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Urinating in one corner of carpet

BisonTriad

Savannah Child
Hey all! I know there are a few similar threads out there but I thought I would see if anyone has any more advice! Petra just got spayed a week ago and the procedure went great and she is still herself-eating and drinking well and playing with us. We are also giving her liquid clyndimycin for some dental stomatitis which she seems to at least partially tolerate. However, since she has gotten spayed she has taken a liking to the corner of our living room behind our TV as a litterbox! She has split her time between her real box and the carpet behind the TV. We had some cleaner I had used right away to clean it up but I have now ordered some Anti Icky-Poo to try get rid of lingering smells. We also tried putting tinfoil over the entire area and it worked for a day until she peed right next to the foil! Also my husband and I have had some long days this week and haven't been able to play with her as much as usual. Now I'm thinking her new 'habit' is just a case of stress/anxiety and she still smells her urine so she thinks it is an acceptable place to go. Are there any tell-tale signs of a potential UTI or anything else I should think of doing? I'm hoping that once I clean up her lingering odors that she will get back to using her box exclusively!
 

admin

Paige
Staff member
Most of the threads you have seen cover it all...you need to completely get rid of the smell or they will continue to urinate there...the anti-ickypoo will do it...but you might want to make sure she doesn't have a UTI as well...the vet would be able to tell you that aspect...
 

Trish Allearz

Moderator
Easiest thing to do is put her in the bathroom with a clean, EMPTY litterbox- she'll pee in it. Put it in a tupperware container (uh, disposable one) and run it into the vet. They can run a test for a UTI on it.

Otherwise, inappropriate elimination, blood in pee, etc, are symptoms of UTIs, BUT I think your thought process is probably spot-on this time around.
 

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
Did you see on the Anti Icky Poo site they have a injection thingy you can get? I'd recommend that for the carpet... It can be very very hard to get down deep in the carpet... so when you get the AntiIckyPoo absolutely soak that corner. Then let it dry and repeat the procedure.

If she insists on that area, putting a litterbox in that region can help. You can work on moving that litterbox with time but better to have her using a box in that location than the carpet!
 

Patti

Admin
Staff member
Pretty much everything has been touched on already. Two more (drastic) options to consider if the Anti Icky Poo doesn't do the trick (which I think it will but sometimes habits develop even when the scent doesn't encourage her) and/or you don't want to put a litterbox there would be to lock her in a bathroom or other small room with food, water, and litterbox when you're at work; or get a scat mat or similar deterrent to put in the spot.
 

BisonTriad

Savannah Child
Ok, an update...so after several treatments with Anti-Icky Poo, Petra has insisted on smelling around that corner and attempting to urinate. After seeing her do this, we repeatedly bring her to her box and put her in it to have her only jump out immediately. Today now after letting the spots dry out completely, they seem to have a faint yellow stain around the edges. Is this normal or is it just the AIP working the deep urine up? I'm so lost as to why it is doing this. Also, we have now come to the conclusion that Petra only pees (or attempts to pee) in that area when we are home getting ready in the morning or trying to fix supper at night. Is this an attempt for her to get our attention? Because its sure working! Grrr...And onto this evening, while trying to assess our new dried yellow stains she stands up next to where we have a blanket shoved between our fish tank and wall (to keep her out) and pees standing up right on the blanket! She just got spayed a few weeks ago and I thought that kind of behavior was reserved for cats still intact? Our next move is now putting a second box in that area to see if that works.
 

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
I don't know what the yellow stain is, have you tried using something like a SpotBot or Little Green Machine on that area now that you are sure you have treated the area properly with AntiIckyPoo? I love my Little Green Machine, you can make it up with a solution of AntiIckyPoo instead of carpet cleaner too if you like... and you can rinse out whatever is there...

It's possible she has learned that if she goes there she gets attention.

I'm not too clear, is the fishtank and wall near where the corner you are talking about? So is this a more enclosed area of the room? I might also think to look again at where her litterbox is that you want her to be using...is it in a more trafficked area of the house? Too bright and exposed? Could she be telling you she wants a more secluded location for her litterbox? Just a thought...
 

Patti

Admin
Staff member
Unfortunately, some cats don't stop spraying even after being altered, if they have gotten into the habit already. I've found females to be much worse than males in this regard. It may be that you will need to confine Petra in an attempt to retrain her. BTW, blankets, and especially comforters made of down are a huge attractor for cats to pee on.
 

BisonTriad

Savannah Child
Thank you for your advice! I guess we will just keep at it and try lots of different things until we find what works best. Her one box is in a coat closet behind one of the 2 closed doors. We don't have a SpotBot or anything similar but it might be worth the investment.
 
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