You have to admit - there aren’t many smells as distinctive and memorable as [tag]cat urine[/tag]. 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 [tag]cat urine odor[/tag] 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 [tag]urinate in a potted plant[/tag], using the plant as a [tag]cat litter box[/tag]. This gave me a new mission: find the best way to [tag]stop my cat from urinating in my plant[/tag]. 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 [tag]poor cat behavior[/tag].
- 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 [tag]cat has been peeing[/tag]. 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