SWMBO's Cat Won't Stop Pi$$ing on the Carpet

Apexcarver said:

You know,  a part of me would love to see the E36-Storm that would happen if some of the solutions for cat problem were proposed as solutions for dog problems on this forum...

Or, if someone proposed a KFC solution to a parrot problem...

 

(Sorry, I view pets as a "member of family" level commitment and dont take it lightly)

Agreed. People seem to think it's funny, but really it's just the opposite and not helpful at all.

I'd love to get rid of our cats, but they're part of the deal with SWMBO. She puts up with me so it's a fair trade. And if she didn't have cats, she'd probably want kids and they're a whole lot worse

No useful advice (came to say CATapult but that was already taken).

Our two cats use the box in the basement (although it's accurate to say they use the catbox "area", all peeing is in but pooping is generally around) which means we have one room that doesn't smell great.  It's painted concrete floor though so as long as I can "motivate" the teenagers to take care of the box area near daily it's not too bad.

My gripe is the one cat with claws (the other came to us declawed, I wouldn't have done that) loves to sharpen her talons on my sofa.  I keep them trimmed as often as I remember but......still shreds.

Cats are a lot like people.  If you do something that happens to piss them off (no pun intended), even if it's circumstantial but they consider it a personal affront, they will stab you in the back or piss on your stuff. 

Ever see a trained cat doing tricks?  Exactly.  Cats do what they berkeleying want when they berkeleying want.

I think Keith has the best suggestions (assuming the trip to the vet reveals no issues).  But cats don't like to be corrected, so be on the watch for misbehavior in other areas.

Good luck!

signed,

Dog Person

We had a similar problem when we moved into our house.  Moving into a house with old pet stained carpet is bad news.  One room in particular was simultaneously offensive to human noses and attractive to cat urination.  No amount of 'shampooing', or drenching it with enzymatic cleaners fixed it.  The solution was getting rid of the old carpet. 

Initially we replaced it with interlocking vinyl plank flooring.  The key to get the stuff that interlocks in such a way as to be waterproof at the seams.  This way nothing makes it down to the subfloor either.  The reason we didn't go with laminated wood flooring is that the liquid that makes it past the lamination at the seams and gets down into the wood, will cause it to swell at the seams over time.  I've encountered this numerous times before, and didn't want to deal with it again. 

Ultimately though, we also had another kid, so the spare room became a child's room.  So we ditched the vinyl plank flooring in favor of carpet once again.  The key with carpet is to not be a total cheapskate and get one of the completely non-absorbent underlayments.  That was the major problem with the disgusting and problematic old carpet we originally removed.  No matter how well we cleaned the carpet, it wasn't fully cleaning out what had absorbed and dried into the depths of the underlayment.

As usual though, your mileage may vary on this.  We have 2 cats (litter mates) that have never had more than 1 litter box between them.  Granted it was a rather large one for many years, be now it's really a 'single cat' box in a bathroom cupboard that they're sharing without issue.  They've caused minimal damage for being fully clawed, and have taken the abuse of two babies now as nothing more than being affectionate...Even going so far as to seek it out.  So who knows if the same would work as well for other cats.

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

I've had cats that sit on command, my current one is learning that and will walk on the treadmill for a treat. She hops up there, and will meow at you to turn it on.

The reason most cats aren't trained is that people don't train them.

Keith Tanner said:

Apexcarver said:

You know,  a part of me would love to see the E36-Storm that would happen if some of the solutions for cat problem were proposed as solutions for dog problems on this forum...

Or, if someone proposed a KFC solution to a parrot problem...

 

(Sorry, I view pets as a "member of family" level commitment and dont take it lightly)

Agreed. People seem to think it's funny, but really it's just the opposite and not helpful at all.

I'd love to get rid of our cats, but they're part of the deal with SWMBO. She puts up with me so it's a fair trade. And if she didn't have cats, she'd probably want kids and they're a whole lot worse

Don't get me wrong. That particular cat was violent, destructive and stupid, and fifteen years of trying did no good.  Also, it applies to dogs, too.  Dog bites for no reason? It's lifespan is measured in the length of time it takes to get my shotgun.

And I know pissing and biting are different.  I'm not an activation person.  I just hated that particular cat.

Edit- Cool spell check.  Not an anticat person.

Australian Cat Repellent??

Disclaimer: I own a cat that I enjoy and take good care of. But I still think this video is funny as hell.

There's a big difference between pissing in the wrong place, and "spraying". Spraying, or marking, smells like ammonia, can sometimes have color, often on vertical surfaces. This is sign of stress, either from a UTI or environmental factors. If there's no medical problem, that cat just hates his life or feels threatened. Try more play time, cuddling, anything to make him more comfortable. Is his litter box always clean and easy to reach, in a "safe-feeling" space? Is he mistreated by anyone or another aninmal? Does he have enough toys? Maybe he is being harassed by a local stray? Cats are just tiny, cuter, stupider people and they have feelings too.

In college with 3 constantly-changing roommates in a tiny house, my cat used to spray pretty often. He also had UTI's sometimes, but for a year it seemed like he was spraying non-stop and it sucked. I lost some gloves, a load of laundry, a patch of carpet, just nasty stuff. That was also the year I had the loudest, least cat-friendly roommates. When I graduated and got my own, bigger, quieter place, he stopped marking entirely. It also helps that SWMBO snuggles him really good every morning after I leave for work. They also make cat pheromone treatments, like a glade plug-in that humans can't smell. It seemed to work a little, but overall I think he just hated my college house and all the commotion inside of it.

Spoke to my vet brother and he said fa I rly normal behavior for older neutered male cat's in new environment.  suggested placing litter boxes in area with tIle floors to draw them away from carpeted areas.  Takes time to train them away from carpeted areas.

To combat smell he recommends using Rug Doctor cat odor eliminator brand spray available in grocery or big box stores.  follow instructions.  after spraying cover spot with a towel sprayed with Rug Doctor to draw odor out and let sit for a day or two.

good luck