Best strategy for stopping kitty from peeing where she isn't supposed to

[mommylamb]

****Update in post 22****


A couple of months ago, one of my cats peed on my stairs 3 times, which was totally out of the normal for her (I posted about it). So I took her into the vet and we found out she had bladder stones. Her urine PH was already pretty low, so the vet thought that her stones likely wouldn't be helped by the prescription food and that she would need surgery (or this other procedure called urohydropropulsion) but she suggested that since it wasn't life or death that we at least try the food for a month. We did that and low and behold, to everyone's surprise, the stones are now gone :cheerleader1:.

Which brings me to my current problem. I suspected that she was continuing to pee in that spot because it kept stinking even after I scrubbed, but I didn't have proof-- I never found it wet or caught her in the act anyway, and I wasn't sure if it was just the urine smell being hard to remove. But now I found it wet once, and I'm pretty sure she now just thinks this is an ok spot to pee. I am really not happy about it.

Any products for stopping cats from peeing that you recommend? If I were to replace my carpet, would she no longer do it because the smell would be gone, or do you think she's just focused on the place regardless of smell? I would hate to put new carpet in and have her pee on the new carpet! We do need to replace the carpet at some point, though I didn't want to do it right now. These stairs are the ones leading from our main level up to the upstairs where our bedrooms are. We have wood on the main level, and the carpet starts on the stairs and goes through all 3 bedrooms, so it's a sizable part of the house, but it does need to be replaced. I am afraid to do it though now!

The other thing I'm considering doing is getting another baby gate to put at the bottom of the stairs there and prevent her from going upstairs for a period of time, in the hopes that she forgets about that spot after a while and that I can get the smell out without her reoffending. They (I have 2 cats) don't need to go upstairs, as their litter box and food are down in our finished lower level, but they do spend a lot of time up there and they usually sleep with us every night, so I'm not sure if that will just piss her off more.

[dogmom]

It is possible she's not peeing. Our cat died 5 years ago and this past summer was the first time I did smell cat pee on hot, humid days. We've cleaned, used Natures Miracle, steam cleaned multiple times. Our cat started going under one of our couches at times. Once they stop it's hard to get them to stop. I our aluminum foil under there for a while because she didn't like the feel. She stopped for a year then picked up again. I finally got rid of the couch she was going under and it stopped. I think the baby gate idea is a good one.

[123LuckyMom]

I doubt the baby gate will work. I've never met a cat who couldn't scale a baby gate! If you do replace the carpet, you will need to treat the material under it to get rid of the smell. Is it wood? Honestly, if it's one step, I would replace the entire step when you change the carpet. If it's cement underneath, they make a cement treater. Unfortunately, I don't know what it's called.!

It may be that it's not the smell, though. I would clean the step again as best you can and then put down aluminum foil. Cats hate it and will not step on it. Then watch to see if the cat does any other extracurricular peeing. You may need to make another trip to the vet. Bladder issues like you describe can be persistent and recurring. If your cat has an inflamed bladder, a regular dose of cosequin can sometimes help. It's designed for arthritis, but it seems to reduce bladder inflammation as well.

Also, have you tried feliway? I've heard it works well, though I've never tried it myself. It's a spray deterrent.

[elliput]

Don't just scrub the spot. Soak it completely with Nature's Miracle (or other enzyme cleaner). You need to get the liquid all the way through the carpet and pad to the base material.

And IME, a baby gate doesn't stop a cat unless it is overweight and doesn't jump.

[mommylamb]

My cats are both totally deterred by baby gates. I don't think they realize they can get over them. I've ordered some Nature's Miracle, so we'll see.

I assume that it's wood under the carpet and not concrete (but not nice wood that you would finish). My house was built in 1995, so it's not very old, so I doubt concrete would have been used. I'm a little afraid of using aluminum foil because I'm concerned she'll try to eat it. She has an odd habit of eating certain things-- tape, wrapping paper, plastic of any sort. I can't imagine it would be good if she ingested aluminum foil.

She was last at the vet a couple weeks ago when we found out that the stones were gone. The vet didn't say anything about an inflamed bladder. We have her on the prescription food for good now to prevent new stones from occurring.

I'll check out feliway.

So sad about this.

[EllasMum]

I have a cat who peed repeatedly on an area rug. I tried BUCKETS of Nature's Miracle and it seemed to have no effect at all. I finally had to throw out the rug. The cat will still pee on other rugs or towels left on the floor, but I have discovered that using any brand of enzymatic cleaner WITH Febreze Pet Odour Eliminator seems to do the job. Regular Febreze doesn't seem to help but the pet version is great. I do find that you have to clean up the pee as soon as you possibly can. If it starts to dry, that's the death knell, IME.

Good luck!

[MommyAllison]

You can also try Cat Attract http://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Litter-Attractant-Ounces/dp/B000PKUUU0/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_2 it is a litter additive, and when we bought it years ago, there was a money back guarantee (we bought it from the vet, not sure how that would work w/Amazon).

