12
votes
Reasons why a cat might be peeing on the rug
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- Title
- Why does my cat pee on the rug? Are they trying to tell me something?
- Authors
- Susan Hazel, Julia Henning
- Published
- Jul 13 2023
- Word count
- 848 words
I second the notion that cats do it because they are jerks.
But anecdotally I agree with point #1, the only times my cats have peed outside of their litter box were when they were having medical issues like kidney failure, kidney stones, or urinary tract infections.
yeah peeing outside the litterbox when it never has before is a HUGE red flag for health problems. Cats are generally very good at hiding when they're in pain, so sudden changes in the behavior are always something to pay close attention to. The only sign we had that one of our cats had teeth issues (that eventually resulted in extraction) was that she wasn't eating the crunchy treats we sometimes give them.
What people who think cats pee cause they are jerks may miss is that some cats are prone to bladder inflammation (which won’t show up on a urine test) when stressed. For example I had a cat like this and I think she also had separation anxiety. So every time I left on vacation she’d end up peeing on my bed usually when I got back. She also was prone to infections that wouldn’t respond to antibiotics. Unfortunately I had a very old fashioned vet and he would just change antibiotics if the first didn’t lead. I ended up taking her to a different one when she was older who insisted on a culture when the first antibiotic didn’t work (she pointed out that the urine test didn’t actually show the bacteria, just signs of something going on and she wanted to know which bacteria it was to better decide which antibiotic to use ). Culture showed she had no infection at all! So the vet said inflammation and after reading up on it it fit whenever she got an infection and why they always seemed so stubborn to go away (cause it wasn’t an infection!).
One thing to add is that negative reinforcement doesn't work well on cats. So, hypothetically, let's say that the cat is peeing on the rug because it's not getting enough attention - And every time it pees on the rug, all of a sudden its person springs into action and yells "No!" The cat has no way to associate the behavior to this negative consequence... instead, they see it as "I did a thing and now my person is finally reacting to me again!" and it actually might reinforce the behavior to occur again.
It's even worse if instead, the person doesn't immediately react. Instead, they might see the pee later and grab the cat by the scruff, carry it to the rug, and point at the pee and yell "No!" The cat has no idea what the person is trying to communicate. From its view, you're now creating a negative association with being held or handled... "My person is carrying me and making loud noises, I don't think I like being carried!" so they'll be more stressed, withdraw from you more, and probably still pee on the rug from being stressed.
I'm being pedantic, but what you both described is positive punishment (punishing the cat to deter them from certain behaviors by introducing something unpleasant) rather than negative reinforcement (reinforcing a behavior by removing something unpleasant that deters it). Negative reinforcement is a commonly abused term so everyone knows what folks mean by it though.
The problem with punishing cats is that usually we humans deal out punishments wrong based on human assumptions and biases (and also heat of the moment reactions). We're not cats and cats aren't humans, we don't have a specific common language to make clear to each other our intents. We need to be careful about how the cat will actually experience and interpret what we're doing.
Not saying that you should never punish a cat. I personally never punished my old girl, but she was very well behaved. I've never taken care of kittens, I imagine they're much more unruly and the methods you described sound appropriate. I'm just saying we need to be careful (which is why positive reinforcement is usually pointed to as the safe option).
I object to the suggestion that cats never pee on the rug because they are jerks.
We already know that some cats are jerks. That's just a fact. How do they conclude that jerk cats are somehow immune from expressing their jerkiness by peeing on the rug?
Smh. That's just bad science.
Revenge is also another known cat trait, lol, even if they aren't always jerks. But it's good to highlight the other possible causes for the behavior imho.
Exactly. The extent of cat's assholishness is quite unbounded.
I should clarify that I personally get along with most of the cats I have met. But they are independent little suckers.
Blink twice if a cat is holding you hostage.
Found the dog person, username checks out.
Sorry, couldn't resist
My cat would pee outside of the bathroom when she caught urinary tract infections. While mayyyyybe some small percentage of kitties pee on the rug out of spite, it's often the main way that they can tell you (not necessarily intentionally) something is wrong.
I object to saying cats do it cause they are jerks. It is fun to joke about but seriously cats really aren’t jerks. Even my little jerk has reasons he does things. He is a high anxiety cat with more fight then flight instincts he gets nervous and he gets aggressive (my poor dog finds out cause he is scared of her). He also gets over stimulated and will bite you cause he is happy or wants your attention (he gets very bitey if we leave on vacation cause he is very happy to have us back and he doesn’t know what to do with all the emotional energy). One thing we did is put him on anti anxiety meds and he’s been a lot better around my dog and easier to settle down when he gets wound up. But he’s a classic cat people would use to say that cats are jerks when what he really needs is understanding.
One thing a lot of people don’t know can happen with a cat is bladder inflammation which happens when they are stressed. Which guess what, can make it look like the cat is spiteful cause he or she is peeing when something she or he doesn’t like (ie stresses them out) happens.
Bruh. It's a joke.
I've had a lot of animals and taken care of them as they got ill. My favorites of all my pets ever are my ducks. I can buy thousands of ducks for what I've spent on duck healthcare.
No one is saying that cats are bad. I love my cat. We're talking about the fact that the article says that cats never pee the carpet because they're jerks. I just don't believe that. That's both the joke and the truth.
To be fair, I assumed that line was also a joke.
I had a cat growing up where every time he got mad at us he would pee in the box of gloves/scarfs in the front closet. He had some very real teenage (and middle-aged) angst.
Then we moved and he went into a state of severe depression. He was refusing to even drink so I had to give him water him with one of those dollar store squirt guns for a week. Then he bounced right back and was pretty much never an asshole again.
My youngest cat has peed on the landing of our staircase ever since we've moved into our new home.
We have to put down wee wee pads multiple times a day
Poor thing's probably stressed from the move, it's scary getting used to a new environment if you don't understand what's going on. Have you tried any calming treatments like Feliway or a calming collar? Maybe put their litterbox near that landing?
Where I live we don't have a basement, so the closet beneath the stairway (once referred to as the Boy Wizard closet) is literally (lol) their litterbox location. We also had our first born son shortly after we moved.
He's 3 now. She's been peeing on the stairs this whole time. 😶
Haven't tried calming collars, we tried "calming" pheromone emitters that plugged into our electrical outlets. El zilcho. No change in her behavior. At least the peepee pads we use are washable and reusable. 🤷
I disappeared for a week and and my orange tabby shit all over the rug in protest for my GF.
Maybe they're just mad?
Cats need routine. Even you being gone for more than just a few days is enough to disrupt their routine and potentially cause stress.