Now why would she do this?

My cat Bizzy has never been consistent with the litter box, but I thought I'd
covered all the angles:

--new place, and both cats seemed at home and loving it from Day 1
--never leave clothes, towels, a trash bag, ANYTHING on the floor.
--favorite food
--absolutely 100% equal attention in same tone of voice as given to other cat
(like 200% extra attention would even be enough.)
--special spot in closet just for cats
--special spot with special cat pad next to heater and at windows
--go outside once a day to eat grass and throw up (a special treat, at least
for Bizzy)
--heating pad set on warm on my bed for her to lie on.
--pillow under the heating pad on my bed for her to lie on.

But now she's been urinating on the bed. Even at night when I'M in the f***in
bed. Urinating near my HEAD. So I have to get up at 3 in the morning and wash
my linens.

Now why would a cat do that? I wouldn't think she'd urinate where she sleeps.

So I've started confining both cats to the kitchen, LR and closet during the
day when I'm out, and confine Bizzy to those areas when I'm sleeping, which i
hate doing, but don't see where I have a choice, at least until I lay in a
waterproof mattress pad and extra blankets. I want to get an electric blanket,
but would be a little nervous she'd short it out.

Any insights?

Praising her when she uses the litterbox is meaningless.

I can tell when she's looking around for an "alternative" litter spot and can
often catch her and physically put her in the litter box.

I've tried psychology by praising my other cat, Julius, profusely when he uses
the box. Julius is a tidy little fellow anyway, and will clean up after both
of them, because Bizzy never covers up the litter. Never.

I'm considering a large cage for her (the largest I can get, Rottweiler-sized,
for example) or confining her to a smaller space.

I generally just ignore her or do nothing if she's urinated somewhere, except
at 3 a.m. when she wakes me up pawing at the quilt where she just peed. I've
been known to screech unkind things at her then, but that's as negative as I
get.

I'm considering just leaving a towel on the floor somewhere on top of one of
those dog training pads just to give her a spot where she can pee and feel
bitchy and that would be easy for me to clean up. Do you think that would
work? (And no, I'm not kidding)

The only good thing is that she hasn't peed on the carpet, which is another
reason I don't get too crazed about it because if she's not ruining carpet, I
can take just about anything.

Any insights/advice?

Have you had her checked to make sure there isn't a medical problem that she
is trying to alert you to?

"Ruffiane" wrote in message
...
My cat Bizzy has never been consistent with the litter box, but I thought
I'd
covered all the angles:

--new place, and both cats seemed at home and loving it from Day 1
--never leave clothes, towels, a trash bag, ANYTHING on the floor.
--favorite food
--absolutely 100% equal attention in same tone of voice as given to other
cat
(like 200% extra attention would even be enough.)
--special spot in closet just for cats
--special spot with special cat pad next to heater and at windows
--go outside once a day to eat grass and throw up (a special treat, at least
for Bizzy)
--heating pad set on warm on my bed for her to lie on.
--pillow under the heating pad on my bed for her to lie on.

But now she's been urinating on the bed. Even at night when I'M in the
f***in
bed. Urinating near my HEAD. So I have to get up at 3 in the morning and
wash
my linens.

Now why would a cat do that? I wouldn't think she'd urinate where she
sleeps.

So I've started confining both cats to the kitchen, LR and closet during the
day when I'm out, and confine Bizzy to those areas when I'm sleeping, which
i
hate doing, but don't see where I have a choice, at least until I lay in a
waterproof mattress pad and extra blankets. I want to get an electric
blanket,
but would be a little nervous she'd short it out.

Any insights?

Praising her when she uses the litterbox is meaningless.

I can tell when she's looking around for an "alternative" litter spot and
can
often catch her and physically put her in the litter box.

I've tried psychology by praising my other cat, Julius, profusely when he
uses
the box. Julius is a tidy little fellow anyway, and will clean up after
both
of them, because Bizzy never covers up the litter. Never.

I'm considering a large cage for her (the largest I can get,
Rottweiler-sized,
for example) or confining her to a smaller space.

I generally just ignore her or do nothing if she's urinated somewhere,
except
at 3 a.m. when she wakes me up pawing at the quilt where she just peed.
I've
been known to screech unkind things at her then, but that's as negative as I
get.

I'm considering just leaving a towel on the floor somewhere on top of one of
those dog training pads just to give her a spot where she can pee and feel
bitchy and that would be easy for me to clean up. Do you think that would
work? (And no, I'm not kidding)

The only good thing is that she hasn't peed on the carpet, which is another
reason I don't get too crazed about it because if she's not ruining carpet,
I
can take just about anything.

