Cat peeing every where in barn what do I do to stop this?

[dressagedevon]

We have a 'stray' cat ( that adopted us) well she is on her last leg, she is peeing on my tack trunk, the lead ropes, my child's stroller. Well my husband has had it and said if she dosen't stop she's outta her. I could cope with everything but the stroller. We have the barn closed up but she can jump through the windows and get in. So how do you stop a cat from peeing everywhere. She is not fixed yet, trying to find a shelter that does it at low cost. Any help would be great because like I said she is on her last leg. :no:

[webmistress32]

she might have a bladder infection and is trying to tell you.

[Simkie]

Number one cause for inappropriate urination in cats is a urinary infection. Take her to the vet and have them check her urine.

[Trakehner]

This is a classic trainwreck which appears on COTH forums, it seems, at least once a week.

Sick kitty...what to do?

1) There's "Bang! Bang!" no more kitty problem.
2) Bless you for rescuing the kitty, my best cat was a rescue etc. etc. etc.
3) Animal Shelter.

As much as I like the lovely cat at my barn, when he pees on my stuff I want to take a golf club to the little $%@$.

[Eventer55]

We have a 'stray' cat ( that adopted us) well she is on her last leg, she is peeing on my tack trunk, the lead ropes, my child's stroller. Well my husband has had it and said if she dosen't stop she's outta her. I could cope with everything but the stroller. We have the barn closed up but she can jump through the windows and get in. So how do you stop a cat from peeing everywhere. She is not fixed yet, trying to find a shelter that does it at low cost. Any help would be great because like I said she is on her last leg. :no:

Being on "your last leg" usually means going to die. If she's old she may be having problems that can't be resolved, but having had many cats I would vote for the bladder infection.

[2DogsFarm]

UTI is the most likely reason for a female to urinate in "inappropriate" places.

If she is feral and you can't or won't trap her and take her to a vet, then put bars or screens in the windows she's getting through.

[greysandbays]

If she's been "wild" most (or even part) of her life, she may not think she's peeing in inappropriate places. Your precious stroller might just be her convenient marking spot.

I had a stray show up several years ago, and she "sprays" stuff -- just like a male dog marking his territory. She's been doing it ever since she got here, and that must be well over five years ago. If there's anything the matter with her, it sure don't seem to be shortening her life any. However, I'm sure this cat was not really "feral", since she knew how to beg to be let in the house. I didn't want a cat in the house, so it was Barn Cat or move on. She decided on Barn Cat. (I'd seen her around the neighborhood off and on for a few months before she took up residence on my place, so I guess she must have been auditioning new homes?)

[VirginiaBred]

She's bound to have a urinary infection.

Don't get mad at her, get her well.

[mtnjen]

couple suggestions (from an equine person and a former animal shelter worker), UTI is a real possibility so getting that checked out is great as has been suggested; get her spayed at the same time, your vet may even be able to give you the low down on coupons or vouchers available from humane societies or shelters - I sure count pennies these days but the $ spent for these things will be less than caring for her kittens which are all too likely to appear soon if she isn't spayed (and or the additional male cats attracted by a female cat if she goes into heat); cleanup of all pee is vital and I swear only by nature's miracle myself after years of dealing with cat urine; perhaps (sorry if you have already done so) setting up a litterbox or two for her if there are not other cats around, b/c maybe she's looking for a softer material versus digging in dirt outside?; and finally, THANK YOU!!! for giving a cat a place to stay, as frustrating as this has got to be for you every person that takes in a cat is making a difference, so from my shelter-hardened heart, thanks for that and hang in there!

Editing to add that I've had luck using a pump spray in the air and on surfaces called feliway, it's pricey but you only need a TINY amount and the bottle lasts a while, it can help deter marking if that's what's up. Sorry, not trying to product endorse here, just some things that have worked for me w/ my "pro" cat experience

[BuddyRoo]

Things that cause cats who previously used the litterbox to not urinate everywhere else except the litterbox:

1) UTI: Easy to test for and easy to treat in most cases. Sometimes, the type of food the cat is getting can create problems with crystals in the urine that set off the UTIs though--so occasionally in addition to a round of antibiotics, you have to change the food.

They stop using the litter box because urinating is painful and they start associating a place with pain. So they go EVERYWHERE.


2) Marking behavior--especially when new cats come around. You might have another cat popping in and urinating on stuff--not just her.

3) Doesn't like the litter box: If the litter box isn't getting cleaned often enough, a lot of cats will stop using it. Also, if the litter box is in an area with a lot of traffic or the cat got startled while using it, they may look for other places to urinate and defecate. So keeping a litter box clean and in a quiet low traffic area can help.

If you don't have a litter box, consider it. Even outdoor/barn cats tend to use a litter box if one is offered.

First things first though, you have to rule out the UTI.

[dressagedevon]

Thanks everyone, well she has never been an indoor cat, she and three other little ones showed up a while ago, and unfortunately my dad's hunting dog found two of them first (he played a little to rough:( ) and one ran away, but this one had the sense to run to the barn and hide in the loft. We found her a couple of days later when she couldn't figure out how to get down. She has always used one of the stalls for her litter box, and yes there have been other nasty cats coming around ( my neighbor has like a bazzillion cats, and NONE of them are fixed so she is heading soon to have her female parts removed, and I will have them check her for UTI. I will also get some of those cleaning products mtnjen mentioned.

[Cherry]

I also want to say that beyond having her medical needs attended to--possible UTI and getting her spayed you will also need to clean the places where she's peed. You can use a blacklight to detect the places that need to be cleaned and using a deodorizer/cleaner specifically for cats like Petastic it may help to stop the peeing. But you must take the cat to the vet to have her checked for UTI and make an appointment for her to be spayed if you want to keep her!

Throwing her out on her ear is an easy choice--but not a responsible one.

[2DogsFarm]

From a no-kill shelter (I adopted a sprayer):

Douche - generic brands are fine, any "flavor" except vinegar & water.
Douse the area affected and blot dry - removes the odor & cats will not return to the same place once treated.
Apparently the enzymes in the douche destroy the odor molecules that cause the cat to return to the same place to re-mark it.

I always wonder what the Walgreens clerk thought when I checked out half a dozen bottles of their brand.... :o

[nightsong]

Give her a litter box. They WORK because cats prefer them to other surfaces.

[greysandbays]

Give her a litter box. They WORK because cats prefer them to other surfaces.

No they don't. They just prefer them to what else they are likely to find in a floored building. However, all bets are off if you bring an "outside" cat indoors and you have houseplants. Peeing in plant dirt is worth getting the squirt bottle for, according to the little @#$% I brought in the house because a hawk or something mauled the daylights out of it. There's FOUR litter boxes (for TWO cats), and you can just see the pure glee on her face when she settles in for a squat in the plant pot.

[NoDQhere]

Try some different litters in litter boxes. My cats use Wheat based litters the best. I buy 50# sacks of Wheat Midds (Middlings) at the feed store. Works great, is "natural" and easy to clean.

[tradewind]

A UTI is my thought. Check it out when you have her spayed. One more thought, are you positive it is a girl and not a male who is spraying to mark territory, which of course would improve with neutering.