Husbands Cat in Stinking up the Place

I'm relieved to see that you're taking her to the vet. I'd just like to add that you should also have a bit of compassion for her. She needs some extra love and understanding if she's not feeling well. Cats are notorious for trying to hide when they're ill, so if her symptoms are visible and out there for you to see then she really must not have any control of what's happening.

The fact is the cat is getting up there in years and at that age they may have any number of health issues that can lead to chronic vomiting and eliminating outside the box. If she was your husband's cat before you got married, it should be his responsibility to take her to the vet and get her checked out. It could be hairballs, it could be cancer, it could be she's getting senile - it could be any number of things. He needs to start with a vet exam and see what they recommend.

Cats can sense if they arent liked, if you are resentful that she's there, and will "get back at you" for it. When you get married, isnt it a union of everyone? you son, his cat, you & him= 1 big happy. If you didnt like pets, you should of been up front with him. ( I get the feeling you dont like the cat, by the way you refer to her, sorry if Im "off" there) Who does the cat spend her days with? Is he working more, are you home or is the cat alone? It may be emotionally based behavior or she may have a medical problem. What is your husbands take on the situation? He must know his cat better than you, maybe he should be addressing this.

Anti Icky Poo is a cleaner that I know Home Depot carries that works well for cleaning up the mess and smell. Works better than Nature's Miracle that pet stores sell.
The cat needs a visit to the vet. She could have an infection or kidney failure. It can also be brought on by changes. Are you using scented kitty litter? Cats hate it and will often not use the box as a result.
You may have to close doors to rooms you don't want her making messes in.
That's about the age both of my cats started having problems due to old age issues. I lost both of my cats around the age of 15 a couple years apart.

get rid of it!! haha I'm sure I'll get a lot a bad thoughts about that!! My rule is that if there is no specific reason for the animal to go on the floor, they have 2 chances. There is no way that I would have an animal puking and peeing all over my house and on my kids bed.

**I read your Edit: his cat is OLD. My cat was about that age, when he got sick and then died.
It is sad, seeing their body deteriorate like that.
Your Husband needs to take his cat to the Vet.
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How old is the cat????

If it is old, then this may be age related health issues.

Has he taken the cat to the Vet?
He should.

When my cat got old.... he started peeing/pooping and regurgitating fur-balls at random places. He didn't do that before.
I took him to the Vet... per his age and health, he was sick. His body was deteriorating.
He then died. Due to tumors and all sorts of old age diseases. His kidneys too.

Go to the pet store, (or he should do this), and they have pet odor and stain removers.
There are also fur-ball ointments, with is given to a cat orally.

The puking can be helped by feeding her a different diet and feeding her less. I use Royal Canin Oral Health and it has helped immensely. You can try Litter Attract (special kind of litter) in her box. You should have her checked out by a vet but she could just be stressed by the household change. If it is stress, a vet can prescribe Prozac and it does help. I don't really think 13 or 14 is very old for a cat, many of my cats have lived to 20.

Have her checked out by the vet. If she's got an increase in vomiting, that lends thoughts to problems digesting her food, particularly if she's an older cat, and sudden peeing or pooping in places where she wouldn't normally do so is also sometimes a problem with elderly animals.

Has anything big changed recently? We had a cat who suddenly started peeing where she shouldn't - doc diagnosed stress - she was mostly an indoor cat, and the addition to our family of a mostly outdoor dog was enough to send her over the edge. Cats do not handle change well, and for some cats this can be something as simple as furniture rearranging or buying a different brand of litter. She may settle down after a little while of dealing with the change.

13 to 14 years old is like having a 90 year old human live with you (well that matters... is the cat a purebred? how many litters? how many moves/stressors in lifetime of pet...). I would ask the vet what can be done... diets can do wonders.

Dr. Eisley's Cat Attract cat litter!!!
Cats are guaranteed to use it or your money back. It worked for my senior cat that was urinating on my bedroom carpet.

Iams with Hairball control may take care of the puking (somewhat). But honestly, cats puke A LOT and sometimes it seems almost vindictive (I especially hate to find it in or on one of my shoes!!). If the cat is not old, there are basically two possibility for the other problems. Either she has an infection, in which case, a trip to the vet will be a quick solution. Or else, she is upset about something. Has anything changed recently in your routine or in her environment? Is there a single spot that seems to get it or is she going any and everywhere? If she goes in the same spot over and over, it's usually a communication that she's unhappy about something. If she seems to go everywhere, it's usually an illness or old age. It stinks (literally--we're going through this with our 16 year old cat right now), but hopefully you'll be able to find a quick and happy solution. Best of luck!