Any insights/advice?

Have you had her checked to make sure there isn't a medical problem that she
is trying to alert you to?

"Ruffiane" wrote in message
...
My cat Bizzy has never been consistent with the litter box, but I thought
I'd
covered all the angles:

--new place, and both cats seemed at home and loving it from Day 1
--never leave clothes, towels, a trash bag, ANYTHING on the floor.
--favorite food
--absolutely 100% equal attention in same tone of voice as given to other
cat
(like 200% extra attention would even be enough.)
--special spot in closet just for cats
--special spot with special cat pad next to heater and at windows
--go outside once a day to eat grass and throw up (a special treat, at least
for Bizzy)
--heating pad set on warm on my bed for her to lie on.
--pillow under the heating pad on my bed for her to lie on.

But now she's been urinating on the bed. Even at night when I'M in the
f***in
bed. Urinating near my HEAD. So I have to get up at 3 in the morning and
wash
my linens.

Now why would a cat do that? I wouldn't think she'd urinate where she
sleeps.

So I've started confining both cats to the kitchen, LR and closet during the
day when I'm out, and confine Bizzy to those areas when I'm sleeping, which
i
hate doing, but don't see where I have a choice, at least until I lay in a
waterproof mattress pad and extra blankets. I want to get an electric
blanket,
but would be a little nervous she'd short it out.

Any insights?

Praising her when she uses the litterbox is meaningless.

I can tell when she's looking around for an "alternative" litter spot and
can
often catch her and physically put her in the litter box.

I've tried psychology by praising my other cat, Julius, profusely when he
uses
the box. Julius is a tidy little fellow anyway, and will clean up after
both
of them, because Bizzy never covers up the litter. Never.

I'm considering a large cage for her (the largest I can get,
Rottweiler-sized,
for example) or confining her to a smaller space.

I generally just ignore her or do nothing if she's urinated somewhere,
except
at 3 a.m. when she wakes me up pawing at the quilt where she just peed.
I've
been known to screech unkind things at her then, but that's as negative as I
get.

I'm considering just leaving a towel on the floor somewhere on top of one of
those dog training pads just to give her a spot where she can pee and feel
bitchy and that would be easy for me to clean up. Do you think that would
work? (And no, I'm not kidding)

The only good thing is that she hasn't peed on the carpet, which is another
reason I don't get too crazed about it because if she's not ruining carpet,
I
can take just about anything.

Any insights/advice?

Urinary tract infection. Has she had a urinalysis?

Karen

Urinary tract infection. Has she had a urinalysis?

Karen

In article ,
enlightened us with...

Now why would a cat do that? I wouldn't think she'd urinate where she sleeps.


You'd think, but this is not always true.

I assume she's been checked for a urinary tract infection. If not, do
that first and foremost, as it is the primary physical cause of
imappropriate urination.
Another possible physical cause is due to a botched declaw and litterbox
aversion. More on that below.

That said, I'll go on to assume behavioral.


Any insights?

Sounds like a dominant cat with marking behavior to me.


I've tried psychology by praising my other cat, Julius, profusely when he uses
the box. Julius is a tidy little fellow anyway, and will clean up after both
of them, because Bizzy never covers up the litter. Never.

Not burying the urine is a primary sign of a dominant cat (or one with
claw/bone/joint problems from a declaw, but that's not the usual cause).
When you catch her trying to pee elsewhere, is there any other urine or
feces in the box? She may not like that. Does she squat and really go,
or does she stand and squirt less than a normal amount (that is, is she
peeing because she has to go, or just to mark)?

Do you have two to three boxes? If not, she may dislike sharing her box
with the other cat. Some cats like to urinate in one place and defecate
in another, especially very dominant cats or very frightened cats. My
females won't go in the box my male uses after my male has defecated in
it, but my dominant girl has to christen it as soon as I clean it so her
smell is there before his.

Is the box covered? Many cats dislike this.


I'm considering just leaving a towel on the floor somewhere on top of one of
those dog training pads just to give her a spot where she can pee and feel
bitchy and that would be easy for me to clean up. Do you think that would
work? (And no, I'm not kidding)


That depends on what the real cause is.
If it is because she has an infection or pain in the paws, no.
If it is because she wants to mark, no.
If it is because she dislikes something about the box, possibly. Adding
another box would probably solve the problem just as well if that were
the case.

