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Posted by GOTCHATLC on September 02, 2002 at 08:35:59:
In Reply to: Re: 3 year old bobcat peeing on carpet and dog bed posted by PHCurious on September 01, 2002 at 11:51:18:
:Hi! I hope that we can help and find a solution so you can move into your new home without worry. I know this is a terribly frustrating, not to mention expensive, problem for you. Thank you so much for trying to work on it before turning this kitty into a shelter. Maybe we'll be able to help!
-----THANKS! I really don't want to turn him in.
:Let me start with a few basic questions. First and most importantly, is your kitty really a Bobcat, or is he a domestic cat who looks like a Bobcat?
-----His mom had a short tail and I am not sure whether she was a "purebred" or not. She mated with a farm cat across the street from my father's and Keeble turned out to have a short tail as well, so no I suppose you are correct in saying he isn't a "purebred." I just don't know what else to call him...
There are a couple of breeds of domestic cat who look a lot like Bobcats, e.g., American Bobtails, Pixie Bobs, even some Japanese Bobtails and Manxes. And of course there are always unspecified Domestic Shorthair (mixed breed) cats who have stumpy tails. Sometimes their owners refer to these domestic cats as Bobcats even though they are actually domestics.
:Bobcats are wild cats who are a different species than domestic cats. It's important for us to know whether your kitty is a true Bobcat or if he's one of these similar-looking domestic cats. Their anatomy and instincts are a bit different. For now, I'm going to assume your cat is a domestic cat such as a Pixie-Bob. Let me know if I'm wrong, because I'll have some additional recommendations if he's a real Bobcat.
:Second, when was the last time he got a complete physical including a urinalysis?
-----He had a physical approximately three years ago when he was a kitten - the usual thing the vets do when you first take a kitten to them - but never a urinalysis.
Although the reasons for his urinating might have started out being solely behavioral, i.e., marking his territory because he hit sexual maturity, it is very possible that he has some sort of medical condition that is prompting him to urinate outside the box. A vet check is in order. Additionally, your vet may be able to prescribe medicine or make further recommendations that will help decrease the likelihood with which he urinates outside the box. Also, ask your vet for a referral to a feline behaviorist. Very often the owner overlooks some trigger that can prompt the cat to urinate outside the box. If that's the case, you wouldn't be able to report that factor to us either. :) A behaviorist who can make a home visit and actually SEE what's going on often makes all the difference in the world.
:I have a few other questions. Does he ever use the litterbox or does he urinate exclusively outside the box?
-----He is always in tune to his litterbox - always uses it when it is clean. The time he peed on the dog bed was when the box was dirty, dirty, dirty BUT he also didn't have a chance to pee on the bed any other time until then because my husband and I had just moved it out in the hallway the night before.
What kind of litterbox do you have? How many? Where are the boxes located? What kind of litter do you use? Did he use the litterbox when he was a kitten? Does your vet know that all of his littermates have a similar problem?
-----I do not have a hooded litterbox, just a regular litter box with no lid. I have 2 cats (one adult much older and then Keeble) with 2 litter boxes. My husband and I live in a townhouse with a basement. Both litter boxes are in the bathroom side by side. We use Fresh Step. Yes, he used the litterbox when he was a kitten. The vet is not aware of his other littermates, no. Also, I wanted to let you know that I have changed the litter to Scoop Away Clean (the brand that was spoken of on someone else's post) and I purchased another litterbox. There is now 1 in the bathroom on the 2nd level, one on the 1st level and one in the basement.
If not, make sure you notify the vet.
:Now to answer your other questions:
::1 - Should I use a black light to go around in the living room after dusk? And then get the Nature's Miracle to clean what I see?
:Yes!! Cats have a much keener sense of smell than we do. You may clean an area and think all the urine has been removed because your human nose isn't able to detect it anymore. However, your cat might! As the scent fades, his instints tell him to mark that spot again. The only way to know for sure that all the urine has been removed is to check with a black light.
-----How much of a pain is it to clean this pee up with that enzymatic cleaner stuff?
:
::2 - What should I do about the dog bed?
:For now, I would remove it from the home. Bring it to your office, keep it in the trunk of your car, or place it somewhere else that he absolutely can't get a whiff of it. In other words, don't just put it in the linen closet where he might still be able to smell it through the door. After his inappropriate elimination problem has been corrected, you might be able to reintroduce the dog bed. For now though, it has become one of his favorite spots, so I'd get it out of the house.
:Replace the dog bed with a new litterbox. Put the box in the spot where the dog bed was. He may start using it because he associates that area with urinating.
:Does your dog actually use the bed? If so, don't forget to find new temporary accommodations for your dog! We don't want the pup to have no place to sleep. :)
-----The dog bed has been washed again and is out of sight. The dog rarely uses it.
::3 - Why isn't he urinating on the carpet in the computer room? (Now, he scratches up this carpet every day all the time.)
:Well, only he can tell you for sure what's going through his head. :) We can guess though. Cats scratch and claw on objects for a few reasons. One is to help them shed the outer layer of their claws. Because you removed the carpeting from the rest of the house, he may be using that patch in the computer room to help with this. Also, cats have scent glands in their paw pads. Each time they claw at something, they leave a trace of their scent that's not perceptible to humans. It's another way of marking their territory. Consequently, this carpet patch has been marked by him already.
:You have a couple of options here. If this piece of carpeting has already been ruined, I would just leave it and let him continue to claw and scratch at it. If the carpet can still be saved, I would remove it for now, and put a carpeted scratching post in its place. Having a scratching post in the middle of your computer room may be inconvenient for now. But don't worry--this is only a temporary move. Put the scratching post (with the same sort of carpeting if you can find it, if not, as close as you can get) in the same exact location that he's been scratching. Once he gets used to scratching that, you can gradually start moving the scratching post to an area that's acceptable for all of you.
-----The carpet isn't ruined right yet. He does scratch at it leaving little pieces of carpet everywhere. My dad bought a scratch box for his cats and they just go to town on it. They don't scratch up his walls or his furniture any longer - perhaps this is something I could get to put in the middle of the carpet?
:As with the dog bed, I wouldn't throw out the carpet yet. Save it for now. You might be able to bring it back later.
::4 - What can we do when we buy our new home and it has carpet?
:How close are you to moving? Are you still house-hunting, or is escrow closing next week? My hope is that we'll solve this problem before you move. But if you're moving very soon, let me know and I'll make some additional suggestions.
-----My husband and I are still looking for a home, haven't found anything yet so no time soon. ;)
:Best of luck to you. Please post back with answers to those other questions, and I'll make make further suggestions or possibly modify a few of these if he is in fact a wild cat.
:PHCurious
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