Kitty pee problem =(

[Hermia]

Hi there!

Has anyone ever had a problem with this? I'm hoping for some help and my husband is very frustrated!

So recently, my cat has taken to peeing in my husband's shoes. I've noticed before that she likes plastic, so I don't leave plastic bags on the floor and I don't leave my rubber tubing on the floor, but lately she's been peeing in his shoes. He leaves them on the living room floor and it's odd because I leave my workout shoes there too (our living room is basically the workout room), but she doesn't pee in mine. Just his. Her litter box is kept clean and it's but a few steps from where she's been peeing, so I don't think that's the issue (although I am going to be extra vigilant with cleaning it from now on). I will take her to the vet if it seems like she could have some sort of medical issue, of course, but nothing else out of the ordinary is going on.

Any thoughts? (husband is sooo not happy and is saying we'll have to get rid of her if she doesn't stop) =( =(

Ericka

(oh, and also, she's not an old kitty at all. Just five or six).

 

[Christine Marie]

Hi Hermia,

Not to be funny or anything, but do your husband's shoes stink? My cats tend to love smelly shoes and will rub their bodies all over them. How does your cat feel about your husband? Does she love him? Is she claiming him? Marking his property as hers? Or does she seem to be angry with him? Spraying his items to keep him away?

A simple solution to the problem would be to have your husband put his shoes out of her reach, perhaps in a closet or something where she cannot get to them. Cats urinating out of their box is such a hard issue to address let alone find the root of. You seem to understand that box cleanliness is super important, and a medical issue would be your other concern (urinary tract infections cause cats to fear their boxes by association due to the pain they feel when urinating inside of them).

One more thing, does your cat have a covered box? some cats develop fears of being inside a covered box whereas other cats prefer the privacy of covered boxes. Try both ways to see which she's more comfortable with. Please be patient with her. (Vinegar is a good solution to clean cat urine with. It doesn't smell much better than the urine itself but it seems to deter the cat from urinating in the same spot again.)

Hopefully you'll solve the mystery and/or she'll outgrow this so you won't have to consider giving her away as a last resort. That's always so heartbreaking. I wish you the best of luck!!

 

[kathryn]

Christine Marie gave great advice. My first thought was that the odor of your husband's feet reminds the cat of urine (something humans might not notice, but kitty does).

Putting shoes where kitty can't get to them is the first line of defense.

A trip to the vet for a checkup is a good idea as well, as urinating outside of the litter box can be a sign that something is not right (UT infection, for example).

 

[JT]

My cat, Adrian, when he was alive used to try to sleep in my shoes all the time. I agree with the above posts to move the shoes. Does your DH and the cat have a good relationship? Does he give your feline love and attention? My cats all my life have done stuff if they were mad at me or wanted attention. When I was into the bar scene post-divorce, Adrian got mad at me for coming in late so he would wake me very early in the morning. As soon as I quit the bar scene, he quit waking me up.
My new cats, Seville and Madrid, were quite ill when I adopted them. After they got better and they got liberty to move freely around the house, Madrid would give me love gifts and put them in my shoes and in my purse for me to have. It freaked me out but he was giving me food in his mind. Now, they act like my protectors.
Check with a pet behaviorist. Hope life gets better.

 

[silbow]

cat pee

What everyone else said, you must take him to the vet to rule out any urinary infections. Male cats are especially prone to them. If a medical problem is ruled out, google pee problems with cats, you will be amazed at how many articles pop up
Good luck
Karen

 

[NY25]

Move the shoes!

 

[Hermia]

Ok, so far so good with the shoes being out of her reach. She does like my husband, actually. She's a bit wary of him because he can be loud and she doesn't like loud, but she always runs to him to get pettings. =)