i don't understand why she's doing this

[JuniorxMyxLove]

My cat Lexi is adorable and I love her but sh's been peeing on our couches and leaving 'presents' right in front of my mom. My dad is sooooooo mad and he wants to get rid of her, but I love her too much! Does anyone have any idea as to how to get her to stop? I'm afraid that if I cant figure out how to get her to use her litterbox, my dad will get rid of her!
http://i15.tinypic.com/2dayih2.jpg
this is Lexi^^
btw its not a health problem or anything, she was just at the vets for her routine checkup and they didn't find anything wrong with her.

please help!!

[Catty1]

When did this start? Any change in living arrangements, furniture, ANYTHING?

And you did mention this problem to the vet, right? Did they take a urine sample?

If they didn't take a sample, get that done. It's not part of a 'routine' checkup.

Lexi is BEAUTIFUL!

hugs

[JuniorxMyxLove]

Ill talk to my mom about that. In case it isn't any health problems, does anyone have ANY ideas on how to train her to stop this?!?!?!?!?! I don't want to get rid of her!!!!!


PLEASE HELP!!!

[Catty1]

First, get her urine checked. One thing at a time.

If this just started recently, I would think it is an infection. A few days of antibiotics, and this will clear up.

[JuniorxMyxLove]

its been going on for like 3 months. My mom moved her to my room, and I know she uses the litter box there, so I don't know what to do! she hates being locked up in my room all day!

[Catty1]

I bet you anything that is why she is peeing. She is protesting against the change, against being 'locked up'.

You said she hates it.

I'll bet you anything.

Why was she 'locked up'? Can this be changed back to how it was?

HUGS

[cassiesmom]

How long has Lexi been a member of your family, has it just been the three months she's been eliminating inappropriately? How about this (Catty1, what do you think?) - Put another litter box in the room where you and your parents spend lots of time, place her in it every hour or two and give her TONS of praise when she uses it properly. (Thought: Put some of the filler from the box she currently uses in the new box, so it will smell familiar to her.) The second you notice her start to squat - plop her in the box. Good luck. I agree with Catty1 - she's beautiful!

[JuniorxMyxLove]

We've had Lexi for about 2 years(her 2nd b-day was June 6th) and yea, its only been for the past 3 months. Theres beenthe occasional poops-in-the-corner for longer then that, but we think thats our 14 year old cat, Cole[he's not in the best shape anymore, weighs about 3-5 pounds]. She uses thelittlerbox when shes in my room, but even as I type this she's scratching at the door to be let out. We let her out to roam like anhour each day, and she seems to use the litterbox, but if we leave her out for longer, theres more pee on our BRAND NEW WOOD FLOORS[yes,we got them a week ago so she really can't pee on it]. I listen to her at nights and praise her if I hear her scratching around in her box. Maybe a little more time is all she needs to retrain herself...

Glad you think she's pretty, her fur is a monster to deal with ;] If only her behavior was as good as her looks...

[bluecatz]

I had a Russian Blue for 16 years that had a problem similar to what you are experiencing. I found one thing by trial and error, be consistent with your brand of litter. He hated anything that was heavily perfumed. I read not to long ago, that cat's do not know "automatically" how to use a litter box. Since Chanel (thought HE was a Girl) came from a breeder, I didn't really know how or if he was ever introduced to the litter box properly. This may have made a difference in my frustration of 16 years. I was never capable to get rid of him, I always thought he'd get over it. He would for awhile, but I always had to keep an eye on him. It's funny that all of the other cats I have ever had, (rescues) never had this problem. Best of luck to you!
CJ

[Paws13]

How old is Lexi? Did you just get her?

My cat, Snow, use to do this when she was a kitten. Lexi might not know where her litter box is.

Does she go in her litter box or just all over the house?

Here is some advice: you may have to train Lexi to use the litter box. Put the litter box where Lexi usually goes. Lexi will soon start to go in there. Another idea my mom use to do when my cat had the same problem was kinda crazy, but it did help. Whenever Snow was ready to go to the bathroom on the rug and furniture, she would pick her up and run to the litter box. She would put her in it. Snow soon learned she had to go in there not all over the house.

