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Cats spraying - new carpet

Posted: Jun 3, 2010

We recently had new carpeting put in. We have 6 inside cats, none ever sprayed in the house until now, and now they all are. They just back up to a wall and/or a cabinet and let go. This is not a bladder infection problem, just an attitude problem from what I am reading.

Has anyone had any luck in reversing this type of behavior? I am using "guaranteed" sprays to clean and discourage them but it is still happening. They do still use their litter boxes somewhat, but not as much as usual.

Thanks

;

That's a tough one. - Happy MT Robin

[ In Reply To ..]
I have 8 cats and have similar problems. My problem is I never catch which one is doing the dirty deed, so I'm never quite sure who it is. Febreze works really well to get out the smell. I buy it in the big jugs and just pour it on places where the little darlings have gone. I had really old carpeting and I ended up just ripping it up, which is really what ended up working in my situation.

Something that was recommended to me when one of my cats was a kitten and chewing on every cord in sight was a bitter apple spray that you can get at Pet Smart. Cats don't like the smell of citrus, so that is supposed to deter them. I never got around to trying it, so I'm not sure if it works or not.

Vinegar is a good one to use, though. It helps remove the ammonia smell left behind by the urine and the the cats don't recognize it as their "spot" any more.

Good luck!!!

Febreze helps me on the linoleum, too! - Persianista

[ In Reply To ..]
One of my cats seems to always go just outside of the the boxes in the kitchen, which is on linoleum. I've tried various repellents, but they're not too effective. Some even seem to attract her. Tried the tinfoil (she likes to pee on tinfoil) and other surface like that. Only marginally effective. But the other day, after washing the puddle with cleaner & a sponge, I left it damp, then sprayed some Febreze over it. Febreze seems to be a bit on the sticky or tacky side, and she although she'll still step over it and into the litter box, she doesn't want to squat on it.

I've also heard there is something you can buy, a harmless dye, that you give 1 cat at a time, which will let you know WHO is doing the marking. It would take a while, but might be totally worth it.

In reading your original post, my 1st thought was that maybe the new carpet had some kind of a chemical or anti-stain treatment on it that was attracting the cats.

Another idea was that your old carpet. Although you probably kept it clean enough that you and others didn't smell anything, most likely the cats could, and maybe over the years they had set their respective "boundaries", and didn't feel the need to re-establish them. Then along came the new carpet, and bam! They're spraying again.

That could also be why my cat tends to not use the kitchen floor if I don't get it TOO clean. Leaving the area she soiled a bit tacky with soap, (and probably a few molecules of pee left there), along with Febreze to freshen the smell (and repel the cat) seems to have helped.

I clean my 4 litterboxes in a rotating schedule, each box every few days, partly for convenience for me, and partly because sometimes she doesn't like having 4 brand-clean boxes either, for some reason. If one of the boxes has her pee, only, in it, and not the other cat's, that seems to be her #1 preference. Her 2nd preference is a sparkling clean box.

I also keep them at different depths, too, as her taste seems to change. My super-jumbo (which they mainly poop in) has the most litter, about 2" deep. In another, I bank the litter around the outside edges, and leave part of the middle of the box bare. That's for when she doesn't want to stand in litter for whatever reason. Another box, I put the litter on one half, and leave the other half bare. The fourth box is completely covered, but with only about an inch of litter.

Cats spraying new carpet - Pauline

[ In Reply To ..]
I have 4 kitties inside. I never have trouble with 2 of them using their box, but the other 2 have still like the carpet better. I have tried everything on the market to no avail. One is a Himalayan and even if she has a clean box she will use the carpet to pee and then poop in box. I am at a loss on this one. I am now putting down pee pads, but I am getting tired of doing this. My husband said to get rid of them, but I have had them since they were newborn and they are like my little kids. I am lost to this solution myself. Good luck with your problem. I guess I will just keeping doing the same thing.

spraying - mt

[ In Reply To ..]
I have had this happen in the past. The only thing that worked for us was getting the cat fixed. Still ended up putting him outside because I am allergic. It is the worst smell, and it will stay in your house for a long time. I cleaned by entire carpet multiple times, and the smell was still there. Just remember, your nose may get adjusted to it, but everyone that walks in your house will be able to smell it. Although, I will say I can smell the liter box in most houses even if it is kept clean, so maybe I just have a good nose.

