Conference misery::feline_v1

3598.0. "Eliminative Behavior Problems in Cats" by CRUISE::NDC (Putiput Scottish Folds - DTN: 297-2313) Mon May 14 1990 16:29

    The following was copied without permission from a Gaines pamphlet
    entitled "Elimination Behavior Problems in Cats".  I sincerely hope
    it provides some insights for those of us who are currently
    struggling with this frustrationg behavior.
      Let me know if any of this helps. 
      Nancy DC
    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    
    MYTH:  
    CATS ELIMINATE OUTSIDE THE LITTER BOX OUT OF "SPITE."
    Tiger is a 5 yr old male cat that until recently had always used
    the litter box.  Lately he has been urinating against the drapes
    by a front window and on the frame of the front door.  He stands
    erect, with his quivering tail in the air, and sprays urine
    backward.  Tiger was neutered when he was nine months old; his 
    owners, the Smiths, thought that the procedure would take care of
    any such problems.

    The Lewises, who live next door, have a lovely long-haired, spayed
    female cat that is three years old.  She has periodically urinated 
    and defecated on the carpet ever since they got her, but in the 
    last few months she has stopped using the litter box althogether.

    Both the Smith and Lewis families have tried punishing their cats 
    by grabbing them, rubbing their noses "in the mess," then spanking 
    the cats and taking them to their litter boxes.  This practice has 
    failed to decrease the cats' undesirable elimination behviors, but 
    it has caused the cats to run and hide whenever they see their 
    owners.  As much as both families love their cats, they cannot put 
    up with these behaviors much longer.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Understanding the Problem:

    Althought cats have a justified reputation for being "clean" animals,
    eliminating in inappropriate places is one of the most common 
    behavior problems reported by cat owners.   A survey of over 800 
    owners indicated that approx. 10% ofpet cats had a behavior problem
    involving elimination.

    The elimination behavior system in cats involves both ridding the
    body of wastes through urination and defication as well as marking
    the environment as a means of communication with other cats.  
    Urination and defecation involve sequences of many behavior pat-
    terns.  The cat generally searches for a specific location and/or 
    surface, digs in a loose material, squats to eliminate, and covers 
    up or scratches around the urine and feces with the front paws.  
    There are differences between individual cats both in the frequency 
    and patterns of particular elimination behaviors.  For instance, 
    some cats don't dig at all before eliminating; others dig a lot.  
    Some cats barely cover their feces; others scatter litter for as 
    far as several feet in all directions after eliminating.  Some cats 
    scratch on the floor outside of the litter box, and some scratch 
    on the walls.

    Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary for cats to teach
    their kittens to use litter.  Kittens will start to dig and 
    eliminate in loose, clean matrials at about four weeks of age 
    without ever having observed their mother doing so.  They have
    an innate predisposition to using loose material as their litter.

    Cats can also use urine and perhaps feces to mark territory and
    to communicate with other cats about their identity and repro-
    ductive status.  Spraying is a form of urine marking exhibited
    by cats.  When a cat sprays, it remans in a standing position,
    alternately lifts its back feet, and raises its quivering tail 
    straight in the air.  It squirts urine against vertical sur-
    faces--often windows, doors and such prominent objects in the
    home as stereo speakers of furniture.  Uncastrated male cats
    and unspayed female cats spray more often than neutered animals.
    Some female cats urine mark only when they are in heat.  
    Whether the cat is neutered or not, males are more likely to
    spray than females.

    Whenever a cat begins eliminating outside of its litter box, the
    possibility of the cat's having a disease should always be con-
    sidred and a veterinarian consulted to determine if the problem
    is medically based.  If disease is not a factor, then behavioral
    approaches should be pursued.

    If you cat is "wetting" in the home outside of the litter box,
    the first step is to determining if it is spraying or squatting.
    If you do not catch the cat in the act, you can deduce whether
    the cat is spraying or squatting by carefully determining where 
    the urine has been deposited.  If only horizontal surfaces such
    as floors are involved, the cat is squatting.  If vertical sur-
    faces such as walls are involved, then the cat is spraying. (Note
    that some of the urine may run down the wall and be found on a
    horizontal plane.)  often the volume of urine sprayed is smaller
    than the volume voided in a squatting posture.

    Treating Spraying Problems:

    1. Neutering.  Castration is highly effective for reducing spraying
    by male cats regardless of the age of the cat at the time it is
    neutered.  if a female cat sprays only when she is in heat, spaying
    will likely stop the behavior.  If she sprays yearround, spaying
    will probably not help.

