Animal Welfare Professionals

Does anyone have any thoughts about a cat that has started to urinate and defecate  on laundry?  The only thing that we know is the cat's owner is pregnant at 34 weeks. Will that cause this type of behavior?  And if so, what do you do?

I would ask if they have other cats/animals in the home, how many litterboxes they have (# cats + 1 extra), how often they are cleaning the litterbox, if they switched litter types recently,  if the litter is scented or unscented, if the cat is fixed, where the litterboxes are in the home and if they are covered or uncovered (many cats like to be able to see around them while peeing so covered litterboxes don't work, if their litter box is uncovered I would suggest adding a covered one as well), if the owner has started changing things in the house to prepare for their baby that could also lead to stress and peeing outside of the litterbox. I would also suggest if they haven't tried it already, there are some citrus sprays that you can spray where they've been urinating and that could deter it as well.

Does anyone have any thoughts about a cat that has started to urinate and defecate  on laundry?  The only thing that we know is the cat's owner is pregnant at 34 weeks. Will that cause this type of behavior?  And if so, what do you do?

Does anyone have any thoughts about a cat that has started to urinate and defecate  on laundry?  The only thing that we know is the cat's owner is pregnant at 34 weeks. Will that cause this type of behavior?  And if so, what do you do?

I would also refer to Pam Bennet Johnson's books the  discuss how to prepare and acclimate your cat BEFORE the  arrival of a newborn.   As already mentioned, ANYTHING new going on in the home can cause stress.   It's critical that areas that have been soiled be cleaned with an enzymatic cleaner (e.g. , Natures Miracle).   You can also use sprays that contain synthetic feline (friendly) pheromones right near the spots where they have been soiling (Comfort Zone spray with Feliway).  Note,  that the enzymatic cleaners can degrade  the feline pheromones so you can spray near the spots you have cleaned but not right on the spots that have been treated.   Glad to hear that uncovering the litter box has helped; that's a good sign.   However, there are more things to consider to help the cat adjust with the upcoming new addition to the family.   Once the baby arrives it is also important to keep the cat's pre-baby routine the same as much as possible.   Interactive play is a good way to reduce stress for cats and would be useful here at least twice a day if not more.  

Does anyone have any thoughts about a cat that has started to urinate and defecate  on laundry?  The only thing that we know is the cat's owner is pregnant at 34 weeks. Will that cause this type of behavior?  And if so, what do you do?

Does anyone have any thoughts about a cat that has started to urinate and defecate  on laundry?  The only thing that we know is the cat's owner is pregnant at 34 weeks. Will that cause this type of behavior?  And if so, what do you do?

#Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment

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Robin Tant
Owner/Director
Paws and All Feline Rescue
NC
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Does anyone have any thoughts about a cat that has started to urinate and defecate  on laundry?  The only thing that we know is the cat's owner is pregnant at 34 weeks. Will that cause this type of behavior?  And if so, what do you do?