Cat people: I have a question.

[redqueen]

I know a woman who is a cat lover. She keeps just about any of them who show up. So at any time she's probably got around 10-15 of them in her house. She keeps the litter boxes clean... but for some reason some of the cats just refuse to use them... but only for peeing. They'll pee on tables or in corners... but they seem to manage to only use the litter boxes for pooping. (I hope this doesn't count as a bodily function thread...)

One person I know swears this is only because she has too many and if she had less it wouldn't be a problem.

Any other ideas?

[Brigid]

1. I think that person is right.

With that many cats around, the peeing outside the litterbox could be more about territoriality than about elimination. Some of them are probably unneutered males.

[redqueen]

3. Oh no... she's responsible about spaying and neutering...

but it is possible that some of the males were neutered later in life... and as I understand it, that does make a difference.

Thanks.

[Courtesy Flush]

9. Not 100%

Our neutered cats have peed plenty in the house. The worst offender is dead now, but even the good one peed like crazy when a new cat was introduced... and he was neutered at an early age.

[khashka]

2. Too many cats

Cats are still solitary predators and have never really been domesticated - which I love about them. They are also territorial - and pee is one way of marking territory. "This belongs to me!" Usually a dog thang, but crowded cats do it too. So do some humans (no, really!). It's too many cats in one place.

Khash.

[redqueen]

4. Yeah.

*sigh*

I wish someone could convince her to stop trying to save the (kitty) world. I don't live there anymore but she does have a family... and they never have anyone over because of it. Ah well.

[khashka]

7. Her heart is in the right place

but she's terribly misguided about what she's doing. There are many charities that will take stray cats and find them good homes and not put them down (unless they are incurably sick or violent). She should consider that. She's not really doing them or herself much good.

Khash.

[redqueen]

11. Oh, they've tried.

None of the rescue places have space. It's crazy down here.

I think the constant state of "we can't take any more" is part of what's motivated her to keep them. She doesn't want to take them to the animal shelter... and the no kill shelters are seemingly always full.

[ceile]

5. Nearly impossible habit to break.

My cat was an only cat in a large apt. and she peed every where but the litter box. Could never break her of it, so she went to live as an outside cat on my mom's land.

[redqueen]

12. These can't be outside cats on her land...

coyotes.

[Parche]

6. Kittys

The only time i know of cats who dont use the box for peeing is if they have a kitty bladder infection or problem, they always use the box.....they are that way

:hi: :hug:

[applegrove]

8. I think too many cats (or they all spayed or neutered?) can cause

all sorts of stress and that would likely be the reason for the bad behaviour. She needs to have fewer cats. It would be more humane.

[redqueen]

13. She's been told so many times...

it's hopeless.

She treats them like people... that part is cute at least.

[applegrove]

14. Cats should be treated like the people they are. I just think this woman needs some help.

[redqueen]

17. Yeah but people food? Sliced deli meat?

She also buys fast food and gives the cats the meat.

I dunno if that's even healthy for them. They sure love her though. :rofl:

[applegrove]

26. I let my cats have a nibble of any meat I'm eating. But I only have two. And that is it.

[Blue-Jay]

10. .

[YDogg]

15. One member of our itty bitty kitty committee was about three weeks old when we found her ...

... and we spent the better part of five weeks feeding her kitten formula with a syringe 3-4-5 times a day (it's been about six years - I don't remember her exact feeding schedule). We purchased the cans of kitten formula from our vet, but I have since seen it at our local grocery store. She loved the stuff, and as she sucked it down her paws would spastically flex back and forth as she grasped at the syringe; we called her our crack cat.

First thing we had done was to take her to the vet. I'm sorry I don't remember details about her litter habits; we had one older cat at the time, and she wasn't exactly welcomed. But she was too young to know to be intimidated by the older cat and did fine. We started her on wet food then dry as soon as she showed any interest in either. Not at six years old she's the queen of the realm.

May 2002:


Jan 2008:

[malta blue]

16. I don't know - I have ONE cat with three litter boxes

one on each floor of our home AND one in the basement. He still pees all over my F&^$in Tabriz carpet :nuke::nuke:

I wish he would stop - LORD how I wish he would stop.....

[redqueen]

18. I guess he likes it & is claiming it?

When I had a pet, a chihuahua, he'd pee on stuff if he was mad at you. Heh.

[malta blue]

20. This kitty is pushing his luck though because

I am really ready to get rid of him at this point.

We adopted him in November and he has ruined the family room carpet, my Tabriz, AND has made the basement an inpenetrable fortress of cat piss. :puke:

[Haole Girl]

19. Too many cats. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

21. are they fixed?

[redqueen]

22. Yes, they're all fixed.

She's very responsible about spaying and neutering. She really does love them... but unhealthily so. She feeds them people food, as much as they like, so about half of them are overweight.

[IndianaJones]

23. don't know about the urinating, but I hope all these cats are declawed. nt.

[RadiationTherapy]

24. Oh, I thought you wanted to hear from half cat/half humans. Sorry. nt

[Orsino]

25. Feral kitties may not take to litter boxes.

She may have to crate-train them, keeping them in a large kennel, say, with a litter box inside. If all she's doing is confining them to the house, they may continue to relieve themselves anywhere semi-private.