# cat spraying/urinating all over!



## SirPhaedrus (Jun 16, 2004)

i have just recently moved, but i noticed this behavior prior to moving. i don’t know if its urine or the cat spraying (how do you tell) but he is not always using the litter box. 

it smells awful, and he has ruined a few of our rugs. usually it’s in a corner but not always... yesterday when i got home i turned on the ac in my bedroom and then put a balasm insulator at the bottom of the door to keep the cold air from escaping. i was sitting on the couch and watched the cat walk over to it, bat it with his paws a few times, then he turned and sprayed/urinated on the door and this insulation. he was looking right at me when he did it, i obviously yelled 'NO!' extremely loud and ran over and picked him up and scolded him...

what can i do to prevent this? my girlfriend insists that he is doing it in a lot of different parts of the house and i don’t know what to do to stop it.

male cat has been nudered, about 6 years old.

thanks for the help in advance!


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Spraying is for the purpose of marking, not emptying the bladder, and it's a small squirt of urine onto a vertical surface when the cat is backed up to it, with the tail held high and usually quivering. Urinating for the purpose of emptying the bladder is done in the squatting position onto a horizontal surface.

That being defined, this could be either a behavioral issue or a medical issue. Best to rule out the medical issue first with a visit to your vet. And also clean all the spots urinated on with cat urine cleaner. Regular household cleaner doesn't completely get out the residual scent which you can't smell, but the cat can, and tells the cat it's "OK to go here again."

In the meantime, I'd suggest also putting down another litterbox in a different location. Maybe he just doesn't like peeing in the one you have now; maybe he likes to pee in one and poop in another.


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## JazznMurphy (Dec 1, 2005)

Follow coaster's advice--a trip to the vet to rule out a urinary tract infection and adding a litter box. The extra box always helps. There is also a cat litter out there called Cat Attract that is supposed to attract the cat back to the box. Most pet stores carry it.

There are also several enzyme cleaners out there that are meant specifically for cleaning up pet urine/spray. They take time and may require several applications, but eventually they do work. My favorite is Dumb Cat, but it isn't the easiest to find. I had an elderly cat (a spayed female!) that liked to spray furniture, walls, plants, etc. The Cat Attract litter combined with cleaning up with Dumb Cat worked.

Good luck!


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## SirPhaedrus (Jun 16, 2004)

well, what he did infront of me was definately spraying from what your describing... hwoever, i do still think that he is urinating in this on perticular corner of our screened in porch. 

i will set up a date to bring kliffurd to the vet to ensure he is healthy. i will also look into that litter and the pet urine cleaner.

kliffurd's litter box is one of these: 











does anybody think that having an open one: 








is better?


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Did you get the covered box at about the same time he started spraying/urinating outside? That would be more than coincidence, and I think your idea of trying an open box is a good one.


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## SirPhaedrus (Jun 16, 2004)

no, he has always had the covered litter box, i was just trying to think of anything that can help.  

this made me think of another question, how are you suppose to scold the cat correctly? for example the cat sprays in corner right infront on me. :twisted: 
do i yell at him and say no, do i slap the cat on his bum, do i pick him up by the scruff, put his nose in it... etc. what is the best method?

i think what i did when that happened was put him infront of it and said 'NO' a bunch of times, then i brought him to his litter box and said "good, good boy." 

is there a better way?


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Yes...there's a better way. Feline behaviorists say scolding a cat is counterproductive. They have an action/consequences association of about three seconds. So about the time we get around to scolding them, they have no idea of what it's for. Unless you're there at the very instant the undesired behavior happens, scolding/discipline/punishment only ends up with the cat associating with the person administering it, and not with what we don't want them to do.

The best way to prevent a cat from doing what we don't want them to do is to find out WHY they're doing it in the first place, and then redirect that motivation to some other location or action which takes the place of the undesired behavior.


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## gizmocat (May 22, 2006)

If Gizmo is doing something I don't like, I say No. The minute she stops doing it I say Good Girl.

Granted, she is a very well behaved cat, but there were 'moments' at the start of our relationship, such as when she insisted on jumping up on small side tables and knocking things to the floor. (the things were there to keep her from jumping on the table.)

The male cat's spraying is probably due to the stress of your moving. I would get some of the Felidae things and put them around the house to calm him down. Then I'd keep him in a relatively small area until he was acclimatized to the house, and using his box. ONly then would he be allowed to run around freely.


