You have to admit – there aren’t many smells as distinctive and memorable as cat urine. I remember when I was a child and I had a newspaper delivery route. I would go “collecting” each month at an elderly lady’s house who had dozens of cats, and the cat urine odor was overwhelming in her house. Sadly, her house was condemned a few years later, but I’ll never forget the smell of cat urine overtaking that house (and my nose).
Recently, I brought a new kitten into my home, and I’ve noticed that he’s decided to urinate in a potted plant, using the plant as a cat litter box. This gave me a new mission: find the best way to stop my cat from urinating in my plant. While I was searching, I found that the same tips are also good for keeping the cat from urinating or pooping on carpet and furniture. Here are the top 10 ways I’ve found stop this poor cat behavior.
- This method is very effective! Buy a Spray Repellent (for about $8 – $10 per can). Simply spray the repellent around the area where you want to keep the cat from going to the bathroom. Most of the repellents say they’re for dogs, but they work great for cats, too. PetStreetMall.com is a great places to buy the repellent for cheap.
- Place large rocks or pine cones on top of the soil. The cats don’t like the feeling of the rocks or pine cones on their paws.
- To keep them off the furniture, try aluminum foil or plastic carpet runner (with the little pointy things facing up). Again, the cat’s don’t like how it feels on their paws.
- Keep the litter clean. One of the most common causes of cat’s refusing to use their litter pan… is a dirty pan. How do you like it when you go into a public restroom and the toilet is nasty? Keep that in mind for your cat’s litter.
- Try putting mothballs in potted plants
- Buy some of those cheap noise-making motion detectors and place them in the areas where your cat is making his / her mess. Next time your cat comes by to relieve himself, the alarm goes off and the cat decides not to go there again.
- Tie a helium-inflated mylar balloon down where your cat has been peeing. The balloon will sway back and forth all day long and keep the cat away from the area.
- Give each cat his / her own litter box. Some cat’s just don’t like to share.
- Transfer the kitty feces to the litter box. Let the cat know where the proper place to poop is.
- Some cats urinate and poop in the wrong place because they’re stressed out about something. If you’ve done your best to relieve any stress from your cat, consider anti-anxiety medicine from your veterinarian.
I hope at least one of these tips to keep your cat from spraying / urinating / peeing / defecating / pooping (or whatever you want to call it) in all the wrong places is helpful. Hopefully this will help save your carpet, your plants, your furniture, your cat, and your sanity.
August 29th, 2007 at 8:12 am
Great article. I know alot of people who have problems with cats peeing in their home. Very helpful tips.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:47 am
FYI, the spray mentioned above works for cats and dogs.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:16 am
i love cats they rock
November 9th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I did all that already, but my cat pees in many places, and mostly on the sides of the couches, or on the couches.
Repellents, or plastic or foil paper doesn’t do nothing anymore, or cat’s favorite food placed to the place of pee doesn’t help. Cat goes, eat the food as much as he wants, and then in an hour or so I see his pee there.
I have 2 other cat’s, and only one has that problem.
Any other solutions?… thanks.
November 22nd, 2008 at 1:40 am
I heard from a commenter on another site that moth balls will hurt the cat’s liver. You might check into that.
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 am
I have tried all of the above to try get my cats to stop going the bathroom on the carpet. Is there anything else I can do?
November 27th, 2008 at 1:12 am
my younger cat keeps peeing all over the place if he keeps it up he will be homeless
August 6th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
hi i try to keep my kitty from peeing on the carpet but she just wont stop. she wants to pee on my carpet i put everything but she always finds a new place. she is a baby is here anything else i can do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:49 am
Help, I have had enough. My 1 year old female cat, keeps peeing on my bathroom throw rugs as well as my carpet. Her litter box is kept clean and I don’t understand why she keeps doing this over and over again. She knows that she has done wrong when I catch her.She takes off running. I have been spraying her with the odor eliminator. Its nontonic. She don’t like the smell on her and neither do I like her smell. I have only done this twice, I don’t know whether it will work on her or not.
September 7th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
vinegar cancels out ammonia scent. i’m going to try the pine cones in my plants and see if it works. i have a feral cat (4months old) we found when she was about 3 weeks old. wish me luck.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:38 pm
what do you do when your 8 month old male cat keeps peeing on pillows and blankets while they are on the bed.? he has been desexed but it hasn’t done anything to help…
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:26 am
my cat is only 9months old yesturday on first of the december he started to pee and i need some help please.
