The Cat Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [57]
While you work on making the litter box more acceptable, you need to outsmart your urine-marking cat by putting down other materials that are less appealing. Consider using strips of aluminum foil on the targeted areas. Or, better yet, go to your pet supply store and purchase a double-sided sticky material called Sticky Paws. This ingenious product comes in strips and large sheets and can be applied to places cats should not be. Cats detest the gummy feel on their paws and will soon start avoiding these areas. You can make a homemade version by covering cardboard with contact paper (sticky side out) for the large areas where you don’t want your cats to roam. A sheet or large towel sprayed with an aversive scent like Boundary Spray may also be effective.
Don’t worry. Your home décor will only be temporarily altered. Most cats will consistently start to steer clear of these areas within a few weeks. You can then remove the deterrents.
Litter Box Attacks
Q I have a sweet, shy Persian named Princess and a bold Abyssinian named Max. I bought Princess first before purchasing Max as a kitten about a year ago. Princess is three. They get along fine until Princess tries to use the litter box. Max seems to enjoy stalking her and pouncing on her when she tries to go. The litter box is located in the corner of a closet in the spare bedroom. I yell at Max, but it doesn’t stop him. Poor Princess is becoming a bundle of nerves. She hasn’t made any messes outside the litter box, but I’m afraid she may start. Any answers?
A Kittens will be kittens, but this is not acceptable. In a multi-cat situation, a dominant cat will pick on a shy cat. Persians by breed tend to be quiet, cuddly, and nonconfrontational. Abys, on the other hand, are more outgoing and bolder. Also, Max is younger and more rambunctious, while Princess has left her silly kitten days behind her.
With the one and only litter box located in a corner of a closet, Princess has no way to flee the scene when attacked. She feels trapped, and you are right to worry that in time she may start secretly urinating behind the couch and other places. The first thing you need to do is add two more litter boxes. The recommended number is one per cat plus one extra. Max cannot guard three litter boxes at one time. With more spots to choose from, he may feel less inclined to protect “his” litter box.
Place the new litter boxes in different rooms. Position them away from walls and in more open areas so Princess can view the room or see the doorway. This will give her a little more time to see Max coming and be better prepared.
Tempting as it is, do not yell at Max. You will only escalate the tension and anxiety that both animals are feeling. Instead, distract Max when you see Princess head to a litter box by engaging him in play or bribing him with a treat. Finally, if you have not already neutered Max, please do so. That will also tone down his bullying tendencies.
OUSTING ODORS AND STOMPING STAINS
Unfortunately, many household cleaners only temporarily mask the pungent smell of urine, vomit, or feces, which stubbornly fester in your carpet fibers or hardwood floor. But your home need not smell like the local zoo. The sweet smell of success requires a basic understanding of the chemical makeup of urine, feces, and vomit. Composed of organic amines, sulfur, ammonia, and mercaptans, these carbon- and nitrogen-rich compounds attract naturally occurring bacteria in the home. The pungent odors that seem to worsen after using certain household cleaners are the result of volatile by-products created by normal bacterial processes.
Attacking pet messes with household cleaners or homemade solutions containing ammonia or vinegar can worsen the whiff and solidify the stain. Ammonia will actually attract the cat back to the spot. Ammonia is a by-product of urine and using it reinforces the odor rather than removing it. Vinegar acts primarily as a disinfectant and often only