STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

beachgirl · Kenneth Cole

Cat Owners - Help!

Deuce · Dooney & Bourke

How old is he. If he is young he may just grow out of it. I sure hope so.

Make sure you are using an enzyme cleaner to clean up the pee. They carry natures miracle at pet smart.

So sorry that sounds frusterating. I have females. when 1 was younger she insisted on going in the plants. She grew out of it. My best advice is to watch him and squirtbottle him if you catch him.

lsubatgirl · Gucci

Hmm I'm not sure what to suggest. I had a male cat too and he never outgrew it. There was always a certain place he went (in front of the front door) because a stray cat outside was always around that spot so he was marking his territory. I would try the spray bottle and see if that helps. The other thing my vet always suggested and we never tried was locking them up in the room with the litter box for 2 weeks and not letting them out (you would go in with food and water) and that usually broke them of the habit.

dc · Dooney & Bourke

He's a bit young for this, but please check with your vet to be sure. I am sure that somehow - despite the neutring - he's still marking his territory (his brain isn't neutered, after all - male cats do this). He'll stop, but you need to deororize what he's done. Cats are so territorial, more so than dogs.

This brings up a point, though (for people with older cats whp pee) - my sister had a beloved kitty who was a pee-er, and some vets dismissed her and then it turned out to be a kidney problem. Sadly it was too late and she had to be put down by the time a vet got it right. I do not mean to be alarmist, but just want to point out that there might be a clinical reason - at the very least the vet might have some ideas. For those of you with older kitties who pee, please take Princess' sad story as a cautionary tale. Peeing outside the box can be a sign of worse things.

blubirde · Chanel

I was going to suggest a vet visit like dc because it could be an UTI. That's usually the first thing the vet will check for.

After that, if it's still just a territory thing, there are a number of things you can do. First, try putting the cat's food where he's marking. Also try putting something that makes a lot of noise when the cat steps on it, like pieces of plastic or someething. I'm not sure of the science behind it but something about them not liking the noise. Also, if it's a piece of plastic and they pee on it, it could get on their paws, which definitely won't be pleasant.

Also be sure to get some of the stuff from the pet store to get rid of the smell because a kitty can smell it, no matter how well you clean it (unless you use that stuff).

Good luck and let us know if anything worked!!