    2. Environmental Strategies.  If your cat is spraying in only one
    or two locations, preventing it from entering these areas may be all
    that is necessary to solve the problem.  Sometimes simply using a
    cat repellent of consistently startling the cat with a loud noise
    as it nears the area is sufficient.  Another alternative is to 
    change the significance of the location from a marking area to
    either a feeding, watering or playing area, which can be accom-
    plished by placing food and water bowls or catnip in that location 
    or fastening toys or hanging alluminum foil strips at the spot.

    When a cat sprays in many locations, preventing access to or 
    changing the significance of those locations usually does not 
    suppress spraying behavior.  If you recognize events that lead
    to spraying behavior, you can take precautions to prevent the
    cat from experiencing these events.  For example, if the sight 
    of outdoor cats leads to a cat's spraying, drapes could be
    drawn at the specific windows where the cat sees other cats or
    the doors to those rooms involved could be kept closed.  Trans-
    lucent material might also be placed over the windows so that
    the outdoor cats cannot be seen but light can filter through.

    The presence of other indoor cats can also elicit spraying.  The
    introdution of a new cat into the household may cause either the
    resident or the "intruder" to spray.  Spraying may also follow
    aggressive encounters between two cats in a household.  In this 
    case, the aggressive behaviors of the cats should be treated.
    If the aggressive behaviors cannot be changed, it may be nec-
    essary to find one of the cats a new home.

    It also has been proposed that the number of cats in the household
    influences spraying behaviors.  If this is so, reducing the number
    of cats in the household should help, particularly if another 
    home can be found for a cat that is known to be "bossy" or fails
    to get along well with others.

    if an inoor/outdoor cat sprays, sometimes increasing the amount
    of time the cat is allowed outdoors will derease the spraying 
    behavior inside.  In other cases, the more time the cat spends
    outside, the more it sprays indoors.  If the latter is the case,
    then *decreasing* the amount of time the cat is allowed outdoors
    or keeping it inside all the time may stop the problem.

    3. Drug Therapy.  if environmental approaches do not work, you 
    can discuss with your veterinarian possible use of drug therapy
    to suppress or control the spraying behavior.  The specific drug
    and dosage used will depend on the physiology and health status
    of the cat.  It should be noted that often drugs are needed only
    for a short time.  Proper use of the drugs should not "Make
    the cat dopey" or cause excessive lethargy or lack of coordin-
    ation.  Regardless of what medication is used, the drug should 
    be gradually withdrawn every two to three months to determine
    whether the cat is still motivated to spray.  Spraying is often
    seasonal, so there may be no need to continually medicate the
    cat.  New drug therapy and/or surgical techniques other than
    neutering may be developed in the future for treating spraying
    behavior in cats.  REWARDS AND/OR PUNISHMENTS USUALLY ARE NOT
    EFFECTIVE IN TREATING SPRAYING BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS.  (Note, caps
    are mine. NHDC)

    TREATING URINATION AND DEFECATION PROBLEMS:

    If your cat is squatting to urinate or defecate outside its litter
    box, the first factors to consider are the cleanliness, quality
    and location of the litter.  Urine and feces should be taken out
    of the litter box daily.  sometimes a cat uses its litter box 
    even though the box is not cleaned out frequently.  It may do so 
    for years until one day it begins eliminating elsewhere.  None-
    the less simply cleaning the litter box does not always entice
    the cat back, because the cat may have developed a preference for
    the new location or surface in the interim.  Being fastidious 
    about keeping the litter clean is a small price to pay for the
    cat's continued use of the litter box.

    If more than one cat lives in your household, additional litter
    boxes should be provided.  Some cats may not like to eliminate
    where other cats do or may imply be intimidated by the presence
    of another cat near the box.  Similarly, if you don't find it 
    convenient to clean the litter box daily, you should provide two
    or three litter boxes to ensure the cat's having at least one
    acceptably clean area in which to eliminate.

    The type of litter is also important.  Some cats don't like 
    specific textures, the dust content, or the addition of perfumed
    or chemically treated pellets in the commercial litters.  Provid-
    ing your cat with a choice of serveral types of litter, including
    a plain untreated type, may be all that is necessary for the cat
    to demonstrate that it prefers a litter other than the one usually
    provided.