January 2nd, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Thanks for all the info! Have two 9 week old ragdoll boys…and one is pooping and weeing in two spots other than the litter tray, altho he does know where this is and what to do in it! Starting to do my head in, so will give all the above a try!! Thanks for great advice…fingers crossed!
January 3rd, 2010 at 5:16 am
I have a cat that wont stop pooping on my bathtub I will try the above to see if he will stop.
January 26th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
I have four cats and one of them started pooping in two specific spots in my house – behind a book case and in the corner of the kitchen floor – NASTY. Never caught him in the act b/c he does this while we are sleeping or at work. He was an outdoor cat before we got him – do you think this could be the reason he is doing this? How do I get him to STOP? I don’t want to give him away but if he keeps it up I’m going to have to…..we can’t take the poop in the kitchen and living room anymore.
February 14th, 2010 at 10:37 am
I have two cats, about 6 months ago one started peeing on our new carpet. She has never done this before and it is getting worse. She pees all around the outside of the carpet, I clean it up, she goes again or in another spot. I have read all the things to try, used sticky tape around it, she peed on the tape, used cayenne pepper, she peed on that. bought repellent, she didn’t care. Took her to the vet, no signs of urinary infection…was at our wits end with her so decided to buy a bunch of balloons, blew them up and put the around the border of the room she has been peeing in, and for a week now, she has not gone in there. she is skiddish so the movement of the balloons is enough to scare her. So for $1 problem solved!! Looks like a party everyday but I can stand the balloons over the pee any day. don’t know if it will work for everyone, but if you have a skiddish cat, it is worth a shot.
February 15th, 2010 at 11:20 pm
Try this: When I’ve had animals that make mistakes I rub their nose in it and say, No” in a low, harsh tone. I then pick up the mistake in a paper towel, sop up as much as I can if its of the liquid nature, and with cat en tow we go to the little box where I put the mess in it. Then I sit the cat in or next to the litter box and say, “Good kitty” in a higher, softer tone, and scratch around in the litter.
I know it sounds silly, but it has worked for me. Pets are like kids, they end up requiring more attention than we originally thought they would, and they both learn through consistency. Like potty training kids, you just have to keep an eye on them. When a toddler starts to go off on his/her own and is looking at the ground and then squats – guess what? That kid is going to the bathroom. When when you see your cat starting to smell around and keeps his/her head low to the floor, they’re also looking to mark the spot.
I’ve kept car keys nearby and when I see them start sniffing around I pay attention. If they even start to squat I throw the keys in their direction. Not the kids, just the cats. And not to hit the cat, to scare them. When those keys lite nearby coupled with the sound of the food provider’s voice saying, “No”, that cat is going to skedaddle.
That’s when you get up and go to the little box calling the cat in a sweet, friendly tone. Maybe coax them with a snack. And when the cat comes close you praise it, and when the cat steps into the little box you praise in the sweetest tone like you’ve never heard come out of your mouth before, and that cat will go where it’s suppose to. To this day, I always praise my cats when they go to the littler box, and then when they come out. They love it!
Also, very important: keep the litter box clean and in an area separate from where the cat eats. You don’t eat in your bathroom so why should you expect your cat to?
Viva le feline.
Sorry so long; I didn’t have time to edit.
;^)
February 22nd, 2010 at 2:42 pm
if you would throw your cat out on the street then you shouldn’t have one. A pet is a commitment, and not a temporary source of entertainment. If the cat is such a bother to you, bring it to an animal shelter or a rescue so that it can find someone who wants to love it. A cat is a life and not disposable.
February 27th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
thanks SO much! all your advice really helped and my cat doesn’t pee on my stuff anymore!
March 22nd, 2010 at 11:53 pm
I have a cat whose nearing 14years old, my parents moved back in with me, bringing some of there furniture from there house, where they used to have another cat (female) well since the parents have moved in, my cat has been weeing and pooing over some of there furniture. Tried the deter spray, and taking him out at night to do his deed and also after hes finished eating.
