Female Cat urinating in house

Question
My 10 year old female cat has recently had a spell of having to be housebound due to an injury to her wrist.    She (& her brother) have always been outdoor cats using catflaps to come and go.

During the last 3 weeks of her incarceration she refused to use her dirt box and starting urinating and messing on the carpet.

She is now well enough to go out but has decided she won't go out and it is easier just to pee anywhere in the house.   

She's always been very good before but we also have a 10 month old baby so its important that we stop this behaviour sooner rather than later.

Any help or advice you could give would be appreciated.   

Many thanks

Answer
Sharon, I think that an important first step would be to take your cat to the vet to rule out any medical reasons for this behavior. It is likely not a revenge issue that your cat has begun inappropriately urinating around the house. There may be some anxiety due to having been confined to the house for an extended period of time. The stress of a baby crying may also be a contributing factor as your cat has always been able to escape prior to this injury. You could try placing bowls of food in your cat's favorite spots to eliminate. Cats do not like to pee or poop where they eat. The other thing that may help once you rule out medical reasons for this behavior is to either put kitty in the litter box with clean kitty litter or outdoors to her usual spot if she starts acting like she is going to go to the bathroom. I have commented on inappropriate elimination several times in my answers, so for more tips, please check previous answers. I realize that this is stressful for the household in addition to the care of a baby, but with a little patience, persistence and medical assistance things should turn out well. You should also be aware that going to the washroom in the house is not a conscious effort to seek revenge or aggravate you, more than likely there is a medical reason for this behavior and your vet can help you get to the bottom of it and hopefully solve this problem. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.