We need PT prayers and HELP

[Samantha Puppy]

It's 8:45am and I have been in tears for close to 3 hours. Why? Because I am beyond frustrated and worried.

On Saturday, Kimi decided to all of a sudden pee on Samantha (my dog's) pillow bed. I posted about it here but I'm too lazy to look it up. I was very worried as this is very unusual for her and monitored her closely for the rest of the weekend as well as this entire week. We had no more problems. Great litter box usage, lots of pee when she went, no blood. So I became convinced that the reason Kimi peed on the pillow Saturday morning was because she smelled something in it and in that crazy animal mind of hers, it triggered her to go to the bathroom on it. I called the vet and they agreed.

My mom and I decided to treat Samantha to another bed yesterday, so we went to PetSmart to pick out the perfect one for her. We bought it, brought it home and Samantha loved it!! I have a couple pictures of her laying on it chewing a rawhide bone last night. When I went to bed, I took the bed up with me. Samantha always starts out at the bottom of our bed and then spends the rest of the night on her pillow. I know she loved having a bed back.

This morning, I woke up and it was still dark out. I thought I saw something on the bed but wasn't sure as the nightlight was casting shadows. I turned on the light. The girls were right next to the bed with two fresh pee stains on it - the urine hadn't even completely soaked in yet, it was that new. I immediately started crying.

I don't know what to do. It was BRAND NEW. There is no way that enough "smell" could've been put on it in the little bit of usage it got before bed to make Kimi want to pee there. She doesn't pee ANYWHERE ELSE in the house. She doesn't show any symptoms of having a UTI or anything else. She doesn't pee on the pillows on our bed. JUST Samantha's bed pillows.

I just don't understand. WHY. WHY NOW. All I know is that I cannot take this anymore! I love my girls and I've been in hysterics all morning, but I cannot figure out WHY they're doing this and I certainly can't have them eliminating all over the house - especially with a baby on the way.

What do I do? Keep them locked out of the bedroom at night? That means Samantha would either be locked in with us (which isn't fair as she likes to roam) or locked out with the cats - which also isn't fair because she has slept with us for over 3 years. It doesn't seem fair to punish her for someone else's doing.

If we lock just the cats out, Kirin would claw at the door. Plus, he loves to lay with us. So does Sushi. So we'd be "punishing" them for something they didn't do, too. We couldn't lock them in WITH us as they wouldn't have access to their litter boxes.

So do we lock JUST the girls in the back room? For what - the night? When we're gone? How will that "fix" anything? It seems like just putting a band-aid on a leaking dam. The girls have both been checked out lately - the vet gave them a clean bill of health. That leads me to believe it's behavioral. HOW DO I FIX THIS? I am at my wit's end. My husband has been so understand and so patient with this problem (first with Maya pooping outside the box, now with this) but he's losing it quickly too.

I just don't understand why they're doing this. NOTHING has changed. We haven't changed food, litter, their access to various places in the house... NOTHING. NOTHING IS DIFFERENT. I don't know what to do. I don't want to get rid of them, but I just don't know what to do. Can someone here help me? Take them for a week or two and work with them? SOMETHING? ANYTHING?

Sorry for the rambling. I just don't know what to do.

[joycenalex]

**big time prayers** i wish cats would and could explain why they do things.

[Lightning SuperCat]

I have no idea of anything to say, but I'm snding LOTS and LOTS of (((((((((HUGS))))))))) and Prayers that you get the problem worked out!!!!!!

[catmandu]

THE ONE THING,THAT I HAVE HERAD,THAT WORKS,IS FELI WAY,AND THAT IS SAID,TO BE EXCELLENT,WHEN CATS IGNORE THIER LITTER BOXES.
GOOD LUCK,WITH YOUR CATS!

[Samantha Puppy]

She's not ignoring her box though. She still uses it without a problem. After she ruined the first pillow and before we got the new one last night, she had absolutely NO PROBLEM going in the litter box.

We have Feliway from when Maya first started her problem. It hasn't done anything - they don't react to it at all, and it never seemed to fix Maya's problem once and for all as she still has her little "accidents" outside the box... but hers are easy to clean up and localized to immediately outside the box in a low traffic area of the basement. Not in our bedroom or wherever a pillow may be.

I'm sorry if I come off sounding bitchy - I'm just tired and scared and worried and frustrated. I'm tired of dealing with this and I'm frustrated that I don't know how to fix it or figure out what the cause is.

[QueenScoopalot]

I have a similar problem going on here, and when bought a bed for our dogs, the first thing I did before putting it down was to take the zippered cover off, and put a heavy weight contractors trash bag around it, taped into place. This way the particular bad boy Impy can't soak through to the foam core. I whip the cover into the wash often, and bleach the trash bag and air dry before re-covering the bed. Maybe a good urine neutralizer might help? I wonder if your cats sense you're pregnancy and hormonal changes going on, and are reacting to that? Locking them into rooms separate from the areas they're peeing in may help...worth a try at this rate. (((HUGS))) and sympathy for your situation.

[Craftlady]

Originally posted by QueenScoopalot
I wonder if your cats sense you're pregnancy and hormonal changes going on, and are reacting to that?

I agree that maybe the cats are reacting to the pregnancy. A solution I dont have for this particular problem. Maybe your vet has some advise.

[catnapper]

I agree with others that think it might be that the girls are reacting to the pregnancy.

This is step by step exactly what Allen is doing right now. He will only pee in laundry baskets or blankets someone dropped on the floor. NOTHING else. He's telling me he's annoyed that the 3rd floor is closed to him (I dropped Minette off to her new home today, so hopefully this problem will resolve itself now that he once again has access to "his" room... will let you know if it doesn't work). I honestly think the girls are teeling you they are upset by something. Now its trying to determine if its something to do with the pregnancy or Samantha, etc.

