Cat peeing on doormat

[Amber_Cat]

Hi, I know this topic has come up before but I can't find a resolution that matches my situation so I thought I'd start a new thread.
I've had my cat for just over a month now, my previous cat passed away and after a few months I felt I could rescue another.
She settled in right away and had been great apart from the past 2 weeks she has peed at the front door. At first I thought I'd trodden something in then realised the smell. Bleugh
She must have done it a couple of times before I'd noticed.
I took her to the vet who said there were no health problems, advised me to add an extra litter tray near the area she pees.
She had a tray in the kitchen where I used to keep it for my other cat, it's a kitchen unit that isn't used for anything so is sheltered, she used it fine for the first few weeks. I have added another tray by the front door, thrown the mat away and cleaned the carpet every day with all the products I can find (except bleach)
Now she doesn't seem to use the tray in the kitchen and after a few days of using this other tray I thought it was safe to put a mat down. I don't want to drag dirt in on my carpet.
A day off the mat being there and she's peed on it. She's never peed anywhere else she shouldnt.
Can anyone advise what to do?
She's an indoor cat but likes to sit out in the back garden when I let her, she is keen to look out the front door but I don't want to let her in case she gets out. She hates being picked up so I'm worried I might not get hold of her to bring her in.
I got her from cats protection, she is overweight but we're working on that. No idea what her life was before she moved in.
Is this a territorial thing? How can i help her settle or feel comfortable so she stops doing this.

[Lilith]

Hi Amber Cat and welcome

This is an infuriating problem - my youngest cat used to visit a certain rug when I was on the phone - and wee all over it! I think for attention perhaps. She grew out of it, mercifully...

From my small experience I can only advise vigilance (and a sharp scolding if caught in the act - a hissing low voice is effective) and if possible keeping the favourite place out of bounds unless you're actually there with the cat, but I'm not an expert; hopefully there will be more people with more advice along soon.

I don't know if you've seen this mentioned but there is a free behavioural service on this forum - [email protected] which you can contact.

All the very best and hope this helps for now

[Marla]

Cats sometimes wee on an mat inside the door because they smell another cat outside, especially if male cats are spraying near the door. If there are any unneutered male cats about, you could encourage the owners to get them neutered. If they're young enough, it can help reduce spraying.

Do you have an inner door that you could keep closed to keep her away from the front door?

As your girl came from CP, I'm assuming she's been spayed.

We've had Teddy for 2½ years and have had problems with him both spraying and weeing indoors. He was weeing on a coir mat that we had in an indoor hallway. We replaced the mat a few times. Eventually we removed it and he stopped weeing in that area.

He was also weeing on the carpeted landing. Simple Solution is supposed to remove odours and keep the cat from weeing in the same place, but it didn't work for us. We've recently switched to Envii Pet Fresh but it's too early to tell if it works or not.

Over time, Teddy has calmed down a huge amount, but these things have also helped:
- For 2 cats, we have 2 litter trays in our spare bathroom and 1 covered tray outdoors.
- We're now able to tell when he's about to wee in the house, so then we let him out into the garden so he can go in the outdoor tray or garden. He either paces around swishing his tail or he runs around wildly because he's just had a poo in the indoor tray and we know we have to put him outside or he'll wee on the carpet.
- We remove wee and poo immediately when the tray is used. Teddy is way more fussy than any of the other cats we've had.

Knock on wood, he hasn't weed in the house for quite a few weeks.

[AndyMac]

My cat has been the same with her spraying against the electricity meter cupboard beside the front door. I have had to put puppy pads against the cupboard and on the floor. It is not a regular occurrence but every now and then she will go. I have a litter tray for her not 2 feet away but she will not use it. Again as someone suggested I think it may be the scent of another cat outside that is causing the issue. My neighbours cat would sit at my front door when it is sunny so can only assume this is the problem with my cat.

[Lilith]

Aaah yes, Andymac!

Puppy pads on the doormat - what a good idea!

[MarySkater]

Garden suppliers sell various gadgets and products that are supposed to repel cats. (One is dried lion dung!) Might be worth checking to see if anything would be suitable to put on the doorstep to discourage visiting cats. Maybe liquid or granules could be packed with cotton wool in a mesh bag which could be moved away any time you want your own cat to cross the doorstep. Or you could consider one of the ultrasonic devices, and switch it off when your cat is going in and out.

Browse Amazon for cat repellent, and read the reviews to find out what works for other people.

[Lilith]

Dried lion dung!

Lol that reminds me of a story I once heard about a guy who wanted some super-fertiliser for his runner beans.

The local zoo sold him a load of tigersh*t.

The beans died - but the canes sprouted, vigorously!

Sorry don't mean to be flippant, good luck with your naughty lass

[Amber_Cat]

Thanks everyone for your replies, at the minute the extra tray near the front door is working and I have a puppy pad by the door just in case.
I'm fairly certain there's no cats spraying but the front door, theres none really near where I live from what I can tell but I'm going to clean it up and see if that makes any difference.
I can't scold her for peeing where she shouldnt, she's not doing it to be wicked plus I never catch her in the act it's always just a lovely surprise
I hate having the tray in the hall because she has a habit of wiping her bum on the floor after a poo. The vet tells me this is because she is too fat to reach round and clean herself. The joys of pet ownership.
I've invested in a carpet cleaner and a few people have mentioned vigilance so I'm just going to keep trying with her and over time move the tray to the kitchen.
I was going to try a feliway as I'd be able to plug it in right near where she pees but they're quite pricey and not sure if it's really worth it