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Question
Hi. We have a multi animal household - 3 dogs and 2 cats. Last winter we kept discovering that one of our cats was urinating in our youngest daughter's bedroom. Both of the cats have access to literboxes in the house but generally go outside during the summer months. We're fairly sure our older cat, Duchess, is the one that is peeing in the bedroom, and we also believe that she's doing it because the younger cat, Holly, doesn't allow her to use the litterboxes.

Keep in mind, please that we're not 100% sure WHAT is going on, we just know that nothing we've tried has fixed the problem. We've thoroughly cleaned the area, we've disciplined BOTH cats, and we constantly clean the litterbox. But for some reason one of them, again we believe Duchess, is peeing in the bedroom AGAIN! Winter has just started and that's the time of year that the cats tend to stay indoors more, which means that Holly doesn't have mice and other animals to catch and is when we find her starting to annoy Duchess. See, neither of the cats has ever gotten along. Holly is 4 and Duchess is 7, and whenever Holly goes anywhere near Duchess, she growls like crazy.

We're at our wits end with the two of them, and really have no idea what to do or who to turn to. Please help!

Answer
Randi -

A multi cat household should have one extra litterbox per the number of cats in the household.  For example, if you have two cats, then you should have three litterboxes.  They should be a place where the cat can use the litterbox in private,  perhaps a closet, or somewhere that the cat will feel comfortable using the litterbox without interruption.  If you stick to that rule, it will lower the level of stress between the two cats.  Changing the litterbox frequently will also help promote healthy litterbox habits.

Just as importantly, you should also monitor the health of the cat that is urinating in your daughters' room.  That cat my be urinating inapropriately that because she has a bladder infection or some other health problem. Have your veterinarian examine the cat as soon as possible - there are a myriad of health problems that need to be ruled out.

If there is a cat veterinarian in your area, it would be good choice to see that vet.  Cat vets are especially in tune with the specific health problems of cats and their idiosyncrasies.


Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM