Indoor Urine Marking

If you have a cat who eliminates on personal items like a favorite chair, a briefcase, or your bed you need special help.

Start with a physical exam and urinalysis; more than half of these cats have physical reasons for their bad behavior.

While some elimination problems are caused by the anxiety of crowding, inappropriate punishment, or intercat aggression, others can be about territory. Changes like getting less attention, new daily routines, competition, a move to a new home, the addition of a new cat, or even the scent of another cat are possible triggers. In a few cases, a cat’s vindictiveness toward an individual will lead to urine or stool on a personal article.

To get a handle on the problem you will need to clean the litter pans twice daily, eliminate odors from prior offences, and temporarily isolate the responsible cat from the others. Have the owner of the defiled items, who might not even like cats, feed and gently handle the guilty kitty while others avoid this cat. Cover the scenes of past crimes with aluminum foil, upside down carpet runners, or a scat mat (www.scatmat.com). A Feliway diffuser and behavior medication may also help.

Avoid yelling, hitting, and other forms of punishment. Anxiety and fear will only add fuel to the problem.

Keep the faith and don't give up. Contact me through my web site if you need individual help.