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## gizmocat (May 22, 2006)

you did not mention whether your cat was intact or altered. If he is intact he will spray.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

SirPhaedrus said:


> male cat has been nudered, about 6 years old


I suppose that's the same as "altered" :lol: :lol:


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## SirPhaedrus (Jun 16, 2004)

first off... thanks for all of the input and suggestions  

unfortunately kliffurd is still spraying :evil: 

we cleaned ALL of the spots that he has ever sprayed, even used a black light to find locations that we may not have known about (didn’t really work very well). we cleaned with 'nature's miracle: just for cats" and i have since been spraying 'comfort zone with feliway' pheromones, he seemed to have stopped for a week, but _today _i found that he sprayed in the same place that 1) he did in the past 2) we cleaned with 'nature's miracle' 3) have been spraying 'comfort zone'

also, _today_ i brought him back from the vet with a clean bill of health.

i don’t know what to do anymore! my girlfriend and i cant take the smell anymore, it lingers even after cleaning. 

should i put him in a cage during the day until i can get home and monitor him? should i lock him in one room with his food, water and litter box? 

please help me


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Yeah, I can understand you're frustrated. Maybe confining him in a room until this is resolved isn't a bad idea. But when you say, "the smell lingers" do you mean after cleaning? Or after he sprayed again? The purpose of the enzymatic urine cleaner (in addition to cleaning) is to destroy what's causing the smell, so if you still smell urine after cleaning, so does he. Maybe you're not getting it all out. Are you following the directions religiously? The spots he's been spraying in might have urine soaked all the way down into the floorboards. If that's the case, the only solution is to rip out carpet and pad, clean the floorboards, and put in new carpet and pad.

And for anyone with cats who's putting in new carpet, there's a type of carpet pad that prevents moisture from soaking through the pad into the floorboards. I had that put under my new carpet "just in case."


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## SirPhaedrus (Jun 16, 2004)

the smell i cant stand is the smell of the urine prior to cleaning, i guess the cleaner does a good job for my nose, but apparently he can still smell it.... he seems to be going back to the same spot...

i did follow directions on the bottle, i have scrubbed half the paint of the **** door, and the floor is not carpet, its tile and i have scrubbed that as well. also have been following the directions on the feliway bottle to try to 'calm' the cat and help stop him from continuing to spray.

he is now confined to one room, and i have closed the shades per the vets suggestion. she thought that he may be seeing other neighborhood cats and he is spraying to mark his territory (since he doesnt go outside)...

well... only time will tell, if he doesn’t learn, i will not be a cat owner anymore.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I think just continue with the confinement. Cats don't normally urinate in their "nesting" area. Hopefully if he's confined he'll stop doing it. Keep us posted on how it goes.


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## SirPhaedrus (Jun 16, 2004)

well, i have made a few more changes that have seemed to help.

-he was in one room the whole weekend, i know he was unhappy because he was making a lot of noise, especially when he heard my guests talking (he is a very social cat)
-i did another rigorous cleaning of the same spot he has been spraying
-removed all the litter, cleaned the litter box, and used 'cat attract' litter instead of what i was using before
-moved the litter box right up against the door at the spot that he was spraying

he didn’t appear to spray in the past two days so i let him back in the house (from that one room) yesterday. however, today, when i left for work, i closed all the doors so he really just has the kitchen, living room and the room where his litter is that he had been in 'isolation.'

im hoping when i get home today he hasn’t sprayed again... we will see.



coaster said:


> They have an action/consequences association of about three seconds.


also (sorry for long post), im not sure the above applies to kliffurd. after the last time that he sprayed, i went looking for him, and he was running away from me (never does this), when i did get him, he was 'moaning'/growling while i carried him, as if he knew he did something wrong.

are you sure the action/consequence statement from above is a proven fact? i believe that cats are smarter than that.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

That's from a book written by a reputable and well-respected feline behaviorist.* It doesn't have anything to do with intelligence. Cats live very much "in the moment." The past and the future aren't concepts they understand. That's why cats have no patience. When they want something, they want it right NOW!! thank you!! Perhaps you've noticed that. :wink:

Maybe it's a remnant of survival instinct. An experience that threatens their survival is something that has consequences right NOW!! so it imprints on memory. Something that doesn't threaten survival, like peeing outside a litterbox, isn't associated with a squirt from a spray bottle that happens later when the cat's owner gets home and finds out.

A cat can sense when you're angry and reacts accordingly. He doesn't necessarily know what you're angry about, but he does know what kind of behavior mollifies your anger: looking guilty; and so a cat learns to do what works, or runs away and hides until you're over being angry.  

