Hi,
I really hope someone can help.

I have a 13 week old kitten. I have had her for a couple of weeks and have moved home in this time. I bought her a Feliway plug in thing to hopefully reduce the stress associated with it. She had no trouble toileting in the old place. In the new house we've had a lot of problems with getting her to go in the right place but she started getting the hang once we got her a hooded tray like she had when we bought her.

She lives in the living room at the moment and I have noticed that she occasionally pees in a corner near the patio doors. I'm going to provide another (open, 'cos i can't afford a second hooded) litter tray here and hope this solves the problem, she sometimes urinates and defacates in the right box and it's confusing that she isn't consistent.

The bigger problem is that she is to be a house cat (Ragdoll cross so i'd be worried about her getting stolen if she went outside) but she has to live in the sitting room at the moment because when she is let out, she often goes to the doormat (built in to the floor infront of the front door) and defacates. I have no idea why. I've put lemon juice there as i heard it deterrs cats but it hasn't helped.

She seems happy/relaxed/confident but could appearance be deceptive? We have no other pets.

Any help?

Thanks!

Okay, she probably has been a bit disorientated having the stress of leaving her original home and then moving house again. Are you still using the same litter or did you swap to another brand? If you are using the same then it may be an idea to try a different brand when you get the second tray - i.e. if you are using a clumping - try a non-clumping or vice versa. It just may be that perhaps there was another cat in the house prior to you moving in and it may have sprayed there and she is overmarking so to speak.

Make sure you wash the areas where she has sprayed with biological detergent. You could spray something like this on the area afterwards as this is brill for removing any odours Urine-Hater. Eliminates Urine & Pet Odours - £9.99 : Pinky Pawz - Simply ... the cats whiskers!, Pinky Pawz - Simply ... the cats whiskers!

It may be an idea to pop her along to the vet for a quick once over to ensure she has got a mild cystitis or similar. Keep using the Feliway plug in for a while longer yet.

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Kaz

For kittens, joy is for the asking and smiles are for the giving

You could try cat attract litter but if you cannot afford another covered litter tray not sure you will be able to afford this!

Cat Attract Litter :: Cats & Kittens :: R & L Pet Products - Pet food, litter, hygiene, accessories & toys

You might want to consider an uncovered litter box as well. Even though she used one before, her preference might have changed. I know an uncovered box isn't exactly attractive but because a covered box can hold in moisture and bacteria it can cause a really foul odor in the box.

Do you have enough litter boxes? Sometimes a kitten needs a few more than an adult cat. I had an extra box for awhile because Ava couldn't make it to the one across the house.

I would also check with your vet. Maybe she has a urinary tract infection or something which would cause she to urinate outside of the box.

Hope that helps.

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Thanks for replying,

No pets were in the house with the previous owners. She's going to the vets today for vaccinations so i'll ask them to check for UTIs aswell, thanks.

I'll get another tray today and see if that helps. It seems she has stopped peeing in the corner (fingers crossed) as she hasn't done it for about 3 days. She can't be trusted to go near the doormat though! I put tin foil down and she just walked over it to an exposed bit of mat and went to defacate on it!

Could it be that she just likes how the mat feels?

Hmmm. Not sure. I would still think she's distressed and finding comfort there but I dunno. Have you considering contacting a behaviorist?

I have talked to the ones at the shelter I volunteered at when I was going through a serious problem with one of my cats...
Here is the email address: behavior@treehouseanimals.org
I doubt you'll want to call because they are in the states but just in case here's the number:
00-1-773-784-5488 ext. 300

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Try covering the doormat with say plastic tucked under or with a piece of spare carpet to change the surface. This may do the trick.

one of mine always goes in the bathroom and wee's in the corner - and I can't stop her - so I shut the door to stop her going in there
I have also limited where she can go in the rest of the house as I can't trust her to be clean
To be honest I don't think you will ever stop her going on the mat in the hall so i'd just do your best to keep it covered up as best you can

She is prob still a bit stressed from the move - the best thing to do is put a few litter trays down untill she has become more at ease and comfortable

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