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Cat Forum / General Topics / December 2003I need advice - Please help.
Hello all, I have 4 cats, one litter box emptied on a regular basis, filled very fast eaach time which is normal. One or more of my cats are peeing all over hte place... :( Counter, slippers, carpet, corners etc etc... Today, I was told that if we do not find a solution, some of the cats are going to have to leave :((( They are 11, 10, 9 years old, and 9 months old. The peeing problem was present before we introduced the baby in the house (which is temporary but disturbing non-the-less, although it went good) I raised them all, they are my babies, and I don't want to let them go. There is no way I can put them down for that problem unless I am told they are suffering. Our 9 years old has always been a nervous cat, and we surprised her doing her business at forbidden places a number of times. So I know for sure she's one of the cats peeing out of the litter box. I think my 11 years old also does it. I know she did, I'm not sure she still does. Anyhow... I really need advice about how to prevent those things happening again. Would two litter boxes emptied everyday help? Any other tips? Please help me keep my babies with me... it is recommended that you have one litter box for each cat plus an additional one. I have five cats and I have two litter boxes upstairs, and a large wading pool downstairs full of litter. its huge, but it seems to work. Cats are fanatical when it comes to their litter box. Think about it.. if you had to walk over someone else's urine or feces to go to the bathroom, would you pick the box, or would you find a nice piece of rug to go on.. the counter is their way of saying to you.. HEY! this is NOT acceptable. You should also get a product especially designed to remove urine odors from your house. They have enzymes to eliminate completely. If an area smells like urine, they are going to tend to gravitate to that spot as an acceptable spot. If after getting new boxes and cleaning real well you still have a problem, chances are one of them has a urinary tract infection. I work at a vet's office.. when someone calls about improper urinating.. the first question is how many boxes, and if thats not the problem, then we always suspect a urinary problem. Make sure your not feeding your kitties any cat food with fish in it, as that tends to lead to a UTI. on a final note.. are the cats fixed? un-neutered cats tend to spray, marking their territory.. > Hello all, > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Would two litter boxes emptied everyday help? Any other tips? Please help me > keep my babies with me... Hello, Wow, thank you so much for the advice. I always heard it was good to have more than one litter box for multiple cats but I never thought one for each cat, plus additional one. Until now, we had one big litterbox. I just put a second one there as we already had it at home... An old one that we were not using anymore. I'll add up as soon as I can. Is it ok to put them all in the same room ? (the boxes?) There is really only one "good" place for it here at home, that's why I ask. Is it the quantity of "litter surface" that matters or the different spots in the house where there are litter boxes? We're going to visit the vet with our 9 years old to check for UTI as we suspect something is definately wrong with her. My 4 cats are females, my 3 older ones are fixed, my baby isn't, but she will. > it is recommended that you have one litter box for each cat plus an > additional one. I have five cats and I have two litter boxes upstairs, and [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] > me > > keep my babies with me... as long as the litter boxes are cleaned on a regular basis, having them all in the same spot shouldn't be a problem. My friend has five cats and her boxes are all right together.. its more a a littler surface issue, and a also a smell issue, as cats sense of smell is much better than your own, and again, know how you feel when you walk into a bathroom that smells of someone else having been there. You might want to consider finding another place if you have more than one level on your house as your pets get older.. as for finding a cleaner with enzymes in it, you can check your vet or a larger pet store. Its a known issue with kitties, so it should be carried in a store near you.. Just ask :) Good luck with your 9 yr old, and I applaud you for not declawing your new little one.. lots of people feel they need to declaw all the cats in a house if one is.. > Hello, > [quoted text clipped - 79 lines] > > me > > > keep my babies with me... Thank you again for your advice... Your answers are very helpful :) Unfortunately, I can not put the litter boxes in different places. But I'll just double my efforts for the smells and stuff. Better than nothing :) I am at my parents, and two of the 4 cats are "my babies" (the oldest and the youngest). I am moving out soon and my babies are coming with me. So that will help the problem as well I believe. Although I am still considering leaving my oldest here. She was nearly born here, 11 years ago. We live in a nice quiet area with lots of flowers, it's quiet,... residential area and my cats are happy. It is possible to live somewhere else, happy, but I feel bad about moving my old cat who's lived here all her life. What do you think? is it better to leave her here where she is used to live, where she knows the yard, the neighboors, the place, where she feels safe. Or is it better to bring her with me in a small appartment, where all would be new, it would probably be more of a "town like" area, but she would be with her mommy? What is best at her age? :( As for the baby, she will be 9 months at the end of the month, and if all goes well, I am moving out before she turns one year, she's well young enough to get used to other places. It breaks my heart to leave one here, but it breaks my heart to move my old one from her safe place. Anyway... Thank you, about my decision of not declawing my baby. When we got the 3 other ones, I was much younger and I wasn't the one making those decisions back then. Now, as an adult, I can't think of removing this very important part of my kitty. it's almost as though I'd want to have half my own fingers cut. It doesn't make sence. I look at her play with her toys, she takes them and moves them around with her claws, she throws them in the air. She is a naturally gentle cat though and has never hurted us (except a few accidents while playing). She leaves the furniture alone (she has a cat tree and loves it). There is absolutely no point at all in having her declawed. I like her whole. She's such a princess lol. Mia and her babies :) > as long as the litter boxes are cleaned on a regular basis, having them