says it all in the title really

I bought a new rug 3 days ago and one of the 3 cats i have keeps pooing on it... i dont know which one

the rug was an ex-showhome-display one, so would benefit from a clean anyway...

so - 2 questions:[LIST=1][*]Where can i get it cleaned for not too much money[*]and how do i stop him doing it?[/LIST]
cleaning it might make him stop, but if not....

(we have 3 cats, one is 14, and the other 2 are 6, we have been in our house for 6 years, and had all the cats since kittens

also - we dont use litter trays, there is no toilet in the house and they have free range to outside via a cat flap)

Use Vanish Carpet cleaner and clean it yourself.

Spray it with Urine Off after that.

i was thinking of the shake n vac stuff?

its a very shaggy rug

Shake n Vac isn't a cleaner. It's supposedly a deodoriser.

oh.... i have scrubbed the area with a 'carpet and upholstery' cleaner, so it should be clean....

shake and vac can cause terrible alleriges in pets i would never use it when owning a pet, chances are depending on what cleaner you used the cat will still poo on it always use nio washing powder to clean anything your cat has been weeing and pooing on if you want them to stop

can i sprinkle that on my new rug and then hoover off?

Maybe one of them has gone off outside toileting in the nasty weather? It may be an idea to get a litter tray - I'm not pointing the finger but at 14 the elder one may be at that age where indoor facilities are becoming increasingly attractive.

I agree but then i am of the camp that every cat whether indoor or outdoor should be provided with a litter tray so they can go where they choose especially if the weather is bad

For a wee second put yourself in your cats position. Say you were 79 years old and were needing the toilet, your only choice is to go outside and do it in the garden regardless of the weather. Would you want to if it was freezing cold, icy, snowy, raining? My 6 year old Tom would point blank refuse to go outside and do the loo therefore I have a litter tray for him. Be nice to your old soul and buy a litter tray. Oh and shake n vac will def not work!

thanks for all the replies..

erm.. the weather hasnt been bad here, (SE England) they have a lovely flower bed they normally use...

I dont think its natural to have a litter tray - these are outdoor cats, not indoor pampered ones., thats why i have a cat flap. i dont think the weather is causing this as he has never done this before, its very odd

Sounds like stress. Pussy is marking territory ('middening'.)

Suggestions:

-Feed them on rug. Cats wont poo where they feed.
-Catnip on rug. Make the rug fun!
-Change the smell - deodorant pet shops sell for litter trays.
-Felliway- behaviour is sign of stress, probably brought on by change. Felliway is common recommended product for middening.
-Zylkene-natural product derived from milk proteins helps with stress and adapt to change. Its the thing in milk that causes sleepiness
-Invest in carpet cleaner.
-Invest in litter tray. I think middening is the problem, rather than sudden need for litter tray as poo-ing is on rug, with no attempt to hide. But it's your call.
-Move rug to less prominent (intimidating) place.
-Get rid of rug. Wee cat is scared of the big hairy thing! Probably thinks it's a monster!

wow - thats an awesome list - thank you!!

Steam clean the rug as best as you can with a cheap handheld steam cleaner, that will work for the poo removal etc.

Maybe the rug smells funny to whatever cat is fouling on it, and he or she is trying to cover it, the steam should remove most odours we can't sniff out ourselves. after cleaning it get a citrus spray and dot it about the rug, or use that get off spray, but just a little smidgeon.

Good luck!

I always used to think my cat was an outdoor only cat. He started urinating behind my tv so I got a litter tray. Since then he hasn't set foot outside despite still having a cat flap.

Just a thought. Cats aren't supposed to like oranges are they? Could you possibly put a little bit of orange juice in some water in a spray bottle, and spray the rug. Just a thought.

Can the older cat see properly ?

We had an old brown cat that (i think) had a slight stroke. He seemed to lose his eyesight after that and sometimes used the shaggy bathroom mat as a toilet. I got cross with him and shouted the first time he did it and I feel awful about that now

I didn't realise he couldn't see very well until I noticed him running his nose along the kitchen floor to find his food bowl.

We took him to the vet who's advice was 'Don't move the furniture !'

This is because cats are lazy!


Thanks again to all the posters

Like humans, cats can lose control of their bladder function once they reach old age and feel the cold more. Your older cat will naturally want to be 'pampered' a bit more than the younger ones. Having said that, starting to toilet on a brand new rug could be something the younger cats are doing as much as the older one.

Remember, small wild cats rarely make it to 14 years of age, hence why most wild cats don't experience 'extreme old age' as we'd put it.

Wouldn't be so sure about that - our kittens started scratching the wallpaper in a couple of places, so my mum (having heard this) popped some orange peel down where they were doing it to put them off. They don't scratch much any more, but this is because the orange peel is their new favourite toy! Can't eat one in peace now!

Im in the south east and if definitely has been freezing, we've had snow and a lot of ice....but maybe something outside is scaring him and thats why hes using the new rug?

but if its a new behavioural change maybe a trip to the vets would be a good idea, sometimes a cat will do things like this to show you something wrong...

I'm thinking it's the rug as we have closed off the room and he is not doing it anywhere else. ..

IIRC, I bought this natural spray and it stopped him going in the direction of my rug to get to the kitchen door (as a kitten he used to do his business on carpeted areas when I was at work) so that stopped him for a bit; but one day I did catch him doing it again (didn't do it normally when I was around) and give him a little smack, showed the poo to him, told off and said no a few times and put the rascal outside. Worked for me, but that was years ago. Sadly he died not to long ago