Cat who pees in the tub

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Leigh Bain - 26 Apr 2004 04:23 GMT

I have a tri-toirtoise Burmese who has a clean litter box but still loves to
pee in the tub and the bathroom sink. In our old apartment it was just the
sink. Why is she doing this? We checked and she doesn't have worms, she
does have trouble clearing her anal sac, could that be the reason? If we try
to clear it for her (the vet showed us how and my husband is very familiar
with animals) she becomes ornery - well okay she's ornery anyway she's hit
those "teenage years" so to speak. We just moved to the city and haven't
found a vet that she or we like yet either so we are nervous about having
just any vet do this. Even with her anal sac drained in the old apartment
she still peed in the sink. We spray her with water spritzers but she's so
tempermental that she just dares us to spray her again, and again and again.

Tired of pee in her bathroom.Well at least she's getting it over the
hole....better aim than my husband.

PS. Sorry if I posted this too many groups I am really fed up with this
peeing issue and I don't know which cat groups get traffic or not - some of
them look exactly alike. I just really need some answers. And before anyone
asks, she does use the litter box. The only time she pees in the sink is
when someone, mainly me, is in the bathroom peeing too.

Reply to this Message

Karen Chuplis - 26 Apr 2004 05:48 GMT

> I have a tri-toirtoise Burmese who has a clean litter box but still loves to
> pee in the tub and the bathroom sink. In our old apartment it was just the
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> asks, she does use the litter box. The only time she pees in the sink is
> when someone, mainly me, is in the bathroom peeing too.

Have you tried adding an additional box? Maybe with a different height of
litter (less)? She may have to squat lower and doesn't like the feel of sand
on her butt for peeing.

Karen

Reply to this Message

Leigh Bain - 26 Apr 2004 06:22 GMT

> Have you tried adding an additional box? Maybe with a different height of
> litter (less)? She may have to squat lower and doesn't like the feel of sand
> on her butt for peeing.

well she pees in there all the time, it's just when I or my husband pee in
the bathroom. Could she just be copycatting us?

Reply to this Message

Gene Royer - 26 Apr 2004 11:45 GMT

> > Have you tried adding an additional box? Maybe with a different height of
> > litter (less)? She may have to squat lower and doesn't like the feel of
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> well she pees in there all the time, it's just when I or my husband pee in
> the bathroom. Could she just be copycatting us?

Well, before some smarty-pants says it, have you tried squatting in her
litter box and letting her observe?

Damn I'm funny?

Seriously, try putting the litter box directly on the spot in the tub where
she habitually goes.
I used the word "habitually" because cats are creatures of habit.

You will have to move it back and forth, of course, when you bathe; but it
might change her habits. As for the kitchen sink, ...I don't think so.

--Geno<worth a try>Royer

Reply to this Message

M.C. Mullen - 26 Apr 2004 14:39 GMT

| > Have you tried adding an additional box? Maybe with a different height of
| > litter (less)? She may have to squat lower and doesn't like the feel of
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
| well she pees in there all the time, it's just when I or my husband pee in
| the bathroom. Could she just be copycatting us?

Maybe she wants to be a human? <grin>
Well, if you clean the tub enough it's not that big a problem, is it?
Take it from the positive side and be proud that you have got such a smart
and extraordinary cat.

Carola

Reply to this Message

'cedes - 26 Apr 2004 07:22 GMT

I have a couple of cats that are shower and sink pee'rs. I'm just happy
that it is there, instead of on the bed, or in a pile of clothes.

Reply to this Message

rangitotogirl - 26 Apr 2004 11:26 GMT

> Tired of pee in her bathroom.Well at least she's getting it over the
> hole....better aim than my husband.

Sounds like you could probably teach her to use the toilet. Get a book from
the library on training your cat if you're keen.

Reply to this Message

Mars Project - 26 Apr 2004 15:43 GMT

> > Tired of pee in her bathroom.Well at least she's getting it over the
> > hole....better aim than my husband.
>
> Sounds like you could probably teach her to use the toilet. Get a book from
> the library on training your cat if you're keen.

I have a similar problem so I got that book but the cat refuses to read it.

Reply to this Message

Gene Royer - 26 Apr 2004 16:39 GMT

> > > Tired of pee in her bathroom.Well at least she's getting it over the
> > > hole....better aim than my husband.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> I have a similar problem so I got that book but the cat refuses to read it.

Yep. Remember the old saw: You can lead a horse to water but you can't
make him bathe. Or something like that.