Spraying - LinK

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree with all of the above posts. When I first got my male cat years ago, he sprayed all over two rooms in our house. We ended up having to rip up the carpet because the smell just wouldn't go away. It's awful. It soaks right into the wood. We got him fixed and that stopped the problem, but now he's had numerous urinary tract infections. We've tried everything imaginable. He still pees occasionally in my office of all places. Sometimes the smell is unbearable. Tried vinegar which is actually the best thing I've used. We have to rip up this carpet too. My husband is not a happy man and wants me to get rid of him. I could never do that, but it's very frustrating. Good luck.

Glad someone pointed that out! - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Bear in mind that you can use all the Febreeze or vinegar you want and people are still going to leave your home commenting on how it stinks! I just don't know what the answer is to multiple cats spraying your house other than getting them out of there.

Spraying Only Way - LinK

[ In Reply To ..]
to get the smell completely out (what we did) was rip up the carpet, bleach the heck out of the wood underneath, let that dry, sand the wood down, spray on this paint that covers up odors and put down a wood floor. Very time consuming. We're in the process of doing that to my office. He's prone to UTI's so it's been a battle.

Cats spraying - new carpet follow up - Sammypot

[ In Reply To ..]
Well, usually one can take comfort in others sharing their problem, but not this time. I guess there is no good answer (and I will not "get rid" of the cats) so will continue to work on this. If I do come up with anything that helps I will be back, otherwise thank you all for your input.

Regards, Barb

I really feel for you - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I can only imagine how frustrating it is for you to see your new carpet ruined and, unfortunately, it will be hard to get all 6 of your cats to stop this behavior, since even if only one continues, the rest will relapse and join in again.

Good luck!

Cat spraying - Cat lady

[ In Reply To ..]
Really the only way to ensure this doesn't happen, and not that this will help you at this point, is to have your cats fixed when they are kittens. If you do that, they never spray. If you wait until after they hit "puberty" forget it, even fixed, they will still spray.

How many litterboxes do you have per cat? - Persianista

[ In Reply To ..]
I've had lots of Persians & Himmies. All were perfect (though I had the cats 1 at a time). Now I have 2 Persians. One has never been real good with the litterbox, the other one is bomb-proof.

I find Persians are pretty finicky about cleanliness. All cats have a much better sense of smell than we do. Some won't go in a box if they smell one of the other cats did it in there.

The usual "rule of thumb" with indoor cats is to have one more litterbox than you have cats. If you have 6 cats, then you should have at leastd 7 litterboxes, preferably in various parts of the house, and on each floor if you a multi-story home.

I currently have 4 litter boxes for my 2 Persians. 3 are large, lower-sided boxes, and one is a super-humongous jumbo box with higher sides. I don't use the covered boxes because they tend to trap odors like human Port-A-Potties do.

My cats prefer unscented litter (most cats hate the scented kind). I scoop whenever I walk past and see something in one of them. Once you find a litter they like try to stick with it. Unscented, hard-clumping litter is usually best. For Persians & Himmies, sometimes damp clumps can stick to the tufts of fur on their feet. A little trim on the sides & underneath can help. A "sanitary clip" around the tail/anal area can help prevent "dingleberries" from being deposited in various unexpected parts of the house.

Every couple days I dump the litter and wash the box out with soap and hot water, and put in clean litter. With multiple boxes, if you don't want to wash them all the same day, what I do is tape a little piece of paper to it with the date I washed it. Then I know which one is due next.

For cleaning rugs, cleaners with "Oxy" in them usually do quite well at removing odors. So does "Nature's Miracle" enzymatic cleaner.

I found a good do-it-yourself recipe for cat-pee remover that I tried when my "bad" kitty began peeing on the carpet in there. (Don't ask me why the owners of this apt. think a carpeted bathroom was such a hot idea. I do not know!) hehe. Anyway, it's a little more labor-intensive than carpet cleaner and/or Nature's Miracle, but it does work.

