cat pee everywhere help!!!!!

by melissa
(texas)

I have ten cats and two dogs and two ferrets in a four bedroom home. most of my problem is they pee or spray everywhere. not the ferrets they are well behaved most of the time. all of the animals are fixed except one dog. the cats go outside most of the day, dogs stay in. all the cats have been with us for several years. they all are healthy. don,t know how to stop this behavior.

RESPONSE:

Melissa:

You don't say whether this is a new problem or one that has been happening for a long time. It is likely, that with this many animals, all spraying/peeing, that there are several issues you need to deal with.
If the dogs are doing it, you need to housebreak them. There are several good resources available for this on the internet.
With the cats there are several questions to ask yourself. Are there enough litter boxes? Are the dogs getting into the litter boxes (eating the feces)? Are the boxes cleaned at least daily (twice daily is better!)? Are they in enough locations to make all the cats feel safe and comfortable using them? Do they like the litter? Are you cleaning the soiled areas completely including the smell (you need a special enzymatic cleaner especially designed to get out cat urine to get rid of the odor)? Are you cleaning up the mess as soon as you find it? Are they doing it at certain times of the day (like around feeding time)?
Bottom line is, you need to discover WHY they are going all over the house despite the fact that they are allowed outside and then take steps to correct the problems. They may be marking territory or feel nervous and are peeing to comfort themselves with their own odor. Without knowing more about what is going on, we can only suggest that you ask yourself the questions and resolve any of those issues. And if you know for sure the dogs and ferrets are not urinating inappropriately in the house, then you can start to figure out what the triggers for the cats and start trying to resolve the problems.
This issue is just too big to respond to in a paragraph or 2. We are currently writing up this very problem for inclusion on our website and so far, it is many pages long! We hope to have it up in the next few weeks but in the meantime, start with the basics.
Good Luck!

Donna
House Full Cats Mom