    The location of the litter box should also be considered.  Is the
    box in a noisy or heavily trafficked area or an area in the base-
    ment that periodically floods?  if the cat is getting old, perhaps
    the box should be kept in a convenient location, one that does
    not necessitate the cat' using stairs.

    If your cat rarely digs in its litter, fails to cover its feces,
    stands on the edge of the litter box rather than in it, and/or
    shakes its paws vigorously when it steps out of the box, the cat
    is probably displaying a "dislike" for that litter material.  If
    so, it is very important tha tthe cat be provided with other
    litter or litterlike materials that will elicit appropriate digging
    and covering behaviors.  Test your cat's response to sand, dirt,
    potting soil, wood chips, sawdust, shredded newspaper, or anything
    else that the cat might like to dig and scratch in.  If you find
    a material that your cat likes but that is inconvenient, small
    amounts of plain clay litter might be incorporated into this mater-
    ial until a mixture is achieved that both you and your cat are 
    happy with.

    Once again, because a cat may develop a preference for or habit of
    eliminating in a specific location or on a specific surface when
    it stops using its litter box, simply correcting the reason the 
    cat stopped using the box may not correct the problem.  
     
    If your cat is eliminating in only one or two areas, the same 
    techniques that stop spraying in specific locations may work.
    If the cat continues to eliminate there, however, it is showing
    a stron location preference.  In this case placing a litter box 
    containing a material that the cat is known to like precisely in
    the preferred location is usually necessary.  After the cat has
    used the litter box in that area for several days, you can grad-
    ually move the box to a suitable location.  At first the box 
    should be moved only a few inches a day.  When it is several feet 
    away from the preferrd area and the cat is still using it, the
    box can be moved in larger increments.

    When a cat has a strong attraction for a specific surface, the
    owner can alter tha tsurface temporarily while testing the cat's
    preference for new litter materials.  For instance, carpeted 
    areas can be covered with heavy plastic that the cat does not like
    to dig and scratch upon; sink and bathtub surfaces can be covered
    with an inch of water.

    Most elimination behavior problems in cats involve manipulating 
    two factors -- location and surface -- because cats often develop
    combined location/surface preferences.  A combination of strate-
    gies is usully required, such as keeping the litter box clean,
    providing a material that the cat likes to dig an scratch in, and
    discouraging use of the inappropriate location and surface that 
    cat has chosen.  Somehow the area and material the owner provides
    must be made more attractive than the inappropriate locations and
    surfaces the cat has chosen.  Just in case the odor left by 
    previous eliminations is part of the reason that the cat is re-
    turning to a specific area, the location(s) should be thoroughly
    cleaned.  There are several commercially available urine deodor-
    izers on the market that are quite effective.  Vinegar and water
    also mask odors fairly well.  Ammonia solutions are generally
    to be avoided because ammonia is a compound that is found in the
    urine and might attract the cat.

    PUNISHMENT:
    Punishment usually is not effective in stopping urination, defeca-
    tion, or marking problems.  For punishment to be effective, a cat 
    must be caught in the act several times in a row and even then the
    problem is likely to persist.  Inappropriate punishment will only
    result in your cat's devloping a general fear of you.  Taking the 
    cat to the spot later -- even if only a few seconds later, 
    punishing it, and then taking it to the litter box will make matters
    worse.  the cat does not know what it is being punished for, is
    likely to develop a fear of your reaching for it, and may actually 
    develop a strong *aversion* to the litter box because the punish-
    ment is so closely associated with being brought to the box.

    If your cat does not quickly respond to the suggested approaches 
    mentioned in this pamphlet, you should seek additional professional
    help.  some cases are very complicated and require systematically 
    trying several approaches.  The overriding point to remember is
    that elimination problems in cats are not unusual and are generally
    treatable.

    COVER:
    If a cat is eliminating outside its box, it may be "marking" its
    territory or displaying a preference for a location or surface.
    In the latter case, placing the litter box in the precise
    place of preference and then gradually moving it is a good 
    strategy.
    

    Nancy,
    
    Thanks for typing that up, I have a girlfriend that has the elimination
    problem with her newly neutered male cat.  I will forward this to her,
    she is at her wits end trying to deal with this problem.
    
    Anna
    

    Nancy, 
    
    Great report and very interesting.  But what if you have a cat that
    *does* go in the catbox but can't figure out how to cover it up.
     Rocky is always scratching at the rim of the box and it's a big
    enough catbox. He's been doing this since he was a kitten. I've
    switched cat litters and am presently using Tidy Cat II (for more
    than 1 cat)  Any suggestions?  Or is he just stupid.
    
