Welcome to this post on how to keep cats from peeing on rugs.
Cats are very beautiful and they can be great friends as pets. They will make your home lively and less lonely.
No matter how much you love your cat, I am sure you would not encourage them if they peed on your rugs especially the expensive Oriental, Persian, Turkish and Antique rugs.
Cat pee will make your rugs to develop pungent smells and odors. These can easily cause more allergic reactions to allergy sufferers or crawling babies. They can also make house guests think you are dirty. Read this guide to know how to get rid of smells from rugs.
That is the reason why you need these tips to understand how to stop that behavior while you still maintain your friendship with your cats. This guide also applies to other pets such as dogs. If you are looking for a dog-friendly rug, check out this guide on the best rugs for dog owners.
Contents
HOW TO KEEP CATS FROM PEEING ON RUGS IN 8 WAYS
#1 Do a Medical Examination
A cat might have urinary problems because of several medical conditions like a urinary tract infection, blockage of urinary tract, kidney problems and other metabolic diseases like diabetes.
To rule out this possibility, take your cat to a veterinarian or any other specialist for proper diagnosis and medical treatment.
#2 Examine the Environment
A change is the environment such as moving into a new home or having a new house guest can result into stress and tension to your cats.
Urinating is often associated as a behavior which cats use to mark territories or create new boundaries in new environments or with strangers.
#3 Examine the Litter Box
A litter box is the toilet for cats. Most cats will develop Litter Box Avoidance if they associate it with negative experiences like bad smells or dirt.
The litter box might also be placed next to other distracting items like the bath tub where the cat may prefer to pee instead.
Make sure you solve all litter box problems and place more than one around the house.
#4 Use a cat deterrent spray
There are some smells which deter cats from peeing. For example, this SSSCAT Deterrent Spray will keep off cats from unwanted areas in your home.
Spray this solution on your rugs to discourage the cat from peeing on them.
#5 Separate Feuding cats
If you have several cats in your home, there might be some who bully smaller cats. The bullied cat may avoid areas where other cats go to pee in your home like the litter box to keep away from the feud.
Since they have to pee, they will do it in wrong places like the rugs.
Make sure you monitor the relationship among your cats to discourage those likely to bully.
#6 Change the rug texture
Some rugs such as fluffy plush rugs are very soft, comfortable and warm. You cat might get too comfortable when they lie on them and end up urinating on them since they do not want to leave the comfort zone.
You can slip over the rug such that the hard rug pad side faces up, and this will discourage the cat from staying on the rug too lone.
You can also cover the rug up with uncomfortable items like double-sided tape, Aluminum foil or an upside-down carpet runner.
#7 Clean up the mess immediately
If you catch the cat urinating, clean the mess up immediately while they watch so that they know they did something wrong.
You can also talk to them letting them know that it is wrong and you are not happy with their behavior.
If the urine is left to dry, the smell will continue to draw the cat back to that spot. That is the reason you need to use a cat deterrent spray or a vinegar based solution to remove the smell completely.
Cleaning cat pee immediately is very important because if you let it to sit in, it will cause bad odors on the rug which are easy to clean and remove.
The pee deposits can also attract pests such as rug moths who feed on them.
#8 Create a physical barrier
For example you can close the doors of rooms with rugs the cat likes to pee on. If the room does not have a door, you can place temporary barriers like a baby gate or a motion-sensing deterrent to keep the cat from accessing the rug area.
You can remove the temporary restraining barriers after one to two weeks since the cat will have forgotten the habit of peeing on the rugs.
FAQ’S-HOW TO KEEP CATS FROM PEEING ON RUGS
Why do cats pee on bathroom rugs?
Your cat might be peeing on bathroom rugs for several reasons. They might be claiming the territory. If you have many cats, the cat peeing on the bathroom rug might be telling the others to respect that area because it belongs to him or her. Also, the bathroom rug might be very attractive and comfortable such that it draws the cat. The rug might also have some pungent smells from the undried water which are attracting the cat. The cat’s litter box might also be placed next to the bathroom rug. If the rug is cleaner and more comfortable than the litter box, the cat will choose the rug instead. Read the 8 strategies above which you can use to deter this behavior.
What smells deter cats from peeing?
There are several solutions with different smells you can use to discourage your cats from peeing on a given surfaces like the three below;
- Pet odor eliminator and deterrent solution
- A mixture of warm water and peppermint essential oil.
- A mixture of water and vinegar (Avoid ammonia-based solutions since they smell like the cat urine which means they will encourage the cat to pee more)
- Homemade citrus solutions from orange peels
- Baking soda
- Hydrogen Peroxide Topical Solution
Read this guide for more explanation on how to use the solutions above.