And oh, yes: Be sure you never clean any soiled area with anything like Windex, or any cleaner with ammonia in it, because it will attract, rather than repel cats!

CAT-PEE RECIPE:
* Baking soda
* White vinegar
* Dish soap
* Hydrogen peroxide

1) Wet area with 50/50 vinegar and water.

2) Blot, and allow to almost dry.

3) Apply baking soda rather liberally, and then drizzle with 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide & 1 teaspoon of dish soap. Work into carpet with a scrubbing brush or fingers with rubber dish-gloves on.

4) Allow to dry THOROUGHLY. (This can take a few days to a week, depending on the climate and the carpet).

5) Vacuum thoroughly.

UTI's and what you feed them - Ickky

[ In Reply To ..]
Just thought I would mention this also:

9-lives and Friskies are a no-no for cats!

Not all cats that eat this food get UTIs or end up having surgery for a PU and bladder surgery BUT ALL CATS that have to have a PU or bladder surgery...that end up coming in blocked, haven't peed for a day and now is vomitting because they are toxic EAT that food 9-Lives and Friskies.

Just a warning ;-) Worked in the vet field for 12 years...so, did my own little study on the emergency blocked kitties....and 99.9% of the kitties that visit the er blocked are kitties that are feed 9-Lives and Friskies...some Meow Mix too.

UTI's - Thank you - LinK

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for the information. I didn't know that about those cat foods. Actually he was on prescription meds for his UTI's and now he's on a cat food made for urinary tract infections, it's Purina One.

Also, the recipe that you did for the carpet clean up is one that I use too and I did find it more effective than the commerical cleaners that you have to pay a lot of money for.

Oh yeah...if cat is not fixed please do so - Ickky

[ In Reply To ..]
I posted before assuming that the cats were neutered. Your six cats ARE neutered correct? Because that right there may be your problem.

That is not uncommon - Ickky

[ In Reply To ..]
Cats are very sensitive. They handle change very horribly. You said you are using the sprays. Is that Feloispray? The cat pheromone? The spraying/marking territory needs to be stopped IMMEDIATELY. Now, you said all 6 cats are doing this? Usually it is one. You may need to get a Clomicalm or xanax from your vet to calm the cats nerves. Also, you can try using various deterents. You can put carpet running (you know the plastic runner that have the pokey things on the bottom to dig into the carpet so it doesn't move) if you turn them upside where the cats are spraying it might deter them to not want to go there because they don't like the pokey on their feet. you can also try aluminum foil..they ususally don't like that feel. You can put cedar chips where they are spraying. Cats tend to not like the smell.

If you find ONE cat in particular, it would be better you can separate that cat and put him in a crate and there is a whole training process to go through to get the cat using the litter box again.

I just replaced ALL my carpet with tile - ***

[ In Reply To ..]
I gave up on carpet. It's a condo, my new neighbor complained about the smell. The mgr cannot threaten to evict me since I own it so she called the city. I got a notice from the health dept. I swear, I myself could not smell a d*mn thing. Anyway, I LOVE my new tile. I just swiffer up the cat pee every morning. I think carpet and cats is a lost cause.

Cats spraying - new carpet - more info - Sammypot

[ In Reply To ..]
Just got back to check all the messages. In the meantime, my husband had to go to the ER and is still in the hospital. So now, back to the cats. All 6 were spayed/neutered as kittens. They are 14, 12, 11, and three are from the same litter - 3 years old. All were strays, all went to the vet, all have been using the 3 litter boxes that are kept quite clean. I feed them Purina dry food for inside cats. I do really believe that the new carpet is the culprit. I will try that "recipe" for cleaning and hope it works. Actually they are mostly spraying against the wall or a door, but the urine apparently does reach the carpet. I have Nature's Miracle plus another enzymatic cleanser which I spray on the hard surfaces after cleaning and that helps just a bit with the odor. I wanted to have wood-floor-looking linoleum put down to replace the old carpet - but was "voted" down. Now I may get my wish, but at such a cost! Once again, I thank all of you for your input. Will get back to you in a few days.

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