If my cat sprays on one more thing...I am going to lose my mind!! Why can a cat be sooo cute and so silly, so good with kids yet have one charachter flaw that is so darn annoying?!!!
His little habit started with backpacks, for some reason he just had to get those. I thought at first it was because he knew it meant the kids were going to school and he would not have their attention for the day. So we would make sure the backpacks were always hung up.
Now that we have moved his "habit" has expanded to anything he sees on the floor.Dont get me wrong he still uses his litter box, ruling out that he is afraid to pee in it because he has UTI. He has a clean litter box ( I know because I am the one to change it ), but if he sees anything on the floor it is "fair game". His most recent fetish has been to spray on shoes. So now w can't even keep our shoes at the front door. We have resorted to keeping all bedroom doors closed ( cuz good luck with having an 8 and 5 year old to keep all things off the floor) and a baby gate to the upstairs ( for some reason this works, he actually thinks he cannot jump the gate), and now I guess we have to keep our shoes in a closet!!!!
I love my Sammy so very much, I am just at my witts end!! I have been behind in my laundry ( which should not happen because I am on hollidays from may till Sept) because I am doing at least a load a day or every 2 days of urine soaked items such as blankets, teddy bears, jackets that fall off the hangers ........ Yes I love my cat but the question I keep asking myself is " How much?"
Sammy is so cute but this is not cute & do not have any answers not being a cat owner, but perhaps the cat owners out there can help you with some info on this nasty habit.
ReplyDeleteThat can be very frustrating! Ginger is very fond of peeing on anything left around on the floor. She also started with the kids backpacks but she seems to have stopped.
ReplyDeleteAt one point she started peeing everywhere and it wasn't until I saw some blood in the urine when she peed on some clothes that I realized she had a UTI.
I've heard cats get bored where they go to the bathroom. Suggestions from vets say you should have 2 or 3 litter boxes. Apparently they like variety. If the box becomes smelly they will refuse to use it.
Did Sammy only start doing the pee thing this bad after your move? Cat's also don't like change.
Try the extra litter box thing - if it doesn't work try taking him to a vet to make sure he has no underlying problems. It seems weird for him to have escalated this much in such a short time, could possibly be something wrong with his bladder besides a UTI.
Oh it has escalated slowly since the move, but is getting worse each day. I will try the second litter box idea and see how that goes.
ReplyDeleteCats do not do well with change. I'm not sure of any way else to discourage him. If you catch him does he get told NO?
ReplyDeleteYes he gets told NO in a firm voice. If I dont catch him till after I take him back to the spot and let him smell so he knows it is his scent, then I tell him NO. Today he saw me going over to the shoes and when I went to take him over to smell his scent he must have known cause he scratched my leg with his back claws.
ReplyDeleteI love my cat too, but honestly she'd be on a "one chance" deal if she tried this. You are much more patient than I am!
ReplyDeleteOh I think he does not have many more chances left..
ReplyDeleteYou are fighting 1,000s years of evolution. Sammy is not peeing, he is marking his territory as a warning to other males and advising any passing females that he is there and available. The only solution is to get him neutered, and evan at this stage in his life that may not be totally effective. I am lucky, my Meow Meow happens to know that other cats don't trspass our house, so he is content to mark outside.
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btw, came here from Small Footprints, blame her...LOL
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Yes it does seem like he is marking his territory. I had hesitated to come to this conclusion because of what it means. If he was sick I could take him to a vet, if his litter was dirty I could clean it....
ReplyDeleteterritiry marking is something I cannot control nor can I stop him.
The question I have to ask myself is how long do I put up with it.
I am with Michelle, I love my cat too but if she started peeing on everything in sight and nothing was safe she'd have to go.
ReplyDeleteOne day she peed on my bed, I thought I was going to lose it! She's no longer allowed in my room, hopefully when we renovate she won't try it again or she can pack her bags.
Sammy's bags are packed......just waiting for the next time it becomes the "last straw" BTW he did pee on his blanket and today he peed on Cole's play back pack that happened to fall off the counter onto the floor.
ReplyDeleteIt has been some time now,and he only seems to pee on the odd thing left out. We keep all backpacks out of sight and he seems to have lost his urge to pee on stuffed animals now. I don't understand the little minds of cats...
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