Older Maine Coon peeing where other cat goes (carpet)

by David Parent
(Springfield, MA USA)

My older Maine Coon cat has recently started peeing on the carpet where my other cat has been using the rug to go potty. Is there a reason why?

My thoughts:

I'm sorry to hear that your kitties are having problems, David. We always want to rule out health problems, especially as cats get older.

I'm going to assume that your cat has been checked by the vet and the vet can find no physical reason for the inappropriate urination.

Beyond that, here are some things to ponder:

1) Stress - When one cat in the house is having problems, that can raise the stress level of the other cats. Stress is a major cause of inappropriate elimination.

So, reducing stress can go a long way to fixing these problems. Obviously, fixing the problem for the first cat will help with the problem your Maine Coon is having.

Stress levels can be reduced by:

A) Feliway or Rescue Remedy.
B) More attention, praise and grooming.
C) Increased exercise levels and mental stimulation.

2) Residual odor - Another issue is that cats have amazing noses with a sense of smell that is better than dogs. In a multi-cat household, when one cat starts using a "bathroom spot" outside of the litter box, another cat will do the same.

The only way to remedy this is to get rid of all of the odor (or block access to the area). Sometimes, when the floor or padding underneath has been compromised, replacing the rug or carpet may be necessary.

Other times, it means using a cleaner that A) works to remove all of the residual odor, and B) covering an area that is large enough to catch all of it, including any odor causing matter in the padding or floor underneath.

The area to be treated may be twice as large as the spot seen on the surface of the carpet. I typically recommend using enzyme based cleaners, but Jackson Galaxy recommends a CO2 based cleaner (Fizzion) on "My Cat From Hell."

After cleaning the area thoroughly, you can check for remnants of urine on the surface of the carpet with a black light.

Then, you might try placing a new litter box right on top of that area to see if the cat(s) will use it. If so, then you can begin moving that litter box, a tiny bit each day, to a new location.

So that's how I would approach the problem with your Maine Coon. You didn't ask about the problems with the first cat, so I'm assuming you've solved that, or at least have it under control now.

I hope that helps. Please let us know how things progress.
-Kurt