    Robyn, Rocky, (dah) and Smokey

    I have one cat, Gino who will dig a little, do his business, and
    then walk away.  Pippin usually waits at the doorway and when Gino
    leaves the room, she goes in and covers it.  So she covers it, and
    then Stitch waits until she's done and goes over to the box and
    gives it a second going over.  When Gino does decide to cover "IT"
    it's usually a light, lazy movement of the paw which doesn't do
    much at all.  I guess the other two just got tired of his un-covered
    stuff and decided to take over and now that they have, he just doesn't
    bother at all.
    
    But on the other hand:  when one of the other two go and Gino feels
    that "IT" hasn't been covered covered sufficiently (it usually is)
    he will go over and sniff, and then give it a swipe or two of litter.
    
    Anybody else out there have this sort of behavior.  Seems like it's
    a group "cover-IT-up" effort in my place.
    
    
    Giudi
    
    PS  Thanks Nancy, that was a great report.

    re: .2  Well, as the report said, catbox habits differ with different
    cats.  Bob doesn't cover and I know the other cats don't appreciate it.
    Neither do I for that matter GAWD the SMELL!!
    
    Mao, on the other hand scratches the litter, the sides of the cat
    box, the sides and top of the catbox-tent and on and on and on.
      "Different Strokes" I guess.  (pun intended)
    
      Nancy DC

    About a month ago I wrote in requesting assistance with a friend's
    spayed female "marking" as a result of, we believe, stress from the
    presence of a new baby.  None of the suggestions in thsi pamphlet
    worked, although it did help us understand the problem better.  I'm
    looking for "yes or no" from you cat experts on a couple of things.
    
    1.  Will a feline behaviorist really help?  My friend has attempted to
    contact one at Tufts, has had little success contacting him, but will
    continue to try if you think it may help.
    
    2.  She sent the cat to her father's house, hoping that a change in
    environment will help.  Poor kitty was extremely depressed, didn't eat,
    stayed in whatever room she was carried to, and went limp when picked
    up and stroked.  There are two cats in that household, and they are
    outdoor cats.  She left her there for two days so far, but will go pick
    her up if her attitude doesn't improve asap.  Should she give her more
    time?  Will the transition from indoor cat to outdoor cat perhaps
    prevent her marking?  It's getting extremely difficult to continue to
    clean up, and as the landlord I'm getting concerned about the urine
    smell in the hardwood floors.  None of us have the heart to have her
    put down, and we all keep hoping something is going to work!  
    

>    1.  Will a feline behaviorist really help?  My friend has attempted to
>    contact one at Tufts, has had little success contacting him, but will
>    continue to try if you think it may help.
    
Quite possibly.  I also recommend discussing the problem with the cat's normal
vet and getting the cat on tranquilizers/hormones or both to attempt to
modify the behavior pattern.  It is also VITAL that the areas sprayed
are COMPLETELY cleaned of the scent.  Cats can smell even when we cannot.
I suggest profession-style steam cleaning of carpets with a generous dose
of nature's miracle or other emzyme treatment added, washing all walls and 
floors which are affected with an enzyme de-scenter, and steaming any 
furntiture that has been affected with the enzyme treatment as well.  If 
the scent persists, the behavior will also.

>    2.  She sent the cat to her father's house, hoping that a change in
>    environment will help.  Poor kitty was extremely depressed, didn't eat,
>    stayed in whatever room she was carried to, and went limp when picked
>    up and stroked.  There are two cats in that household, and they are
>    outdoor cats.  She left her there for two days so far, but will go pick
>    her up if her attitude doesn't improve asap.  Should she give her more
>    time?  Will the transition from indoor cat to outdoor cat perhaps
>    prevent her marking?  It's getting extremely difficult to continue to
>    clean up, and as the landlord I'm getting concerned about the urine
>    smell in the hardwood floors.  None of us have the heart to have her
>    put down, and we all keep hoping something is going to work!  

an adjustment period to an abrupt separation from her "known" environment
is normal and will settle out later.  She is a cat and has a limited
memory span so that works to your advantage.  Once her position in the local 
social heirarchy is established, she should adjust.  We are talking about
WEEKS, not days, in this case.  I suggest giving it more time.  If the
cat is not getting human attention, she may not adjust and that needs to
be investigated thoroughly if she has not adjusted in a month or so.
She should begin eating as long as the food is "acceptable" ("known") to
her fairly quickly.

