# Cat pooping behind TV



## Debbie25 (Jan 14, 2004)

About 5 weeks ago my 6 year old female cat starting peeing on the floor. I took her to the vet the next day and found she was dehydrated. I also had a blood test done just to make sure her kidneys and liver were ok and they were fine. 

So at that time I bought a pet water fountain to get her to drink more and her personality is back to normal now except for her pooping behind the TV almost everyday. 

I have tried cleaning the carpet with Simple green, spraying Bitter Apple on it, Oust spray, a 50% x 50% water and vinegar mixture and also tried some carpet vacuum powder. Nothing is working.

Up until now because she was sick I was not punishing her but twice now I have just taken her over to the area and when we approach the area she will start squirming so I just tell her “NO” and then take her to the cat box and praise her.

Not sure what else I can do. 

I am going to go to either Petco or PetSmart tomorrow and see what they have to get rid of the smell and I hope that will take care of it.


----------



## zofia (Sep 23, 2004)

..sounds like you're on the right track. has your daily routine changed in any way perhaps? sometimes they start this type of behaviour to punish their humans if they were left alone for longer than usual, or if we act differently towards them.. just a thought


----------



## Debbie25 (Jan 14, 2004)

Nothing has changed at all. 

My husband and I work Mon-Fri during the day. 
My daughter works retail so it is different days different hours which has been going on for 2 years. 
And my son is home most of the time. So there is very little time she is alone. 

We do have another 1 year old male cat that we have had for over a year and as for attention we give them, nothing has changed.

We haven't been doing anything like remodeling or anything other changes. 
The only thing I can think of is I did get a cat tree from a friend next door. I cleaned it up real good and our little one is in it a lot. My female doesn't even pay attention to it. But we have had it for about 2 months and she started this about 1 month ago.


----------



## zofia (Sep 23, 2004)

it could be the new object. though she might appear not to pay attention, it could be sibbling envy. she now also wants a place that is totally her own.. however, i have to say, they sometimes do act very unpredictably. i have 8 permanent cats in the house and around, and they sometimes do the strangest things. recently one of my females started peeing into my husband's houseshoes! no idea why, it's sporadic and i actually have no clue what to do about it. i even had her checked for urinary infection to eliminate a medical condition. my only explanation would be that we always have foster kittens through the house and inevitably a huge amount of attention is lavished on them, what with 2 hourly feeds and all.. i have to remind myself that even the older ones are still kittens at heart and need me as much now as before 
have you tried soaking the spot in some really unpleasant scent? they usually hate citronella. you can get it as essential oil in small bottles- should not be too expensive..
Let me know if there's any improvement, otherwise i'll wreck my brain some more


----------



## Debbie25 (Jan 14, 2004)

I bought some Sargent's spot and odor remover today, so I will be treating the whole area tomorrow. 

I will let you know how it goes. It's so nice having her personality back. She is so lovey tonight.


----------



## Superkitties (Jan 30, 2004)

Good job, ruling out anything medical first. I've never used Sargent's, but you need an enzyme cleaner to fully remove all the smell.

Other questions: any change in the routine around the boxes? Gotten extra busy? Maybe it's in an area that she doesn't like any more? It sounds like she wants somewhere with more privacy if she's pooping behind your TV. It's quiet, and not busy there. Also maybe your other cat is ambushing her? Behind the TV, if she sees him coming, she can take off the other way.

Just throwing thoughts out there that are common in these cases. Good luck!


----------



## Debbie25 (Jan 14, 2004)

Well I followed the instructions for the Sargent's cleaner and It worked for about 3 days and I found another pile behind the TV again. It also looks like there is another urine stained area. 

We moved the cat box into our mud room about 1 year ago. It's about a 4' x 5' closed room and we put a cat door in the wall for access. The box is covered also. We don't go through that room out to the garage very often so I don't think privacy is the problem. 

Our 1 year old does pick on the older cat at times but I don't think he is bothering her in the box.

Question for others out there. What product worked for you?
Should I get a different spot/odor cleaner, a repellent.....?

I found this on the 'Petsmart' web site and didn't know if anyone has try it: "Automated Cat Deterrent" It is sound activated that will make a sound and then sprays.

