Help..my cats are urinating in my home

[ilovemycats]

I am a Veterinary nurse by trade so know quite alot about behaviour in cats especially when it comes to spraying or urinating in unusual places. However this time I am stumped. I have 4 cats in my household and know this can be a cause for problems. All of my cats are desexed and I have 3 females and 1 male. They are all kept indoors all of the time. One of my female urinates all over the house. She is forbidden to enter our bedroom because she will urinate on my husbands side of the bed. She will also urinate on our sofa bed, on her own bedding, on the floor in our garage (right next to her litter tray which by the way are kept clean and free of faeces), on my husbands work bag and other things he wears at work - at this point I must point out that he is fed up with her urinating all over the place and has recently punished her by catching her urinating on the floor in our dining room then taking her back there to show her what she has done wrong then putting her straight into her litter box - I have tried explaining to him that this will only upset her more and that she may now be targeting his belongings to get back at him but he doesn't listen. She will urinate on our clothes and towels also. The male will urinate (not spray) on the stove top, in the kitchen and bathroom sink, on the drain in our toilet, he has sprayed on my computer tower, on the side of my computer desk, on our wall heater, and some other places. Each time I find a spot where they have urinated I thoughly clean the area using Bio-Zet which does not contain ammonia and does contain enzymes which are meant to help removed the odour. I am also giving my male cat Clomicalm which is a behavioural drug which helps anxious cats to relax in their environment (when used daily his spraying/urinating does decrease) however I dont like using it daily so try to give it every 3 days or so. The female is on nothing but I have recently started giving her 1/2 a Clomicalm a day to see if this helps. I must also point out with my experience in the field of animals I am pretty confident this is not a medical problem but rather a behavourial one. Neither of the 2 cats strain to urinate and I have never seen blood in the urine.
I am at my wits end, I would never euthanase my cats or get rid of them because this problem I love themway too much, I simply would like to find a way to stop this happening so we can all live in harmony together. Can anyone help!!

[Traci]

If you are a veterinary nurse, then you know that clomicalm is a tricyclic antidepressant and is not without risks and most often only serve to mask behavioral problems. Did your vet prescribe this? Are you taking it upon yourself to self-dose the cats? IF so, you need your vet's direction, do not ever take it upon yourself to dose, decrease or increase any medication, particularly tricyclic antidepressants!

Have either of them been to your vet for full urinalyses? This is the only way you can rule out UTI, bladder problems, crystals, etc.

There's obviously alot of stress in the environment, and I suspect your husband is compounding the situation. Since the female is urinating on things that belong to him, it's quite obvious there is animosity on his part, and it is up to YOU to talk to your husband and convince him that his approach is not appropriate. HE also needs to work with you in a calm manner to help resolve the situation.

Whenever more than one cat is spraying/marking, this is usually a domino effect, meaning when one cat is stressed (or ill), the other cats sense that and react. What are the stressors in the home? Have there been any changes in the environment, no matter how slight? The male could very well be reacting to your husband's frustration, you need to nip that in the bud.

Never heard of Bio-Zet, perhaps it isn't working. Try Petastic and follow label directions, since more than one application may be needed. Always allow the application to dry completely before allowing your cats near the treated areas. Also, it's very important to thoroughly clean any areas with a simple cleaner first (like simple dishsoap and water), allow to dry, then treat with Petastic. Don't use heavy cleaners or scented products to clean, etc, as these are a turn-off for cats.

If you have carpet, wood floors, or wood baseboards, etc, unfortunately, no cleaner or enzyme can reach underneath, and pulling them up and sealing the floor and re-flooring are the only solution. If a cat can still smell residual urine where marked, they will of course, re-mark that area. If they can smell cleaners, they will also re-mark the areas.

You need to keep clothes, towels, etc out of reach of all the cats. ANY cat will urinate on clothes, towels, etc when they have the opportunity, so simply put them away. What work does your husband do? Does he bring home certain scents, or grease/oil on his shoes, etc etc? If so, tell him to change clothes immediately when coming home.

A garage isn't really a good place for a litterbox, can you not place one in the home in a private, quiet area away from heavy appliances and heavy foot traffic? Do you have more than one litterbox? There should be one litterbox available per cat. They should also be in a private and quiet area. They should be scooped daily and thoroughly cleaned and rinsed at least once a week. Have you tried changing the type of litter?

Try placing a matress cover (not a pad, but a plastic cover) on your bed or sofa bed when not in use. Not only does this protect your bedding, but it makes for easy cleaning of urine accidents. Try doing this and allowing your female in the room for short amounts of time, and if she acts like she is going to attempt to urinate on something, simply pick her up and gently place her in her litterbox. Consistency is the key.

What is the environment like? Do the cats have plenty of toys to keep them interested and entertained? Do they have a cat tree, cat perch near a safe window to watch out of? Do you spend quality time with them in playtime activity, bonding, etc? Does your husband make the same efforts? How long are either of you gone for the day?

How do the cats get along? Is either the female or male intimidated by each other or another cat? Do they eat together, sleep together, play together, etc?

It's not only UTI's you need to be concerned with, but any underlying health condition could be surfacing, and stress is a precursor to any health condition exacerbating. I suggest you get them to your vet for a full exam and bloodwork/urinalysis.

[ilovemycats]

Hi Traci
I do appreciate your advice and have taken it all on board, in fact it really has got me thinking deeper into the situation. I do know the risks of using Clomicalm and the doses I have been using are a prescibed dose. As I said in the original I don't like using Clomicalm hence I am trying to figure out how I can make this stop. The male that is using the Clomicalm does have a tendancy to be a little mean to the other cats so I am well aware that it will be causing stress to the cats he bullies.

The female has had urinalysis done but I am however taking the her back to the specialist tomorrow to do more and then the male the following day.

