Whats wrong with my kitten? Professional opinions please?

Question

I have two 14 week old kittens who came to me fully litter trained aged 6 weeks.For the first couple of weeks things were fine. Then puddles started appearing on my hall way carpet. I cleaned it up with biological washing powder thoroughly and put a small bowl of food wherever she did it as I was advised to do by a vet nurse at my surgery.

She was checked over by the vet at her vaccination appointment and everything was fine. The same nurse suggested it might be territorial as it was usually next to the front door, kitchen and bedroom doors.

Despite the food bowls she has been continuing to use the carpet and kitchen floor less than two feet away from her litter tray which she has no problem using for solids.

The thing that is really worrying me is that she has taken to peeing on her food mat and earlier i caught her squatting and peeing into her dried biscuits. This goes against everything I know about cat behaviour. I have had cats all my life and have never encountered anything like this. Please can you give me advice on how to stop it and an explanation for whats causing it.

Both kittens are female and it is only the one who does it. We know this as we have caught her several times and the other one has no problems.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Some cats won't use the same tray for peeing and pooing or dislike sharing with another cat, so perhaps adding a second tray might help.  It might also be worth taking a closer look at how the two kittens get on.  Is there any possibility that the other one is blocking access to the litter box, or perhaps she's a little more dominant than the other cat and is marking territory for those reasons.  Are there any cats outside that she might feel intimidated by, even if she can only see them through a window?

The web site below has a check list of 18 reasons that cats stop using their litter tray which may help you figure out why she's doing this.

http://www.celiahaddon.co.uk/pet%20probl...

Answer 2

It sounds like you are doing everything right.  Make sure you are using a cleaner specifically made to remove cat urine (although I think that is what you were implying.  You may want to try changing the type of litter that you use.  My newest kitten would p**p in the litter box but not pee, and she would pee right next to it.  I changed the type of litter and she never peed outside the box again.  Also, not sure how long ago you were at the vet or what they did, but you may want to take her back and make sure she doesn't have a urinary tract infection, as this is often the cause of litter box problems.  Cats also display problems with the litter box as a result of stress.  You can try to alleviate anything that could be stressing her out.

Answer 3

have your vet check her for a Urinary Track Infection this will cause a cat not to pee in the litter box, they associate the box with pain, so they dont want to go there

Answer 4

I would go back to the basics.  Since you have ruled out anything medical it sounds habit forming.   Confine her to  a small room such as a bathroom or bedroom with the litterbox.  Take her out for play time but return her to the room, when she starts using the litterbox again, increase the amount of space and make sure she is consistently using the box.  If she relapses again, back to the bathroom or small confined room.  

The spots that she has used make sure you get rid of the urine smell as best you can, vinegar is good for removing it.

good luck.

Answer 5

Try putting the little tray where she is peeing. see if that works

Answer 6

I have a cat and he did the same thing. I agree that it is probably territorial  because of the other cat. Watch her when she is around the other cat and see if there are any small fights or guarding areas from the other. It also could be a stage it's going through. You should probably take her to get spayed if this is the case. I got my cat neutered and he stopped. Hope this helps!

Answer 7

i think you need to start with the basic and start from scratch, start with clean litter and put her in the litter box and show her how you dig, you can use a pooper scooper if you dont want to touch it!

Maybe try and see if there is a routine in the times she goes to the toliet then you can put her in the box if you think she needs to go and help her by digging a hole.

Also try putting it as far away as possible maybe in a spare cupboard as maybe its a privacy thing!

You could also try cranberry treats, cant think of the name but they look like wheetos, my cat loves them and i believe they help with urine infections

Hopes this helps, please let me know if it does!

Answer 8

I've always had cats too and that sounds very strange.  I would speak to someone at a place like the Cats Protection league where they see cats with all sorts of problems come in and out.

Answer 9

i don't know what to tell you except that some cats behave very strangely. hopefully, it's something she'll grow out of. i have one cat (household of 9 cats) who will go on the floor no matter what i do. i have plenty of litter boxes, and keep them clean. but 7 times out of 10 she'll p**p on the floor right outside her litter box. and if there is a throw rug, or anything else on the floor for that matter, she pees on it. so i keep my floors bare and deal with the p**p issue. i wish you much luck! i think yours will eventually grow out of it..have you tried a different litter? and make sure she doesn't have a uti...hang in there!