Another question that I'm wondering about. What does it smell like when a male cat sprays. Does it smell like urine? Since this has been happening the whole house is starting to smell. I could just be my imagination.


----------



## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

Do you just have the one box out there? Some cats need two boxes - one for poo, and one for pee. I'm not sure why.

Another thing to consider. Try removing the cover off the box. Your younger cat may be ambushing her. Even though you've had him for a year, he may have just started stalking her when she goes to the bathroom. If he's near the box, she may decide to go elsewhere. Removing the lid means she can watch him more easily.


----------



## Debbie25 (Jan 14, 2004)

That's a good idea and I will try that. 

In the mean time is there anything that will get the stain up so I can tell if it happens again.

I think I might put my 6 year old in our bathroom during the day with everything she will need and first make sure it is her and not my 1 year old doing it. I believe it is her though because if I carry her over by the area she gets squirmy like she knows she has done something wrong, but that might get her to use to a box again.


----------



## Debbie25 (Jan 14, 2004)

Well we just took a blacklite to our house. It looks like there is cat urine in many places. 

There are several places where it looks like you take a glass and dribbled it where ever you walked. How would a cat do that? Do they dribble when you carry them, or is there something else that could be glowing like coke or milk?

Does dog urine glow also, if so it could be her.

We will need to rent a rug cleaner but then I heard that doesn't do the trick either. Is that correct?


----------



## Luvit73 (Oct 6, 2004)

Cat urine is one of the most difficult stains/smells to get rid of . Someone else may have better ideas , but for myself , I've never found a way short of replaceing the carpet ! If your male cat is spraying , then he's spraying everywhere . It does smell like urine , only with a stronger more cloying musky smell . (Kinda like a skunk , only not quite that bad)
Since you have the blacklight , could you check and see - did your boy maybe mark the box as his territory ? That could be one reason kitty is going somewhere else .


----------



## Luvit73 (Oct 6, 2004)

Oh , when a male sprays - they don't pee like they do in the box , they have a muscle in their genitals that alows them to stand there and spray behind them - just like out of a spray bottle . That would explain the "spattering" you see on the carpet .


----------



## Luvit73 (Oct 6, 2004)

One more thing , sorry lol . Have you looked only at the carpet , or the walls too ? If he is spraying - it will also be on the bottom of some walls or doors , too .


----------



## Debbie25 (Jan 14, 2004)

Some good info, thx

Question. If we find that our male cat is spraying. If we get rid of our female cat will he stop doing this?

I would assume if we clean everything up and our female is still living there then he will continue to do this.


----------



## Lynda J (Sep 8, 2004)

I get a product called Marco Bio-Zyme. I get it through a customer that sells it to hospitals. It is wonderful. It destroys the spores that cause the smell. I first used it when a customes car got wet inside and soured. It took about three treatments but got all the smell out. 
I also have used vanilla on spots where a cat has gone. Mix it 50/50 and really soak the area.


----------



## Luvit73 (Oct 6, 2004)

Sadly , once they start spraying - there isn't much you can do to stop it . Getting rid of your girl won't stop it , nor will getting him fixed . (Although , neutering him may cut down on it some) . Also - are you sure it's the male ? Females spray too , though not as often as males - but if one is doing it , the odds are good they both are .


----------



## Debbie25 (Jan 14, 2004)

Here is an update to this post.

As mentioned by "queen of the nile", I removed the cover on the cat box and I seem to be finding more visits to the box now. She has not done anything behind the TV since I did that. I just don't like the way it looks uncovered, but.

I check things out again with the blacklite. Walls, furniture, cat box and around the box and there is no signs of any spraying which is a good thing.

I did buy some Nature's Miracle and will get all the main spots this weekend that are definitly where they have gone and then we are renting a rug cleaner for the whole carpet. I did try a couple spots last night while having the blacklite on them and it didn't do very good but then I just left it on for the 5 mins before rubbing. It says to leave it on for about 1 hour for tough stains so I will try that.

Does anyone have any good input on using the Nature's Miracle?

Hope this works.
I will let everyone know later.