March 29th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
i have had many cats and many plants but there is only 1 that dose pee and dig in the plant there are tons of answers but nothing works i have transplanted the plants into smaller pots and added more plants to the ones that cat be put into a smaller pot HELP ME!!!!!!
March 29th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
dear,
Lisa put an inch of water in the bath tub that will do the magic and when goes to do his buisness he will jump in the water and be to scarred to go back and do his buisness
April 1st, 2010 at 9:58 am
I had the same problem with the cats digging in my plants, putting a balloon in the plant dirt worked great and keeps them far away. Plus, you can make the balloon any size to fit the pot.
April 12th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
do you think by putting your cat in the same room with the litter box and food will help
May 5th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
my cats are about a year and ones 10 months old, we just bought a new hosue two months ago, and they poop in the basment all the time, everyother day i go to clean the litter box and there is poop everywhere, today my older cat peeded in my laundry basket, they were never like this before
May 8th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
I have a 14 year old cat that has been peeing on the floor right in front of the litterbox. She has no stress and poops in them just fine. What can I do to make her stop peeing on the floor? We clean the litterboxes daily and she will do it right after it has been cleaned. This is stressing me out. I love her and dont want to get rid of her cause she was my first baby. Please HELP!
May 27th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
you should try byeing a differt kind of litter.
my cat will do the same thing so i bought a new kind of litter.
May 27th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
I saved this cat more then 2 yrs old she was fine but then she started peeing on my things when she was in heat. so then i got her fixed she cont. to pee on my couch allllllll the time. now it on clothes n pillows blankets. i tried vinger i tried repellent sooo many other things n dont know what else to do. her litter is clean. we need new couches now n feel like she will cont. these act. WE NEED HELP ASAP !!
May 30th, 2010 at 3:10 am
i have a question…. i been having problems with a few homeless cats that been pooping outside in my front yard. what ive noticed is that they do it in the same exact place but idk what to do to make it stop. honestly everytime i see them i scare them but that dosnt seem to work. if anyone can please help me with a few tips it be great
thnk u
June 10th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
I have a 4-year-old cat that pees on our stuff all the time: bathroom rugs, clean or dirty laundry, my nice bath towels, sweatshirts, tarps in the garage, our tent & sleeping bags, etc. He has cost us hundreds of dollars in ruined items! Nothing seems to work to make him stop. I’ve been asking around, and someone told me that once he pees on an item to lock him in the bathroom with the item he peed on, as well as food, water and his litter box, for 24 hours. They said this is often times harder on the cat owner than the cat to leave him in there that long, but that he will get the point. (or if he pees on a spot in your carpet put a crate around that spot and make him stay in there for a day). He will get the hint after having to spend all that time confined with the scent of his own urine. I haven’t tried this yet, but will the next time he pees!
June 15th, 2010 at 3:03 am
ok; I have a male black tabby tiger; that is being a defiant little pain in the rump!! he peed and pooped on my living room carpet!!! twice!! my husband grabbed him rubbed his nose in it;gave him a swat on the rump. sorry, we did not know what else to do. cat urine is TERRIBLE!!
my worst fear is that it will be there FOREVER; the smell!!! HELP??!!
June 16th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
my cat is 2 years old,shes a female and won’t stop peeing in my basement and in my moms room,now shes peeing in my brothers old room in a corner so i put the other kitty litter by where shes doing her business at. i try not to be mean to her but she’s been doing this for awhile now and my moms ex husband wants her gone and shes my cat. is spraying the cat with water a whole lot better then smacking her rump,it probably is though. please reply back
June 21st, 2010 at 10:50 am
I have a beautiful Bengal cat. She is two years old. She used her cat pan all the time. We brought home a male kitten from the SPCA. He was fixed at time of bringing him home. He uses the cat pan too. Now my female cat is not using the cat pan and is now doing her buisness on my clothes, couch, bed and carpets. I have a large bathroom in my Master bedroom that I put her in till she relearned to use the cat pan. That worked till I let her out again. Then she is doing the same as before. I can’t keep her in my master bathroom for the rest of her life.What can I do to stop her from doing her buisness on my bed, carpet and clothes.The male kitten we have still uses the cat pan and he is a year old now.Please help me
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:47 am
Thanks so much!! I’m having a terrible problem with my cat and kitten, and I’m gonna try your suggestions now!