[BunnyBee]

We use Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter. It's saved one of my cat's lives. Cheapest on amazon than anywhere I've found. Take the cover off the litter box. If you haven't replaced your box in a while, get a new one. Don't use citrus cleaners or deodorizers in/around the box because it's a cat repellant. If you think it's behavioral, you can do a sensory reset by confining kitty in a small space (spare bathroom) for 2-4 weeks. This usually works when kitty is stressed from a move, new pet, life change... We worked with a behaviorist through a university hospital who recommended that. Yes to Nature's Miracle for cleaning future accidents, but if you have old accidents in a concentrated area, you may need to replace the carpeting, padding, even subfloor in that area to get rid of it.

And of course, get kitty checked by a vet for UTI or kidney issues, which you've done. Also, thyroid. It seemed to have been a combo of thyroid and behavioral issues for my cat. He liked the couch and the carpet at the top of our stairs. Hope you figure it out soon. I know how frustrating it is!

Edited: with two cats and two levels, you may need another litter box upstairs. Supposed to have 1 per cat or floor. They don't like to wait in line, though mine will to poop in a clean box. It's pretty funny to watch them line up when DH is emptying it. :)

[JCat]

We use a product called Anti Icky Poo. It's an enzyme type cleaner that managed to get the smell out and the cat stopped peeing where we put it.

[jench]

This doesn't really stop the behavior, but it has saved our floors! We put puppy pee-pads down in our cat's favorite spots, she prefers to pee "on" something so will go there. She has kidney & thyroid problems that were causing the peeing, and it has gotten much, much better now that she's on thyroid meds, thank goodness!

like these:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Blue-Ribbon-Deluxe-Pet-House-Training-Pads-200-Count-Dogs/12167568

[Indianamom2]

This doesn't really stop the behavior, but it has saved our floors! We put puppy pee-pads down in our cat's favorite spots, she prefers to pee "on" something so will go there. She has kidney & thyroid problems that were causing the peeing, and it has gotten much, much better now that she's on thyroid meds, thank goodness!

like these:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Blue-Ribbon-Deluxe-Pet-House-Training-Pads-200-Count-Dogs/12167568

I have an elderly cat and this has saved me some work as well. She doesn't pee regularly, but it's always right outside the litterbox and then it gets under it....it's a huge mess to clean (though thankfully on tile). I finally decided to put the training pads under the litterpan and in front of it and while she still pees, it's FAR easier to clean (and more sanitary.

[westwoodmom04]

We had elderly cats with medical issues that peed on the carpet (I actually think the previous owner's puppy had done so first, which is why one of the cats picked that spor). Anyway, when the first cat died, we cleaned the carpet with nature's miracle and had the padding underneath replaced. That seemed to do the trick. If you clean the carpet, and still have a problem, I would try that. The second cat died not long thereafter, but even our puppy never peed there, even before being housetraining, which makes me think the odor issue was solved.. We recently replaced the carpet entirely.

[mommylamb]

This is a stupid question, but how do you replace the padding if you're not replacing the whole carpet? This is on the groove between two stairs.

Thanks for all the suggestions folks. I'm going to try out a lot of these. and if not, I guess we'll replace the carpet and pad and hope against hope that she is drawn to the smell and not the place itself.

[westwoodmom04]

This is a stupid question, but how do you replace the padding if you're not replacing the whole carpet? This is on the groove between two stairs.

Thanks for all the suggestions folks. I'm going to try out a lot of these. and if not, I guess we'll replace the carpet and pad and hope against hope that she is drawn to the smell and not the place itself.

we called our local carpet store and asked if their installer would do that for us. The charge was minimal and we were able to go a few more years before replacing the carpet. The stain often get stuck in the padding since you can reach it to clean.

[fedoragirl]

We have two male cats and one of them developed stones in his bladder. He hates peeing outside the litter so we know when he's sick. But the other cat kept smelling urine and still pees in the same exact spot. I have tried aluminum and it scared them for about 3 days. Then, they were sitting on it and sure enough, there was pee some days later.
This is what I've tried with pee:
1. You will have to remove the carpet and padding and strip the area bare. Cats have very strong noses and are creatures of habit so she'll keep returning to that spot.
2. Before you do that, try this:
douse the entire area with white distilled vinegar (straight up). Once that is completely dry, douse the area with hydrogen peroxide. Do not mix the two and definitely let one dry before the other. This is supposed to neutralize odors for cats. I have tried it and it works at times. At most, you're out a couple of bucks.
3. Try moving the cat littler closer to the steps for a few weeks, moving it away every few days till it's back in its spot. I read about this but haven't tried it because I hate having the litter box in the main area of our home. I will try it if I get desperate.

