BehavioRx Case of the Month
for December 1996

The Problem
A six year old spayed, declawed, female Siamese cat started urinating around the house, especially in the family dining room. The problem had persisted for three weeks before the owners took the cat in for veterinary examination, which revealed no abnormalities or health problems.

History
The cat had been obtained from a breeder at 8 weeks of age, and housetrained to a litter box quickly with no special effort by the owners, a middle-aged couple with no children. The house was a single story, two bedroom home in a suburban neighborhood. The problem had no apparent trigger, in terms of visitors, new pets, diet changes, seasonal weather disturbances, etc. However, during our HelpLine consultation, we did discover that the urination had started when the weather was warming up and the couple tended to leave their windows open quite often, both day and night. When asked about neighbors' cats, they complained that there were two who had outdoor cats and that these pets would often come into the yard, jump onto the deck and the front porch, where a flower planter was often used as their toilet. The owners also mentioned that this was the first year those cats had been so bold, i.e. gotten onto the porch and deck areas. We also discovered that both owners would pick up the cat and take her to the fresh urine, put her nose to it, scold and swat her on the rump and release her, after which the cat would run and hide in the bedroom. The owners used a commercial pet spot and odor cleaner on the spots.

Diagnosis
Territorial branding against invading animals, aggravated by insecurity due to owner punishment and social rejection.

Treatment
In consultation, the owners were quick to recognize that punishment might cause the cat to feel insecure and, hence, try to brand the house in order to feel more secure. However, they also recognized that the initial problem followed the invading cats' new boldness and the fact that their urine and body scents had started wafting into their cat's domain at the time of the problem's onset. We asked what they thought about the punishment. They said it hadn't worked, therefore it should be stopped. However, they asked, without punishment, "How will the cat know it's wrong to urinate there?" We responded, "I'm not sure she could ever appreciate that guarding her territory from invaders is wrong. Beside, will she need to know it's wrong if the cause of the problem is removed and the urination stops?" They said that made sense and the following program was started.

The cat was fed two meals daily, an amount that was finished in a few minutes, in the dining room. The empty plate was left on the floor between meals. The windows in the dining room were kept closed. Whenever the cat used the litter box, one of the owners would go to the box, point at the spot of urine or fecal matter, and praise the cat. She was also happily shoo-ed to the box after eating and praised if she used it. The owners were advised to get several ponies of the herb, lemon balm, and plant them in the flower planters on the deck and front porch. They were also advised to snip off several leaves of the herb and rub them along the rails of the deck, on the window sills and even the top of their fences.

Results and Follow-up
The urination stopped immediately in the dining room. One spot occurred in
the hallway on the fourth day, at which time the meals were switched to that
spot. After four clear days, meals were fed in the usual place, the kitchen.
After three months, no backsliding has been noted.
The neighbor cats gave up their invasions after two days' encounters with
the dreaded herb.

Discussion
This couple was unusually dedicated to their pet, and followed instructions beautifully. They were especially watchful and took care to praise the cat for proper use of the litter box, a step in our BehavioRx instructions that many owners skip, feeling that simply feeding the cat at the spots will do the trick. It rarely suffices on its own.

Previous Cases
November 1996
October 1996

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