I know there is a lot of stress in the environment and yes I also believe that my husband is compounding the problem and for that reason I am going to get him to read what you have said to help him realise that the problem is not just happening because they are naughty.

There have been changes in the environment - again this is something that I am aware can set these type of behaviours off, we have recently moved into a new home so things are moving and changing a bit.

I live in Australia which is why you have never heard of Bio-Zet. It is used widely in Australia for these types of problem because it contains enzymes which are biologically active cleaners. But perhaps it isnt working. I dont believe we can get Petastic in Australia but I certainly will look on the internet.
We do now keep clothes and towels out of harms way. My husband is in the Defence Force so he would smell like all sorts of things to the cats.

Our garage which is quiet large (2 car enclosed) and is basically the cats fun room. It contains on one side their litters of which I have 8 - 2 for every cat, and on the other all their toys and scratch poles and they have alot. I play with them all the time and they all play together and have a ball. Each litter tray is scooped daily and I have tried all sort of litter and the cats have settled on crystal litter.

I will certainly try allowing her into our room while Im in there just to help her see it is a nice area to be in.

My cats have 2 big scratch poles and many toys to play with. My husband does not play with them as much as me but he does play. We are both gone for 8 hours per day Monday to Friday.

2 of my females are sisters and they get along great, they were the orignal cats brought into our home. The female that isnt the one urinating around the house is very shy and timid, she tends to get scared of the 2 other cats (not her sister) but she does not have any behavioural issues. The 2 other cats (one female and the other the male that sprays and urinates) have very strong personalitites. Both can get a bit fiesty with the other 2 girls. They all eat together and all tend to sleep in generally the same area as each other.

Speaking of bonding the female who urinates around the house (her name is Missy) is sleeping on my lap as I type this!!!!

Again thank you for your advise. I hope our trip to the specialist tomorrow goes well.

[Traci]

I must say, thank you for admitting you are aware of stressors in the environment, not many owners admit to that!

So, we know there are stressors, and now you have to work on reducing those stressors. This doesn't have to be difficult, but it does take comittment and patience. However, your husband ALSO has to take an equal part in this process, meaning he has to make attempts to keep as calm an environment as you do. When the cats depend on both of you for their basic needs, it's imperative that both of you are doing the same thing when keeping stress reduced in the environment, and when giving them attention, etc.

Are the intimidator cats doing so out of boredom, or due to stress? What happens directly before one of them gets into intimidator mode? Did you recently reprimand one and that cat then takes it out on another? Or is it simply because they are bored and have alot of energy they need to expend? One helpful trick is devoting enough time, at least twice a day, to get all the cats involved in a playtime activity together, with your direct involvement. This allows the cats to focus on the particular toys or playtime activity as opposed to directly on each other. With consistency, they learn tolerance of each other in the same space, and become more adjusted with each other (no further need for fear, agression or intimidation). Your active involvement is crucial.

I am assuming the garage door is never opened, and that you don't actually keep your cars going in and out of the garage? By enclosed, you mean this is like another "room" of your home? If so, it sounds like a nice set-up for the cats. However, if it is also a storage area where you keep paints, solvents, other chemicals etc, those should be in another area well away from the cats because scents and fumes from these things can really be harmful.

I realize you said they eat together, but do any of them eat hurriedly, or have you noticed one or more not eating regularly, normally etc? If there is any intimidation whatsoever during mealtimes, perhaps you might introduce a second feeding station. This doesn't have to be in another room or anything, simply place a new set of food and water dishes a few feet away from the first feeding area. This is helpful for many multi-cat environments.

At any time you observe or catch one or more cats intimidating another, immediately use a squirt bottle with water, include a stern "NO", and immediately divert that cat's attention to another matter, like a favorite toy or a playtime activity. If the behavior is consistent, add to the squirt bottle, the "NO", a quick and temporary time-out in another room. The time out should only be for about 5-10 minutes at a time. Allow the cat out again, observe the behavior, and if intimidation on another cat occurs again, then give another squirt, "NO", and another time-out. Again, consistency is the key. For good behavior, DO be sure to reward the behavior, with a treat, or special playtime activity.

Sometimes cats do this to get our attention to some matter we don't always associate with the behavior, so be very observant of them and their environment for keys that trigger the stress. What is happening before an incident? What happens after? Which cat is affected, and is it often? Why is one cat agressive with another? What does the victim cat do, run, hide, withdraw or? With 4 or more cats in the home, sometimes it can be difficult to discern which cat is doing what and why, and due to your long workdays, it can be equally as difficult. But, the times you ARE home, be very observant to their behavior, their routines, and their individual needs and accomodate those needs when necessary.

Glad to hear you're getting them to the vet, but do discuss the clomicalm, because I think the way it is dosed is ineffective, and I doubt it is adressing urination/spraying anyway. I fully believe these medications are unnecessary in cats, and the true resolve is when the owner works diligently and patiently on the stress factors in the environment to resolve the urination issues. The environment is the key, and when you are observant to the cats' individual needs and address them properly, the cats are therefore more adjusted, more calm with each other, happier and feeling secure in their environment. It sounds like several things are going on at once and it has escalated to this point, but it's not to late to get this resolved. Your husband MUST be patient, forgiving, and comitted to making the environment calm for all of the cats. Any more stress or reprimands to this issue are only going to exacerbate the problem. Remind him that we adopt our pets for life, and they are soley dependent upon us to learn and understand their behaviors, so we can help them when they are stressed or ill, etc.

Btw, you can check the Petastic site online to see if they can deliver to you (not sure about that). Petastic site. Click on the reatil section for other online stores that may carry the product and to see if they ship abroad. You might also check your local pet stores to see if they carry it or can order it for you.