I would try Feliway, just because that's what everyone is recommending
for behavioral marking these days.
http://www.feliway.com

Many declawed cats are very particular about the litter in their boxes.
If she is declawed, have you tried a finer grained litter or even a box
with nothing but some paper in it? Also, if she is declawed, you may
want to check her feet. If the vet botched it (accidents happen to the
best of vets), there may be underlying pain causing an aversion to the
litter box. Sometimes only an x-ray can show the problem if it is an
ingrown claw or bone malformation.
Lastly - age. Is she old enough to have osteoarthritis? It can strike
cats as young as 5. Something to think about.

Good luck and keep us updated.

--
--
~kaeli~
Suicide is the most sincere form of self-criticism.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace

In article ,
enlightened us with...

Now why would a cat do that? I wouldn't think she'd urinate where she sleeps.


You'd think, but this is not always true.

I assume she's been checked for a urinary tract infection. If not, do
that first and foremost, as it is the primary physical cause of
imappropriate urination.
Another possible physical cause is due to a botched declaw and litterbox
aversion. More on that below.

That said, I'll go on to assume behavioral.


Any insights?

Sounds like a dominant cat with marking behavior to me.


I've tried psychology by praising my other cat, Julius, profusely when he uses
the box. Julius is a tidy little fellow anyway, and will clean up after both
of them, because Bizzy never covers up the litter. Never.

Not burying the urine is a primary sign of a dominant cat (or one with
claw/bone/joint problems from a declaw, but that's not the usual cause).
When you catch her trying to pee elsewhere, is there any other urine or
feces in the box? She may not like that. Does she squat and really go,
or does she stand and squirt less than a normal amount (that is, is she
peeing because she has to go, or just to mark)?

Do you have two to three boxes? If not, she may dislike sharing her box
with the other cat. Some cats like to urinate in one place and defecate
in another, especially very dominant cats or very frightened cats. My
females won't go in the box my male uses after my male has defecated in
it, but my dominant girl has to christen it as soon as I clean it so her
smell is there before his.

Is the box covered? Many cats dislike this.


I'm considering just leaving a towel on the floor somewhere on top of one of
those dog training pads just to give her a spot where she can pee and feel
bitchy and that would be easy for me to clean up. Do you think that would
work? (And no, I'm not kidding)


That depends on what the real cause is.
If it is because she has an infection or pain in the paws, no.
If it is because she wants to mark, no.
If it is because she dislikes something about the box, possibly. Adding
another box would probably solve the problem just as well if that were
the case.

I would try Feliway, just because that's what everyone is recommending
for behavioral marking these days.
http://www.feliway.com

Many declawed cats are very particular about the litter in their boxes.
If she is declawed, have you tried a finer grained litter or even a box
with nothing but some paper in it? Also, if she is declawed, you may
want to check her feet. If the vet botched it (accidents happen to the
best of vets), there may be underlying pain causing an aversion to the
litter box. Sometimes only an x-ray can show the problem if it is an
ingrown claw or bone malformation.
Lastly - age. Is she old enough to have osteoarthritis? It can strike
cats as young as 5. Something to think about.

Good luck and keep us updated.

--
--
~kaeli~
Suicide is the most sincere form of self-criticism.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace

But now she's been urinating on the bed.
Even at night when I'M in the f***in bed.
Urinating near my HEAD. So I have to get
up at 3 in the morning and wash my
linens.

You need to take your cat to the vet. This is a common behavior of a cat
that is suffering from a urinary tract infection. The fact that you are
in a new home means that your cat could have been under quite a bit of
stress from the move, and stress often results in the development of a
UTI. I do understand that your cat has had some issues in the past, but
this does not mean she is immune from getting a UTI. It's best to rule
out this as a cause before you decide it's behavioral, because if it is
a medical issue she is going to be miserable and all the behavior
modification in the world will not help.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

But now she's been urinating on the bed.
Even at night when I'M in the f***in bed.
Urinating near my HEAD. So I have to get
up at 3 in the morning and wash my
linens.

You need to take your cat to the vet. This is a common behavior of a cat
that is suffering from a urinary tract infection. The fact that you are
in a new home means that your cat could have been under quite a bit of
stress from the move, and stress often results in the development of a
UTI. I do understand that your cat has had some issues in the past, but
this does not mean she is immune from getting a UTI. It's best to rule
out this as a cause before you decide it's behavioral, because if it is
a medical issue she is going to be miserable and all the behavior
modification in the world will not help.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

Thank you for all the advice. The issues about the dominant cat were new to
me. I'll get her to the vet (she's due anyway) and try some of the alternate
litterbox strategies.