Cats are fickle about their reading material. Although they seem to really
enjoy reading what I write--especially whule I'm tynig to qrit e it,

--Geno<scat>Royer

Reply to this Message

Leslie M. - 26 Apr 2004 17:03 GMT

"Leigh Bain"

> I have a tri-toirtoise Burmese who has a clean litter box but still loves to
> pee in the tub and the bathroom sink. In our old apartment it was just the
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
>
> Leigh,

I actually just got through reading a journal article pertaining to your
problem. What the author suggested was to make the litter box a pleasant
place and the sink/bathtub an aversive place. To do so, you could put some
material in the bathtub/sink area that is unpleasant. Sounds to me like
your cat likes smooth surfaces. Try putting aluminum foil in the area,
which will make an unpleasant sound. You could also try placing some bubble
wrap in the area. If that doesn't work, try keeping the sink/bathroom area
smelling very perfumed-the author suggested a lemon scent. To make the
litter box a more desirable area, you could try to recreate the surface of
the bathroom around the box. So, if the litter box is placed on a carpeted
area, put it on linoleum or tile. Make sure not to put any deodorizer on
the litter. Clean it as much as possible. Provide some type of
reward/praise when you directly after the kitty uses the litter box.
Hopefully this will help.

Here is the article citation, if you are interested:

Marder, Amy (1992). House soiling: How to manage cat owners' most common
behavioral complaint. Pet Veterinarian, 4(4), 30-32.

Reply to this Message

Leigh Bain - 27 Apr 2004 02:08 GMT

> problem. What the author suggested was to make the litter box a pleasant
> place and the sink/bathtub an aversive place.

We are in a really small apartment but in our old apartment the litterbox
was in the bathroom where the chair for someone who wants to "pretty
themselves up" is supposed to go" But I was so bad about remembering to
clean it so we got a self cleaning one. The cats love it.

> To do so, you could put some
> material in the bathtub/sink area that is unpleasant. Sounds to me like
> your cat likes smooth surfaces. Try putting aluminum foil in the area,
> which will make an unpleasant sound. You could also try placing some bubble
> wrap in the area.

My cats play with aluminum foil balls and when the man from UPS gets here
and there's bubble wrap? Oh Boy what a party for them! :)

> If that doesn't work, try keeping the sink/bathroom area
> smelling very perfumed-the author suggested a lemon scent. To make the
> litter box a more desirable area, you could try to recreate the surface of
> the bathroom around the box. So, if the litter box is placed on a carpeted
> area, put it on linoleum or tile.

There's our problem, we are in our Uncles condo (one floor, it's really an
apartment but since someone owns it it's called a condo). He tiled the
entire place. Kinda funny to watch the cats play chase when they want to
stop at the master bedroom and keep sliding into the second bedroom :)

> Make sure not to put any deodorizer on
> the litter. Clean it as much as possible. Provide some type of
> reward/praise when you directly after the kitty uses the litter box.

See that's the thing she uses it all the time. She only pees in the tub
when me or my husband pees in the bathroom. As for the sink we think she
does that at night but it's only once or twice and she then thinks it's too
dirty and stops. But she's done that for ages. Now her favorite time to use
the littler box is right after the self cleaning has run and when we change
the litter. Changing the litter is her favorite. She'll sit in there low
to the ground and just jump around until it's all over her.

> Hopefully this will help.

actually it did give me an idea, I watch a show on DIY called Talking Dirty
with the Queen of Clean. While she's annoying she has great tips. Your
mention of lemon reminded me about the tip she gave about keeping cats away
from plants. Oil of cloves. I figure if I dab some oil of cloves on a
cotton ball and randomly place it around the tub and sink it should keep the
cats away right?

Thanks for the advice :)

> Here is the article citation, if you are interested:
>
> Marder, Amy (1992). House soiling: How to manage cat owners' most common
> behavioral complaint. Pet Veterinarian, 4(4), 30-32.

Reply to this Message

Judy - 27 Apr 2004 04:19 GMT

> The only time she pees in the sink is
> when someone, mainly me, is in the bathroom peeing too.

If this is the case, why doesn't whoever is using the bathroom close the
door?

Reply to this Message

Leigh Bain - 27 Apr 2004 05:22 GMT

> <snip snip>
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> If this is the case, why doesn't whoever is using the bathroom close the
> door?

because she's usually in there following us before we enter :) This is an
old apartment building, the door on the bathroom doesn't close very easily

:(. And she knows how to open it if she wants in.

Reply to this Message

Judy - 28 Apr 2004 02:08 GMT

> > <snip snip>
> >
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> old apartment building, the door on the bathroom doesn't close very easily
> :(. And she knows how to open it if she wants in.

So, it's an old apartment building and the bathroom door doesn't close very
easily and she knows how to open it if she wants. This tells me something
about you - your cat rules and that you don't really mind.

If you did mind, you'd have figured out a way to keep her out of the
bathroom. It's not rocket science. Why not take a few seconds to put her in
a room with door that closes, or have the door fixed so that it closes
properly?

Reply to this Message