[Samantha Puppy]

Can cats really sense hormonal changes? If so, why are just the girls reacting - not the boys? I can't say my moods haven't been a little shifty lately but I'm at work most of the time and I never take out my moods on my animals. They all still get the same amount of love and affection as I've always given them.

Could it be directly related to Samantha? Do cats take out aggressions towards other animals by attacking things they know belong to them? The other pillow, they'd seen Sam lay on for months but this new one... Sushi was laying on it before Samantha got on it last night. Are they that smart that they understood when I said it was Sam's new bed?

How much longer do I deal with this? If a baby wasn't 3 months away from showing up, I probably would just deal... but I can't have a toddler crawling around a constantly soiled house. *sigh* I cried from the second I saw what they'd done until after I got into work. I cried so hard, I gave myself another nosebleed. I'm constantly worrying about them and when I see a picture of them, I tear up. I love them all so much, I just don't know what to do.

Thanks for listening.

[kittycats_delight]

I am thinking also could it be possible that Samantha may have ticked them off somehow? Maybe snapped at them or hurt them. Not necessarily on purpose but I know cats can hold a grudge. Are they all left alone together? Maybe something could have happened when you were out and they are just majorly pissed with Samantha. Just a suggestion.

[catnapper]

Yes, some cats can be mre sensitive than others. Pouncer KNOWS when I'm not feeling well or when I've got a migraine. He becomes much more loving than any other time when I'm sick or headachy. There have been times where I felt perfectly fine and he was loving on me, only to turn around a few hours later and feel AWFUL... just a few nights ago, he came up to me several times and even my husband said "wow, he's certainly affectionate tonight." and I woke up the following morning all sinusy and icky.

[Samantha Puppy]

Originally posted by kittycats_delight
I am thinking also could it be possible that Samantha may have ticked them off somehow? Maybe snapped at them or hurt them. Not necessarily on purpose but I know cats can hold a grudge. Are they all left alone together? Maybe something could have happened when you were out and they are just majorly pissed with Samantha. Just a suggestion.

They're left alone together on days that my husband goes into the office. Otherwise he, at least, is there with them. Samantha plays with all the kitties - they like bolting out of nowhere and getting her to chase them - but I have never seen her do anything malicious towards them. She grew up with my parents OLD Maine Coon cat and because of him, "respects" cats.

I'm not saying what you suggest is impossible - I'm not discounting ANYTHING at this point. Just from the animals I know, it seems unlikely.

Originally posted by catnapper
Yes, some cats can be mre sensitive than others. Pouncer KNOWS when I'm not feeling well or when I've got a migraine. He becomes much more loving than any other time when I'm sick or headachy. There have been times where I felt perfectly fine and he was loving on me, only to turn around a few hours later and feel AWFUL... just a few nights ago, he came up to me several times and even my husband said "wow, he's certainly affectionate tonight." and I woke up the following morning all sinusy and icky.

I asked the vet if cats were that sensitive to what's going on with their owners and told her I was pregnant and had hit an emotional point in the pregnancy. I made a point of saying that while I haven't felt like myself for the last couple weeks, I haven't changed my demeanor with any of my animals. If anything, they're what keeps me grounded so they still get as much love and affection as always. She said that that very well could be the cause and if so, may actually get worse once the baby's born before Kimi starts accepting the new way as the norm and settles back down.

At any rate, I am to pick up some "No-sorb" litter from the vet tomorrow and get Kimi to use it at some point on Sunday. We'll take the sample to the vet and have them run some tests on it. It'll at least rule out any medical issues so we can rest our minds about it and focus on behavioral adjustments.

Please, please keep us in your prayers. I love my girls. I love my zoo. I don't know what is causing all this unrest lately, but please pray that we find a solution... and soon.

[Kfamr]

Poor you and poor Sam. I hope someone helps you out with what to do. I'm only "trained" in dog training.

{{HUGS}}

[kittycats_delight]

Originally posted by Kfamr
Poor you and poor Sam. I hope someone helps you out with what to do. I'm only "trained" in dog training.

{{HUGS}}

We can't forget poor kitty. There is obviously something wrong whether it be medical or otherwise. Something needs to be done to help this cat.

originally posted by Samantha Puppy
They're left alone together on days that my husband goes into the office. Otherwise he, at least, is there with them. Samantha plays with all the kitties - they like bolting out of nowhere and getting her to chase them - but I have never seen her do anything malicious towards them. She grew up with my parents OLD Maine Coon cat and because of him, "respects" cats.

I'm not saying what you suggest is impossible - I'm not discounting ANYTHING at this point. Just from the animals I know, it seems unlikely.

I am sure living with a maine coon did teach Samantha to respect cats and I don't think she would do it intentionally. But she is much bigger than they are it can take as little as a misstep by Samantha and she can step on them and hurt them. Unintentional by all mean but still the cat may see it otherwise.

[Samantha Puppy]

Originally posted by kittycats_delight
I am sure living with a maine coon did teach Samantha to respect cats and I don't think she would do it intentionally. But she is much bigger than they are it can take as little as a misstep by Samantha and she can step on them and hurt them. Unintentional by all mean but still the cat may see it otherwise.

Very true. You may very well be right - they don't like how Samantha plays with them and they're letting her know it. That makes me feel bad because it means I'll have to discipline Samantha when she tries to play with them like she has for the last 6 months and now can't, all because it may be upsetting Kimi.

*sigh*

I just want my happy little household back. No problems, no issues, just everyone happy and going where they're supposed to be going, no messes, no grudges...