamondklp]

I am not sure if she is upset about the baby, she may be. I truly believe that all the other times are related to stress, actually the last time when she peed on my step-kids clothes and bed, we had moved a lot of furniture to make room for the baby.

What kind of solution is there with such a sensitive cat. Sabrina is very affectionate and sleeps with me every night, if not in bed in my room.

Maybe that is why she is my favorite out of all the cats.

Unfortunately I can't remove the stress of the baby. What ways can I make Sabrina's life less stressful???

I do use an enzyme cleaner like Nature Miracle on all the pee spots. And it seems to work with the smell.

Yikes, what more can be said? I just feel sad. Believe me I will try my best to convince my husband not to put my babies (kitties) up for adoption.

[Ash]

Did she start when the baby came home?

If the baby is upsetting her maybe it will improve with time, when the baby starts sleeping longer hours at night, and when she understands that she hasn't lost your love.

Are the cats your cats or both yours and your husband's? In any case I feel you should have say in this. If you are willing to deal with Sabrina's problem and also clean up after her, he shouldn't ask for them to be given away. Try putting your foot down and simply refuse to give them up. (I think I would.)

You could try bringing a new toy home for Sabrina, or a new cat tree, something you know she likes. We have three fishtanks and our cats are entertained by it no end. Something to keep them happy ... and we enjoy it as well!

I'm not sure, but maybe inappropriate urination can also point to other health problems (other than UTI). How does she appear otherwise? Healthy? Eating normal, playing etc? How old is she? When was her last blood check?

[Traci]

Please take the time to read the many other posts in this forum regarding the same issues, there are MANY of them you can gather tips from. Use the search function.