Keep her out of bedrooms with closed doors for one (if there was a cat like that in my house, I'd probably keep it in an easy-to-clean and smaller area like a large bathroom, laundry room or kitchen...) secondly, take her to a vet immediately. That is not normal behavior-perhaps she doesn't like her new surroundings, or she is just old, but she also could be sick- a vet could definitely help.

Cats do smell very bad- specifically their pee is like the worst and most challenging smell to truly get rid of... This may sound morbid to look forward to this, but if I were you as soon as she is no longer "there" I'd get new carpet!

You don't indicate how old the cat is. My cat used to throw up everyday until we changed her diet and reduced her food intake. My cat hated to see her dish empty but couldn't hold down all of the food she was overeating.

She now eats a little wet food and dry food. It is much improved. When my other cat was close to the end of her long life she just couldn't make it into the little box any longer or climb the stairs. It was all just very sad.

Keep the doors closed to the rooms you don't want her to have access to. Is her littler box available all the time or is it in the bathroom where she can only access it when someone else isn't in there.

I also use crystal cat litter which is wonderful for not being stinky. Many people used to come to my house and didn't know I had a cat.

Is your cat fixed or not? It can make a difference.

Take her to the vet. Older cats are prone to urinary tract infections which can cause this behavior. Unfortunately, so can senility...in which case there is not much to be done but put her to sleep, because she will completely destroy your house and the smell is forever.

You will likely NEVER get a cat to stop peeing or pooping on carpet if they have decided to start. Even if you did, they cannot help the hairballs. My advice in this order:

1) Get Feliway plug-ins, like cat prozac, she is old and this is a BIG change for her and she is clearly stressed.

2) Get vinyl, laminate, tile, or hardwood floors in as much of the house as possible. Seriously, do it bit-by-bit if you have to. I once paid $600 (total) to have a low-grade but pretty vinyl "wood" in a 700 sqft apartment. In my own home, I splurge and pay a couple grand to have all of my 2700sqft house decked in the top-of-the-line vinyl (EVERYONE thinks is wood, but far more durable). Small price to pay for pride in my house again.

3) CLOSE the bedroom doors. Limit where the cat can go. Free and simple, nuff said. See step 2 for areas you cannot keep her out of.

4) Try no to freak out. He loves this cat and any ultimatums will not bring marital harmony, let alone bliss. Not to mention, who would want to marry a jerk who would throw out a helpless cat after a 13 year commitment. Trust me, his devotion is a GOOD sign here.

I have 5 cats, I have had for 13 years and then became allergic to 6 years ago. This is how I have coped and it has helped tremendously. Remember, animals are a stewardship we should take seriously. They are not expendable, nor disposable.
Take this opportunity to teach your son how important it is to keep your word, not just when taking an animal into your home, but always. And how he can creatively problem solve to find compromise with other people. Priceless lessons. Good Luck!

Have you changed the brand of litter you are using? Sometimes they can be quite picky, you might might have to try several different kinds. The only time my cat ever went to the bathroom outside of her little box was if she had a urinary tract infection. According to our vet this is common behavior when they don't feel good. You might want to have DH take her to the vet and have her checked. For the hairballs there is a paste/gel that you can put on her paws that she will lick off. I think it's called Petromalt and you can get it at most pest supply stores with out a prescription. You can also put her on a food that will help with the hairballs. To help with the smell I would clean spots in the carpet with the Oxy Clean spray that you use to pre-treat stains on clothing, it worked for me. Hope this helps.

Everything I researched online about cats going outside of their litter box (clean or not), says there is usually something going on with them. My cat will be 7 next week and last year she started peeing on my throw rugs and then on the carpet. The vet had given her antibiotics because she has been prone to UTI's, but those did not work. The vet did say her UTI's can possibly be related to stress. We found out that she had a bladder stone that had to be removed. So the peeing outside of the litter box was her way of telling us that something was wrong. I hope your husband's vet can give you some answers (and a solution) what is going on with his cat. Good luck!

That was happening with our cat too...turns out he has a pancreas problem and some meds have helped....

Actually, a 14-year-old cat is only about 42 years old in human years...not 90 as MamaMay said.....that would be closer in dog years (their's used to be 7 years/1 human year, but that has changed too).

Anyway, she is a senior....I have a 17YO who is going through her second 'cat-hood'.

The posters who suggested a vet visit were right on. Usually, if the litter box is clean, there is another problem and that's the only way she has to tell you about it. I hope she's OK. I'm sorry about your carpet. There are a LOT of really good cleaners out there that will take care of the odor. Cats are not like dogs who tend to go in the same place even tho' they have access to outside, etc.

However, you may want to consider removing the carpet. After years of allergies for me and my kids (AND my pets), we've decided to go without carpet.

many older cats vomit when they get hairballs. We used to have a medicine paste for ours that helped with it.