----------



## Debbie25 (Jan 14, 2004)

*Cat pooping behind TV - PLEASE HELP*

Well there was another pile behind the TV again. 
It is definitely our 6 year old because my daughter caught her.

I have used so many things to try to clean this up and our front room still smells like a cat box.

So It comes down to either replacing the carpet or getting rid of someone that we have had for 6 years and is part of the family. I just know she will not last at the shelter because of her age and she is pretty shy around strangers. I just wish there was a way to relay the message to her that if you don’t stop doing this, your gone.

Please help, I have read that Nature's Miracle was one of the best to use, apparently not.

Is there anything out there that is better?
Even just to get the room to smell better would be great.


----------



## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

Before you think of rehoming her, have you talked to your vet? They may have more input for you.

Here are some articles on litterbox problems written by an animal behaviourist:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=006
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=litterboxsecretspartii
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=litterboxsecretspartiii
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=litterboxsecretspartiv


----------



## Debbie25 (Jan 14, 2004)

Thanks for the postings.

They are interesting and possibly true in our case because it most likey is our 1 year old tormenting our 6 year old during her business and now she won't use the box at all. 

It says to get a second box but wouldn't our 1 year old pounce on her no matter which box she's in? 
Should I put the second box where she is going now, behind the TV?

Even thought there is no spraying going on I was thinking on getting a "Feliway Comfort Zone Plug-In" to see if it would change habits and possibly calm them down. The 1 year old from tormenting so much and the 6 year old for stress. Does anyone have some input on these and I'm wondering just how long it takes to start working.

One of my biggest problems now is getting our front room from smelling like urine.


----------



## spittles (Oct 24, 2003)

I tried the Feliway Comfort Zone because my cat was spraying, and it sure didn't help at all...what a waste of $30 :? 

I would say to try Dr. Jean Spirit Essence...and they have a free sample program going on now.
http://www.spiritessence.com/?action=freesample

Take Care,
Abhay


----------



## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

Definately try a litter box behind the TV. It is worth a shot!

When you add a second litter box, it should be in a different area of the house. This gives her a better chance to find an unmonitored box. Most cats do well with this situation, although there is a member here, whose cat supervisers all 5 boxes in different locations 8O .


----------



## Celebsilmare (Aug 9, 2004)

Have you tried Cat Attract litter? We have 2 cats that pee on everything. When we switched over, it cut it down significantly. 
Also I can say that Nature's Miracle works better than many of the others. Not only that but some of the others leave a residue behind and it feels awful.  
Another thing to try is to get the Feliway Plug in. Sometimes the stress caused by certain situations is too much for them and they need some external help.


----------



## kitkat (Sep 22, 2003)

If you have the $, why don't you just replace the padding and carpet behind the tv. You know eventually you will have to do this anyway since it all nasty there but this way you can see if it happens another time when its fresh carpet and if it does block off that area with aluminum foil since cats don't like walking or hearing the sound of it on their feet. 

Good luck


----------



## Debbie25 (Jan 14, 2004)

Thanks to everyone for all your help and replies and this will be my last post on this subject.

I tried so many things to get her to go back to the box. I could not get the message to her, stop it or your gone.

Well I weighed the pros and cons and my husband took her to the shelter tonight before I got home. 

The main thing of course was not using the box. Other then that she is shy to strangers. When we have a group over you will not find her. If one of my kids have a friend or 2 over, she will be right there on the bed with them but will hiss if they try to pet her.

The shelter said they didn't have room to take a cat in for adoption but they would take strays. She said they wait for a few days to see if the owner will pick them up and if not they put them up for adoption for UNLIMITED time she said. With that said I figured she at least had a chance, but with her personality, I think she will be put down. 
I did send emails out to friends and employee's at work prior to doing this to try to find her a good home, but no one replied.

I just feel so guilty though. Keeping the little one that most likely was the cause (him picking on her) and getting rid of the one we have had for 6 1/2 years.

Well again thanks to everyone for you support
The carpet will be cleaned this Friday and hopefully the smell gone.


----------



## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

That is really sad and it isn't a decision I would like to make. I'm sorry to agree with you, but she will likely be euthanized. No one wants a house-soiling cat.


----------



## spacemonkey (Aug 12, 2004)




----------