As for the stones, try homeopathic treatment. After several trips to the vet for just this, I was tired of seeing my usually healthy cat in pain and peeing all over the house. I started giving him Pet Alive UTI medicine. That definitely helped and we switched to grain-free WET food. We also took him to a homeopathic vet recently and she gave him one dose of whatever and he's been fine since the past 6 weeks--a different cat altogether. The stones take a long time to dissolve and some cats are prone to getting them. Our cat had 6 vet visits in the last 6 months for bladder stones.

[mommylamb]

As for the stones, try homeopathic treatment. After several trips to the vet for just this, I was tired of seeing my usually healthy cat in pain and peeing all over the house. I started giving him Pet Alive UTI medicine. That definitely helped and we switched to grain-free WET food. We also took him to a homeopathic vet recently and she gave him one dose of whatever and he's been fine since the past 6 weeks--a different cat altogether. The stones take a long time to dissolve and some cats are prone to getting them. Our cat had 6 vet visits in the last 6 months for bladder stones.

Fortunately, we know the stones are 100% gone. I took her for an x-ray after a month of the special food, and you could see the stones that were very visible in the x-ray the prior month were totally gone. But we are keeping her on that food indefinitely to prevent them from returning.

[BunnyBee]

This is a stupid question, but how do you replace the padding if you're not replacing the whole carpet? This is on the groove between two stairs.

Thanks for all the suggestions folks. I'm going to try out a lot of these. and if not, I guess we'll replace the carpet and pad and hope against hope that she is drawn to the smell and not the place itself.

The carpet place will pull up the carpet, replace the pads, and restretch and retack the carpet. If you can pull it yourselves, you could saturate the subfloor/wood with Nature's Miracle and let that dry before they put down new padding. Ours was on particle board or some weird subfloor that was just gross and needed more of a miracle than the enzymes could provide. ;)

[inmypjs]

I agree with what others have said - use an enzyme cleaner and pull up the carpet to get at the pad. The only other thing I would add is to maybe move the food close to the accident spot. I've heard that cats don't like to pee where they eat.

[KDsMommy]

Feliway saved our cat! Also, make sure the litter is unscented, lots of cats hate the scented stuff. Make sure the litterbox is meticulously clean all the time.

[egoldber]

Yes, it's probably in the padding and subfloor, which is virtually impossible to clean without lifting the carpet. With a sofa we once had we had to have the cushion foam replaced because the cat could still smell it even after we cleaned the surface.

I hope something works for you because NOTHING worked for our cat. :( Once we cleaned one spot, he moved somewhere else.

[mommylamb]

I bought the feliway spray (I haven't gotten the diffuser yet), the nature's miracle spray, and I got the cat attract litter. The litter gets fantastic reviews, so I have high hopes.

[mommylamb]

Ok, I know this thread is pretty old by now, but I wanted to update for those of you who have also had cat pee problems because I found the solution at long last!

I dowsed that carpet with Nature's Miracle over and over and it did zero good. I don't think she continued to pee there, but the smell just stayed. I tried tons of different products. Plus, it had gotten into the carpet pad I'm sure, and it was on the stairs so a difficult place to pull up the carpet. Anyway, then I got this stuff called Anti Icky Poo from the vet, including this enormous carpet injector needle that you use to inject the stuff into your carpet pad. It works. After months of dealing with this, there is no smell!

[KDsMommy]

Great news!!!! I'm so so so glad you found something that worked!

[carolinacool]

Ok, I know this thread is pretty old by now, but I wanted to update for those of you who have also had cat pee problems because I found the solution at long last!

I dowsed that carpet with Nature's Miracle over and over and it did zero good. I don't think she continued to pee there, but the smell just stayed. I tried tons of different products. Plus, it had gotten into the carpet pad I'm sure, and it was on the stairs so a difficult place to pull up the carpet. Anyway, then I got this stuff called Anti Icky Poo from the vet, including this enormous carpet injector needle that you use to inject the stuff into your carpet pad. It works. After months of dealing with this, there is no smell!

Thanks for this! Our cat peed on our couch last month, and I've soaked the cushion with Nature's Miracle two or three times and I can still smell it. I'll look for this!

[khalloc]

I doubt the baby gate will work. I've never met a cat who couldn't scale a baby gate! If you do replace the carpet, you will need to treat the material under it to get rid of the smell. Is it wood? Honestly, if it's one step, I would replace the entire step when you change the carpet. If it's cement underneath, they make a cement treater. Unfortunately, I don't know what it's called.!

It may be that it's not the smell, though. I would clean the step again as best you can and then put down aluminum foil. Cats hate it and will not step on it. Then watch to see if the cat does any other extracurricular peeing. You may need to make another trip to the vet. Bladder issues like you describe can be persistent and recurring. If your cat has an inflamed bladder, a regular dose of cosequin can sometimes help. It's designed for arthritis, but it seems to reduce bladder inflammation as well.

Also, have you tried feliway? I've heard it works well, though I've never tried it myself. It's a spray deterrent.

My cat can't scale a baby gate on the bottom step.

[123LuckyMom]

Thanks for the update! I'm glad you found a solution! I will remember anti icky poo in case I ever need it!