Pee kitty!

[reddragdiva]

Bloody Neo was let in after breakfast this morning and promptly pissed on the duvet, while redcountess was in it, with a pissed-off teenage rebel expression on his face.

What the fuck? What can we do about this?

(It was an actual puddle of pee, not spraying. He had the pissed-off expression on his face, not the "oh dear, I'm caught short" expression. Liz says she heard him mreeowwwing with another cat outside. He might also be unhappy with the litterbox, I didn't look this morning.)

Update: I think we've found the problem. I just cleaned the litter tray. The little poo house is as efficient as claimed in absorbing wafting odours ... if you're not inside it trying to use it as a toilet. If I were Neo I'd have made an editorial comment. It's much nicer now and I shall have to make a point of changing it daily or every day and a half at absolute most.

Comments

[ladykathryn.livejournal.com]

Did he actually pee on it, or spray it? (Cat urine's usually a puddle, and indicates generally either an unacceptable litterbox or a medical problem; spray, which is a much smaller amount, is a tougher problem.) If he doesn't generally spray or pee on things, obviously something went wrong outside. Did he get in a fight or accidentally get left out all night or something else that upset him?

[reddragdiva]

Heh. Liz says she heard him mreeowwwing with another cat outside. He might also be unhappy with the litterbox, I didn't look this morning ... It was an actual puddle of pee.

[ladykathryn.livejournal.com]

Hmmm.
Injury check? He may also have just been scared.

[redcountess]

No obvious injuries, I think he was just scared and upset he hadn't been let in earlier.

[ladykathryn.livejournal.com]

That seems likely, especially if he had an Unfortunate Encounter with another cat.

[ergotia.livejournal.com]

Unhappy with litterbox is very likely. If it was spray would indeed be more worrying. Has he had the snip?

[sbp.livejournal.com]

You could have the cats in the house at night for a while maybe. Or put a catflap in.

[reddragdiva]

They are in all day and put out after each meal. A catflap would be lovely ...

[adrasteah.livejournal.com]

What type of litterbox do you have?

[reddragdiva]

Enclosed. Paper-based litter, Biocatolet, same they've always had here.

[adrasteah.livejournal.com]

Maybe try an open one? Millions of cats around the world must get on with the enclosed ones, but I do know some cats really don't like them. Alternatively, the catflap solution?

[siani-hedgehog.livejournal.com]

to be fair, they've always had litter box issues, too. try a different litter or litter tray, or possibly two trays? some cats just won't share a litter tray...

[vatine]

To be fair, they were trained on Fuller's Earth cat litter. Feist (their sister) is doing fine with "Sainsbury's ultra-clumping cat litter" (and so's her mum and uncle and Weird Uncle Charlie). Might, possibly, be worth looking into (it's Way Heavier than paper-based litter, though).

Also, from memory, the little mister is fussy about litterbox state.

[reddragdiva]

Er, yes. I just cleaned the litter tray. The little poo house is as efficient as claimed in absorbing wafting odours ... if you're not inside it trying to use it as a toilet. If I were Neo I'd have made an editorial comment. It's much nicer now and I shall have to make a point of changing it daily or every day and a half at absolute most.

[vatine]

So they have a down-side? Good thing I let the natural aroma of the litterboxes remind me. :)

I had a litter box that was obnoxious like that once

[mouseworks.livejournal.com]

It's much too easy to let them go until the cats make unnegotiable demands (Chollie pissed on a jacket).

If the cover's off, the ammonia dissapates. You might even notice that things were getting crowded in the box.

[rbarclay.livejournal.com]

Filou (my older cat) did that whenever he was pissed about something. After a couple weeks I finally snapped, and when I next caught him in the act, I dunked his nose in thoroughly. He didn't do that since (and that's upwards of 7 years now).

Seems rather cruel, though, so I'd advise trying the other suggestions first, and maybe asking a vet.

[shamus9999.livejournal.com]

Cats pee on things out of anger or spite, such as when they feel they're not getting enough attention. Then again they also do so due to medical problems, and some do it out of sheer bloody-mindedness.

[ajohnymous.livejournal.com]

Either

1) you people are slobs living in a cluttered, smelly house and the poor animal legitimately can't discriminate between a litterbox and the house in general.

2) you have a 'bad' pet and you either need to find a barn for him to live in or put him down.