The spraying may STILL require medical intervention in the form of medication
for awhile.  If the current vet does not believe in this form of intervention,
I strongly suggest a second opinion.  Hormone or tranquilizer treatments can 
be very effective.  It should also be determined that she underwent a
COMPLETE spay, when she was spayed.  It has been know to happen that there
is reproductive tissue remaining - and that can play havoc with the hormone
balance of the animal....it is not common, but it can happen.

    
    I just got a kitten, and don't know how to control the fact that
    that the cat does not use the litter box to defecate, but goes in the
    living room in a corner.  In addition, the cat uses the literbox, but
    as a sleeping area.  I have read through many of the notes, but:
    
    o  My litter box is very clean, as the cat doesn't use it.
    o  I cannot place the box where the cat goes, and slowly move it
    because the living room and bathroom are far apart.  At this rate,
    it would take me a month to transition the litterbox accross the floor.
    
    Does anybody have any suggestions?  Also, the kitten has other behavior
    problems.  She hisses every time I go near it, and is extremely
    fearful.
    
    Thanks,
    Lynn

    Hi Lynn,
    
         When we first got our kitten, Midnight, she had a very difficult 
    time with the box.  She would go in the box sometimes; at other times 
    she would just go on the floor.  It seemed wherever she started 
    scratching the floor was where she would go.
    
         We were lucky in that she would only go on the hard-wood floor
    (not on rugs or furniture) and only in the back bedrooms or the hall
    that connects them to the bathroom/living room.  So we closed off one
    of the bedrooms, put cat repellant on the floor of our bedroom and put
    *two* litterboxes (one huge, one small) in the hall.  We also closed
    off the bathroom as she liked going in the bathtub.
    
         It's now two months later and we've had some good progress.  She
    uses the boxes out in the dining room (the permanent ones) and hasn't
    had a accident until today.  We've opened the other bedroom on
    occasion and left the bathroom door open and she's been good, although
    she did go in the tub today.  She must know today is box-changing day
    and wants to make sure I don't forget ;-) .
    
         Anyway, if the cat only uses certain areas you could try closing
    some off, sort of "containing" her a bit.  The cat repellent seems to
    work pretty well, although it has to be reapplied every day or every
    other day to be effective.
    
         Some people have had good luck confining a kitten/cat to say just
    the bathroom, with food, water and litterbox there.  This method didn't
    work for me, but it might for you.
    
         Other than that, all I can suggest is a little patience.  It took
    my Midnight two months to get her box habits almost right.  I don't
    know if that's because she's female (all of my males have gotten it
    right within the first couple of weeks), she was abandoned at 3-5 weeks
    and maybe her mother didn't have enough time to teach her, or she's
    really fussy about the condition of the boxes.  Hopefully time will
    help.
    
    					- Andrea

    Lynn,
    
    Your kitten is showing symptoms of severe stress.  The reason that she
    sleeps in the litter box is that she is very afraid and stressed out.
    A cat will not mess in it's bed, so that is why she has taken to 
    defecating on your carpet instead of the box.  The way to aleviate this
    problem is to try and understand what is stressing her out and then
    correct that.
    
    Also, the fact that she hisses and growls at your shows that she is
    very stressed.  Do you have other cats?  Do you have a dog that she is
    afraid of?  How bout kids that might be hurting her?  Take a look
    around your house and try and see it from her point of view.  What
    could be causing her to be so upset?  Was she a feral kitten that you
    took in?  If so, it will take lots of time and attention to help her
    work through this stress.
    
    I can help with more suggestions if you can provide more information.
    
    Jo

    Also, you can buy a product called NAture's Miracle at pet stores,
    or a similar product.  they are enzyme cleaners that remove the odor
    of urine/feces/etc.  They take awhile to work.
    

    Why don't you make her a bed in a box or some other enclosed area.  Put
    the sleeping box where the litter box is and put the litter box where 
    she's going - or better yet, confine her to one room with both
    sleeping and litter boxes.  Cats like small, enclosed spaces when
    they are nervous.  It makes them feel more secure.  ALso, putting
    her in one room give her a territory of her own and will keep whatever
    else might be scaring her out. - other cats, children, dogs etc.
    
    It also makes it easier for you to interact with her.  If you have
    to chase and catch her just to pat her then she's never going to learn
    that touching is good.  It just traumatizes her more.  She'll probably
    feel more secure in a single room and it makes it easier for you
    to play with her and touch her.