Why does my kitten pee on the carpet upstairs? How to stop it?

Causes of urination outside the box can be urinary tract infection, crystals in the urine, stones in the urinary tract, trauma to the area, or difficulty getting into the litterbox due to pain, or other reasons. It is important that you make an appointment to have Jinx seen by your veterinarian as soon as you can to help determine the cause of his behaviour and to start treatment. If you notice his straining to urinate/unable to produce urine, this is a medical emergency and she should be seen by a vet immediately. In an unneutered male cat like Jinx, it may be that he is starting to mark around the house, in which case having him neutered may help. This will also help prevent him from getting your other cat pregnant. It is also possible that Jinx is exhibiting signs of stress in his home environment. You can do the following to help make sure Jinx’s environmental needs are being met: Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 , healthcareforpets.com and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic phisomone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com. Try an enzymatic cleaner like Nature’s Miracle on the areas where he has accidents to help with the smell and staining. Good luck!

I would be a little worried that Jinx might be urinating somewhere else in the house! I'd recommend confining her to a small area like a bathroom with the litter box so that you can closely monitor what is happening - pull all rugs up. It is also possible that she is nervous about her new situation and simply hasn't urinated yet. If she is eating and drinking well and you're not seeing her straining to urinate or defecate you could probably give her another 24 hours of very close supervision. If she still does not go I would recommend seeing a veterinarian.

I had this exact same thing happen to me when my kitten was young. He would get so busy playing that he would "forget" to pee and when he finally couldn't hold it anymore, he would have to run to the litterbox. I found that I would have to take my kitten to the litter box every couple of hours just to "remind" him to use it for a few weeks until he got older. I suspect it is just immaturity, but certainly if it continues to happen as he gets older, have your vet evalate a urine sample to make sure there isn't something medical going on. The other thing would be to make sure that Merlin has a litterbox readily available since upstairs can sometimes be too far for a kitten. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Axel. He has not gone through puberty being only 9 weeks of age. Therefore, this issue is likely related to not being fully potty trained yet as opposed to marking behavior. You can add another litterbox and make sure it has a very low lip to make it easy for the kitten to get in and out. You can try another litter substrate to see if he has a preference. Finally, wash your bedding and do not allow him access to it. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would confine Shaddow in a room by himself with his litter box. He is very young and may not know where the litter box is. be sure he is fully litter trained before allowing him access to the entire house. Keep the door to your bedroom closed so he can not access the bed. He should be fine once he is using the litter box consistently. I hope this helps and have a great day!

It can be stressful for cats to move into a new home. There are a few simple things you can do to help them litter train in your house. First, have at least 1 litter box per cat plus one; therefore, if you just have the two kittens, I would recommend 3 litter boxes. Second, make sure the litter box is large. The kittens will keep growing, and if it becomes too small, they won't use it. Third, some cats don't like covered litter boxes and some like them. You can try to boxes covered and uncovered, and see what they like best. I would recommend using the same litter that was used at their old home because they are used to the smell and texture. Make sure their litter boxes aren't close to their food and water, cats don't like to use the bathroom near their food source. While you are litter training them in your house, don't let them have free rein of the house when you are gone. Place them in a small room with their litter boxes while you are away from the house, and provide them with water and a place to sleep at the opposite end of the room from the boxes. Make sure you clean the litter box daily. If they continue to have problems going to the bathroom outside the litter box, it may be a health issue, and I'd recommend bringing them into your vet for a health check.

Since Squirt is only 4 weeks old, my theory is that he may be urinating and defecating on the bed because he has trouble getting down from it. If it is too high for him (or even if he can get down but it might just be a little scary), he is very likely to just use the bed for his business. If you are going to let him on the bed, I would only allow this for short periods of time until he is a little bit larger. The more times you permit him on the bed now and he continues this behavior, the more likely he may begin to thing it is acceptable. I would limit his bed time to no more than 30 minute intervals under direct supervision. After those periods of time have elapsed, place Squirt back into the area closest to the litter pan and see if things work out as they should. Hope this helps. Let me know if there is anything else I can do.