all > in the same spot shouldn't be a problem. My friend has five cats and her [quoted text clipped - 105 lines] > > > me > > > > keep my babies with me... > What do you think? is it better to leave her here where she is used to live, > where she knows the yard, the neighboors, the place, where she feels safe. > Or is it better to bring her with me in a small appartment, where all would > be new, it would probably be more of a "town like" area, but she would be > with her mommy? What is best at her age? :( It really all depends on her personality, and what is important to her. If she's attached to you or the other kitties in the house, leaving her would be way worse than the move. If she's a loner and doesn't pay any attention to you or the other cats, then leaving her might be the best for her, but cats do adjust quickly. all of their stuff will be coming with them, so really the only stressful part would be the actual move You mentioned she knows the yard.. so Im assuming this means you let the declawed cat go outside? > You mentioned she knows the yard.. so Im assuming this means you let the > declawed cat go outside? Yes, all of my cats are inside / outside cats. My 3 older ones still have claws to their back paws. There again, it wasn't my decision back then. Fortunately, they developped other ways of defending themselves, although it is a rather quiet neighboorhood, even for cats. Also, as they get older, their visits outside are shorter and quieter. It is interesting, though, to see how Misha (the baby) develops her skills. It is different, of course, than for a kitten whos claws have been removed. It is fascinating how agile a cat can be. When we first adopted Misha, we used to look at her all the time, how she plays and stuff. And her daddy and I made the decision right away, The claws will remain!!. :) Thanks for your help, Mia and her babies. Dec 2003: > When we first adopted Misha, we > used to look at her all the time, how she plays and stuff. And her > daddy and I made the decision right away, The claws will remain!!. :) Yay! :)  SignatureCheryl "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." - Helen Keller > Hello all, > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Would two litter boxes emptied everyday help? Any other tips? Please help me > keep my babies with me... The first thing you should do is to have all cats checked for possible medical problems. Inappropriate urination is a very common sign of urinary tract infections. Next, you definitely need additional litter boxes. The general rule of thumb is one box for each cat plus one extra. With 4 cats, you may be able to get by with less -- but you should have at least three boxes. The boxes should be cleaned daily because some cats will not use a dirty box. You also need to thoroughly clean up all traces of areas where the cats have urinated because that can serve as an attractant. There are portable black lights that can help in tracking down the "offending locations." Clean well with an enzymatic cleaner. Are any of your cats declawed? If so, this is often associated with inappropriate urination and could require additional behavioral techniques. Also, what type of litter do you use? I suggest that you use a good quality clumping litter. Some people have reported good results with "Cat Attract" litter. This is a type of litter that has an herbal attractant and is supposedly formulated for cats with litter box problems. You can read about it here: http://www.catconnection.net/page/TCC/PROD/BEST/LTR-2954/AFFIL/SEK I hope some of this helps. MaryL Hi there, Thank you so much for your advice. :) See my answer to Connie for the litter box "story" :) Do you have example of "enzymatic cleaner" ? (brand... ) better even, do you have that name of that in french? lol. ;) If not, I'll find out :) My 3 older cats are declawed on their front paws. My baby is not and will not be declawed. We had trouble finding a litter box that would suit them all. Our 9 years old had allergic problems at a time and we tried a number of things to help her out. We ended up with a litter called Max Scoop, from Purina... the multicat one. It is a clumping litter. We also have special food "anti allergy" (sorry, I can't think of the english word). But anyway, it's "medic-alert" food... that I buy at my local vet. It contains duck. Thanks again... Mia and her babies :) > > Hello all, > > [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > > MaryL > Hi there, > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Do you have example of "enzymatic cleaner" ? (brand... ) better even, do you > have that name of that in french? lol. ;) If not, I'll find out :) I have had success with PetZyme. It is available at PetSmart and a number of other places, but be sure to get the one formulated for cats and not for dogs. I also know people who prefer Anti-Icky-Poo (and with a name like that, who could forget it??). Here is a link: http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=ieas&p=Anti-icky-poo. Sorry, I can't help you with French. > My 3 older cats are declawed on their front paws. My baby is not and will > not be declawed. I'm delighted t hear that you are not going to declaw your baby. However, this may be part of the problem since you say the others are declawed. Approximately 30 percent of declawed cats develop behavioral problems such as biting or urinating outside the litter box. I suggest that you try a couple of plug-in Feliway diffusers, in addition to the other suggestions you have seen. Feliway is used for behavior modification and can be very useful in reducing stress. It is available in plug-in diffusers (with refills available) and as a spray. > We had trouble finding a litter box that would suit them all. This part of the problem could be solved by having extra litter boxes, possibly with more than one type of litter. Good luck to you and your babies. To the original poster: Along with the good advice others have given, it is important that you get your cat spayed ASAP. Unspayed females will mark territory with urine and it's quite possible that your 9 month old is doing just that. Ideally females should be spayed no later than 4 months or so, and many shelters are spaying as early as 8 weeks. You are taking a risk allowing your cat to remain intact, especially since it seems that the cats are allowed outside. All it takes is one meeting with a tomcat for your cat to get pregnant. She is much too young for that and considering all the cats that are killed in shelters every day because there are not enough homes for them all, it would be wrong to leave the situation as it is and risk an accidental litter of kittens. Please get her spayed this week if you can. Megan Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
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