* _Outwitting Cats_; Wendy Christensen, pg 52


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## SirPhaedrus (Jun 16, 2004)

that makes a lot of sense... thanks for the explaination coaster.

i wonder whats in store for me when i return home..... 8O


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## Kittys Mom (May 7, 2004)

Any word? Did he spray while you were at work today?


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## SirPhaedrus (Jun 16, 2004)

yes. cleaned it. has since sprayed again (looks like twice) on the brick part of the wall right next to (slightly to the right) where he has consistently been going. 

his 'adjustment' period is over, we have been here for two months now. he has until the weekend to end this habit he has unfortunately formed, otherwise im going to be posting in the 'cats in need' forum.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Since you've had him checked at the vet and he's healthy, there's got to be some kind of behavioral trigger. If you can figure out what it is, I think you can solve it. Did we ever ask if there are any stray cats around that he might be seeing?


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## gizmocat (May 22, 2006)

Is your cat neutered?


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

gizmocat, please reread the thread from the beginning. You addressed this once before on page one. The answer to your question is and always has been, in the opening post.


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## SirPhaedrus (Jun 16, 2004)

gizmocat said:


> Is your cat neutered?


yes

still spraying, however only in that one general area. sprayed 2 maybe 3 times since last post. their are stray cats in the area that i have seen 2 at least. when i told the vet she suggested that i keep the shades closed so that kliffurd doesnt see them, however, hes smart and just moves the shades with this paws or head. even if he didnt see the stray cats i think that he can sense or smell them....

im going to try one last thing before i loose hope and maybe loos the cat  

i am not going to allow him in the room that he has been spraying (which is the room that i was containing him to) and im going to move his litter box to another room and keep him out of the other room altogetther and for good (for now). im going to try to not allow him to open the shades when we are not home because he is apparently only spraying when we are out of the house. 

hope this works because i got nothing left...


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Are you able to afford a feline behaviorist? There's got to be a reason for this. A feline behaviorist might be able to find out the cause and recommend a solution that will work. You've gone through this much already; I think you really want to keep this cat if he'll stop spraying.


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## animalfan2 (Jul 3, 2006)

*Problems Too!*

I have also been having recent cat problems. I don't know if it works or not, but I just placed a recent order to http://www.catfaeries.com/. This is what I ordered * 2 bottles of Feliway Spray
* 1 Comfort Zone For Cats plug-in system
* 2 refills 
* 1 bottle of Multi Cat Household Flower Essence
Plus Icky Poo.

It was very expensive, but if you're desperate like I am it's worth a shot. I will keep you posted.


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## Cat Daddy (Aug 3, 2005)

And try to do something to keep the stray cats away, I think if you search you can find some info on that, or call your local shelter for advice.


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## SirPhaedrus (Jun 16, 2004)

sorry for the delay...

a feline behaviorist would be great, but its not in my budget.

i have been using comfort zone on a daily basis, he was good for a few days not spraying and we let him out of the room he has been in, however he has since sprayed.

the last thing im going to try is to get something to keep stray cats away. i have read about a few home remedies as well as chemicals.

if that doesn’t work that cat is gone.


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## animalfan2 (Jul 3, 2006)

*so far*

What I have been doing w/ my cat is leaving her in the room w/ her food and litter box, and letting her out for supervised visits. I have used the Feliway spray in the other room where she was eliminating, and so far it has worked. After 5 days or so I'm leaving her out all day to see how she does.

(In the other area I steamed cleaned the carpet. I plan on putting a rug down w/ a water bowl this weekend)


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## SirPhaedrus (Jun 16, 2004)

the problem is that the room where im currently keeping the cat, is where his food and (now 2) litter boxes are, and its the same room that he is sparying in.

im worried to move everything to another room, and keep him confined in that new room because i fear that he will start spraying in that room....


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## animalfan2 (Jul 3, 2006)

I think it could be worth a try. Do you really think it's stray cats causing him to spray?

My cat seems to be happier now that I've removed the top of the catbox. What about trying a different cat litter in one of the boxes? My cat LOVED the Citramax cat litter. However, for some reason it is hard to find. I've thought about ordering massive quantities on-line. I think my cat is getting used to the new litter now so that would be a last resort option for me.

Day 2 with no accidents. I'm using the Feliway spray like crazy.

Is your carpet cleaner designed to remove cat spray?


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