Do you have another cat?

Lexi maybe sprending her scent and/or marking her terratory. This may be the cause of this bad habit.

[JuniorxMyxLove]

Hmmm..Lexi used to use the litterbox...she's getting MUCH better now though. A little time of solitude and no good place to pee but the box obviously helped. She spent her first night out of my room last night, and when I checked, there were no presents from her[in her spots]! My cat Cole is a COMPLETE different story, though.....

*I have 2 other cats*

*EDIT - As of Thursday, January 11, I only have one other cat. Cole, my oldest and sweetest baby, died.*

[sprokett]

wat is btw

[Medusa]

Btw = by the way

I'm sure you must know the rule, one litter box per cat plus one. This may take care of the problem. And if you see her squatting, grab her and place her in the litter box. (I know, you never see her do it. Cats are sneaky that way. ;) )

Blessings,
Mary

[warmbear]

Another thought here.. My kitty was having litterbox confusion, and we put litterboxes in many spots. We were also advised by a vet that without a UTI or other physical problem, this is frequently a sign that the cat's world is too big, and should be made smaller. we accomplished this by closing the doors to all the rooms, except the main rooms (Lv/Dn/Kit) and the master bedroom, thereby making the world smaller for the cat. Eventually we were able to remove the litter boxes except for 2,and we no longer see messes or puddles on things (usually it was in the corners of the rooms). The vet's theory was that because her world was too big, the kitty would get confused and forget where the box was. Adding to this was her urgency because of her physical digestion problems.

One other thing, We switched from normal style cat litter to very fine "clumping" litter (like sand). The vet suggested that some cats are very fussy regarding toileting, and just don't like the feel of the regular litter on their paws.

Just a thought.

[carole]

Oh dear i do hope you can find out the cause, i can imagine how frustrating it is for you all , and please don't let them get rid of Lexi, that would be cruel, imagine if when people get old and incontinent we just got rid of them, not quite the same but you know what i am trying to say, maybe it is stress related, i am no expert, but if you have had her medically checked,and all is ok with her, then listen to other's idea's as they really are people with all kind of experience's with kittie's,if only our furbaby's could talk and tell us why they do what they do, but they cannot so we have to realise there is always a reason for what they are doing, remember they are not malicious like human's can be, and don't do things on purpose or to be spiteful.

Btw I too have a kitty called Lexie spelt with the E, she is the black kitty in my siggy, so from one Lexie to another,please don't get rid of her,there really is room for two of us on PT,she is indeed a very pretty kitty :) .

[DrKym]

We just went through this with Lillys sister Iris, right after the babies were born Iris got all butt hurt over the extra attention Lilly recieved.

It has been 3 weeks and she has begun to settle back into using the boxes, but we also had to "shrink" her world. For the past few days she has been doing fine (meaning we haven't found anything) but she was certainly not happy about the change in the house!

I do hope something works for Lexi! she is a very beautiful girl!
As a side note, maybe she is stressing some over her older ailing friend? I have had cats that have behaved bizarrely over their buddies being sick, or sicker than we knew.

Just a thought

[Zoey&Mandy]

maybe she doesnt like the litter in that box. she could also be mad at you all or have a UTI (urinary tract infection) cats can get that its very sad. and you Lexi is beautiful.. me and my bf want to get a Himalyan (spelling?) someday. they are very pretty too. I thought it was great, I got my kitten Zoey back IN may and she was 7 weeks old. and me and my BF went and got alota stuff for her and the litter box and she used it right away! I was so happy that she new how to use it and we didnt have to teach her.. also, there are these cats treats they are "temptations" ALL our cats go CRAZY over them! they are only like 1.28 at walmart for a regular sized bag but maybe that will also help her.. some advice LOCK THEM UP! haha my cat Zoey will tear them open and eat the whole entire bag. she has done that a few times and she got really fat.. so now I put them in my dresser lol where she can NOT get into them and give her maybe 1 or 2 a day.. also when u shake them allll the cats go crazy and come running for them lol I love cats