Cat Problem- Any Suggestions?

[DVC2004]

So we bought a new area rug for our living room a few weeks back- a very dense shag rug made of wool with a very thick pile. One of my cats, the girl, keeps going number 1 on it! I don't know what to do or why she would be doing this. I have seen her do it at least 4 times in 5 days. Her litter box is clean, I have sprayed the rug with the "no cat spray" product to keep her away, and when I see her on the rug I squirt her with a quick shot of water from one of the kids squirt guns. Still she does it again!
Any suggestions on how to get her to stop before it's competely ruined?

[merlinmagic4]

It can mean that she has a urinary tract infection. When my cat goes in the tub, I know she needs antibiotics far a UTI. Might be something to check out..........Good luck!

[thrillme]

I agree to get her checked for a urinary tract infection...this is a very good probablity if she's tinkling on several different areas of the carpet.

BUT...(and especially if she's concentrating on one area) go to one of your local BIG name pet stores like Petco or Pet's Mart or a "Feed Store"...and buy some specially made pet deodorizer made specifically to remove cat urine. Turn off the lights and shine a black light on the area (urine stains will glow under a black light). Spray the carpet well with this stuff. Even if you don't smell it they still do...that "slight" scent is usually enough to draw them back to "rescent" the area. Note too it MAY be necessary to lift the carpet if possible and clean the pad or surface below.

Personally I don't have a lot of confidence in any of those "No Cat" Spray or similiar products I've never seen them work as successfully as "completely" removing the scent. The draw to "scent" their territory is often too strong. And yes...female cats especially Queens do spray just like the males.

[RenDuran]

You have to remove all traces of her urine before she'll stop using that spot. I use white vinegar to clean up after my cat. It does a good job and it's cheap.

I used to petsit for a dog in a house that had hardwood floors, except for one room that had a white wool rug. Where do you think that dog had his "accidents" every time? Right on the rug! Absolutely drove me nuts!

[Dznygrl79]

I agree after having her checked out for a uti, which ya wana do quickly cause if its not taken care of it can form a crystal blockage in the ureathra ( I had this happen to my male kitty, then remove the smell from the carpet or she will keep returning, but also you said a very key word wool, its another animal product she may be trying to scent it to get the other animal smell away, put some carpet fresh down and vaccume like crazy! Good luck let us know how things work out.

[brownie]

Make sure you have at least 1 litter box for each cat, and you should try to have at least 1 on each level of your house.

[DVC2004]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice. I am taking her to the vet today to get checked out for a UTI. I will try the suggestions!

[MMouse6937]

We had the same problem with the same kind of rug with our Daisy. She just liked the feel of the shag carpet. The bad part was that it was black so I didn't know she was going on it until it started to smell. :ack: Lovely We also thought about a UTI but it turns out she just liked the pile on the carpet. We have a short plush carpet under our table now and she could care less. Sometimes kitties are just strange that way, who knows!! :) Good luck, hope everything works out.

[Patricia]

My cat was urinating in the house after years of never even having a litter box inside. Turns out she is diabetic, but that diagnosis followed another urinary track infection.

She is now on insulin injections and back to her old self. :)

[Tinkerfreak]

Some rugs actually have a backing material on them that will attract cats to urinate on them for some reason. I have 3 bath mats and my cat kept urinating on the same 2 mats but not the third one. Then my friend told me about the material on the back so I switched mats to ones that were the same color and the same pile on top but the rubber on the back was different and she stopped going on them. I'm not sure if it was the backing or if she just stopped for some reason but my friend was actually told this by her veterinarian.

[Jeri Lynn]

I am having a similar problem and I leave for Disney on Sunday..

My problem....I have 5 cats and am not 100% sure which cat pee'd on my kitchen floor...and it could have possibly been my dog.

It was a pretty significant amount. I can narrow it down possibly to one of two cats, but when I called the vets the receptionist told me that unless I am sure that they cannot do anything...

My dog can open up the door and go outside on his own, but if the door was locked he may not have been able to go out, he has not had an accident in the house since he was a puppy.

One of our cats is a kitten and there is no way she could have pee'd that much!

So I am going to watch all day long and see if I can catch one of the cats in action and if so hope I can get them to the vets in time before they close tonight...they are closed tomorrow (day after Thanksgiving), I leave Sunday....

The cats will be alone all day while DH and DD are at work and DS is at school....I hate the thought of one of them being sick and peeing where they shouldn't be.