[reddragdiva]

Ah, that's the John we remember. I was worrying.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Describe the exact surroundings of the litterbox.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

If it's an editorial statement--and it sounds to me like this is--the only method I'm aware of is negative reinforcement. Rubbing his little rebellious nose in it followed by a dunk in the tub will often answer. (This only works when caught in the act or immediately after, naturally.)

[adrasteah.livejournal.com]

the only method I'm aware of is negative reinforcement

This shouldn't be necessary though. I know it's a really popular method of training and a lot of people swear by it, but it's really not a very nice thing to do to a kitten and if the problem is that they're expressing unhappiness, it won't fix anything. Humiliating or beating a child into submission might keep them quiet too ...

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

Cats, like children, like any being with any degree of sentience, need to be informed of boundaries; and it does no service to them or to anyone who interacts with them to fail to set any. If your cat will listen attentively while you explain how his pissing on the bed is an intrusion into your personal space, and he nods contritely and promises never to do it again at the end of it, good on ya. Mine doesn't.

[adrasteah.livejournal.com]

I wasn't suggesting for one second that pets don't need to have boundaries set, just that I don't believe that is a productive or useful way to go about it.

I have raised several cats from kittens and not one of them has ever sat and listened attentively while I'll explained how their pissing on the bed is an intrusion into my personal space, but that's mostly because I've never had a problem with cats messing where they shouldn't in the first place.

The opinion that it is cruel as well as being ineffective is not just mine. It is the opinion of animal welfare organizations, cat care experts and vets all over the world.

http://www.cat-world.com.au/CatMyths.htm
http://www.stickypaws.com/ie.cfm
http://www.catfocused.com/cat-care/kitten-care.php
http://www.siameserescue.org/educate3.html
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/abB.html
http://www.animalbehavior.org/Applied/introduce_adopted_cat.html
http://www.whiskas.co.uk/whiskas/en-gb/Articles/Kittens/Welcome+Home/Welcoming+a+new+kitten+into+your+home.htm
http://petcaretips.net/litter_box_basics_cat.html
http://www.pawsandclaws.com/kittens.htm
http://www.wellingtonspca.org.nz/adoption/adoption_cats.shtml
http://www.animalshelter.org.uk/html/catcare.html
http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=67&Itemid=41

[siani-hedgehog.livejournal.com]

fwiw, i've never known it to work either. shouting at them if you catch them in the act, even a swat (mother cat style), if you catch them in the act, yes. putting them in the right place when you catch them *oh* yes (works wonders).

but finding poop/pee and rubbing their nose in it? nope. does bugger all. like any sentient creature, they have to associate their *action* with the punishment. all rubbing their noses in it does is make them either unnatually relaxed about poop (resulting in more editorial statements) or unnatually afraid of it (resulting in more editorial statements). if you see them doing it and rub their face in it they totally fail to understand what you want - there's no message in it, just a horrible experience. say "no", try to stop them, and try to let them know what to do instead.

[reddragdiva]

Yep. Cats don't understand cause and effect if it's over five seconds.

Consistent application of the Voice of Satan has taught Neo not to try to nick our dinner while we're eating it ...

[siani-hedgehog.livejournal.com]

Consistent application of the Voice of Satan has taught Neo not to try to nick our dinner while we're eating it ...

ah, you're a better man than me managing that. :) Spot is still a chronic food stealer, my dad reports, and Tish makes a total nuisance of herself if we have a fish supper. the voice of satan was the primary method of disciplining my dog, though. he who snapped his choke chain used to actually stop and try to behave after a "bad dog!". :)

[frou-frou.livejournal.com]

Yep, problem identified. It's hard for cats to politely ask for their litter box to be emptied - ours is in the bathroom so it gets checked every time we go in there. We remove "solid matter" as soon as we see it and empty the whole tray when it gets offensively smelly.

I recommend that your idea of checking it daily is a good one.

[scatterbeetle.livejournal.com]

I clean the hippos' litter tray twice a day. They have the clumping clay litter - it's excellent and means you hardly ever have to change the whole lot. Just scoop out the poos and wee clumps, and it's fresh and clean again and might need topping up once a week. I would suggest trying your kitties with this type of litter as opposed to paper-based stuff.

[siani-hedgehog.livejournal.com]

seconded. it's *much* less stinky, too.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

You really need to empty it every day. Even if you can't smell it, people who don't have cats can.

saw this and thought of you

[twicezero.livejournal.com]

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_house_soiling.html