Desperate situation...need advice!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear that you're having peeing problems. I have 6 cats and I had some minor peeing issues compared to yours last June. I only had 4 litter boxes at the time and 3 were right next to each other and one was across from them.

I have now added 4 more litter boxes and this has helped a lot. So I have 8 litter boxes for 6 cats. All of them are uncovered except for 2 of them. I have one in my bedroom and one at each end of the hall and one is even in the dining room. One of my cats was peeing very close to my front door so I had to put a new litter box there and I moved it gradually down the hall until it was where I wanted it permanently. You may want to try the same thing. Wherever they pee the most, put a new litter box there for a while and then hopefully you'll be able to move it to a better location later on.

Another great thing to use is cat attract litter. My vet recommended this and it really worked for me. You can buy it online or at Petsmart. I just added it to the top of my current litter and they started using it. Once the peeing problems stopped I then started using this which you can also buy at Petsmart.

I'm also using feliway or nutri-vet plugins and spray. I don't know how much this helps but I figure it can't hurt. I also use Simple Solution enzyme cleaner but luckily I haven't had to use it for peeing problems lately. All of my peeing was due to behavioral problems. Now I hope that I'll never have these issues again. I also hope that you'll find a solution to your problems too. Good luck.

[Medusa]

I have 7 cats and 9 litterboxes. You need 15 litterboxes. Putting a pad down in front of the litterbox is not going to solve the problem. They probably feel they are allowed to pee on it. Clean the litterboxes a minimum of twice a day, in your case probably 3 times, since you have so many cats. And, once you find out who the real offenders are, try Clomicalm. It's a medication for behavior problems and since I started my offenders on it, there have been no "accidents" around here. I know many people don't like to medicate their cats, I being one of them, but I also don't want to resort to living in a giant litterbox because my cats have bad manners. Clomicalm saved us. If not that, Prozac is getting great reviews for just this problem. Your tearing out carpet, etc. will help but it's the cats' behavior that really needs changing and, if it doesn't, they'll ruin your laminate and walls and furniture again. However, you do need to find out if it's a physical problem w/one or more of your cats. If only one has a UTI, for example, and pees somewhere, the others will pee there or nearby to cover up that smell. Good luck. It's tough, I know.

[emily_the_spoiled]

I would not recommend laminate flooring. I put that down and I now have to replace it (because it has started to peel). I am going to have ceramic tile put in instead. One of my guys is a "pee'r" and I ended up replacing all of my carpet with either laminate or ceramic tile. The tile is hard to lay down, but it sure it alot easier to clean up!

[Purr-tender]

I have tried Feliway, in the plug-in and spray...didn't help...spent $80 for both!!

You probably read where we bought security cameras yesterday. My husband is still working on setting them up this afternoon. Hopefully we'll find out who the worst offenders are.

Without the pad in front of the box the pee would just soak the carpet, because regardless, pad or not, they pee outside the box, for some reason just in the guest room, can't figure that one out. As far as cleaning, I scoop first thing in morning and before I go to bed at night, and usually at supper time, too. I keep the boxes wiped down with special litter box cleaning cloths too.

The flooring issue is difficult. I have brought it up on PT before. I don't want to put anything down that will affect the resale value of my home, plus price is of course a big factor, too.

[Medusa]

Is it possible to place all your litterboxes together in one spot? I know it's probably a lot to ask since you have so many cats. I have all mine in the basement and that helps, too.

[Purr-tender]

My laundry room isn't large enough for more than the 2 that I have in there. Same goes for using a bathroom. You can imagine how attractive that would be in one of my main rooms. I do have room for more than the 3 that I have out in their cottage, but I don't have the problem out there From what everyone is telling me, I need more boxes, but if I keep the ones that I have scooped I don't see how that will help.

Mary, I'm jealous that you have a basement, that is perfect. My friend has 11 cats and at night she tucks them in her basement like you do yours. When you go in her house you would never know that she has cats! It always smells Spring Fresh!! They know where their bathroom is and go downstairs when they need to during the day. I think that makes a huge difference, plus there's plenty of room for all the necessary boxes. What I don't understand with my kids is why if they have a fresh clean box that they would pee outside of it. It's not a dribble either, like when there is UTI or crystals.

[Catlady711]

You DEFINATELY need more litterboxes. I have 7 cats, and 7 extra giant litterboxes (some of my cats are big).

Yeah they don't look exactly like framed artwork for decor but they get the job done. I have 3 in my front porch area which is actually the front part of my livingroom. I have 2 in a spare bedroom upstairs, and 2 in my own bedroom. I figure I'd rather look at, and have my company look at a whole bunch of litterboxes, than have my house smell up and be ruined with cat urine.

Get a few more boxes and it should help at least a little until your video cam catches the culprits so you can have them vet checked for UTI's.

Good luck.

[Medusa]

From what everyone is telling me, I need more boxes, but if I keep the ones that I have scooped I don't see how that will help.

I can only venture a guess here but I think it's because they more or less claim a litterbox as their own. Then if another cat does use theirs, there is one extra that's clean. It definitely helped to get more litterboxes plus, as you say, having them in the basement. My house is the same way as your friend's, no odor unless a neighborhood cat walks by and has the audacity to sit on my patio or in my shrubbery, then they might spray against a window.