I have Siamese cats and they pee on every plastic bag and every plastic surface they can find. What do I do?
I have Siamese cats and they pee on every plastic bag and every plastic surface they can find. What do I do?
Hi there and thank you for your question.
I am Dr Linda, a small animal vet with 10 years of clinical experience.
I'm sorry to hear your cats do this and can only imagine how frustrating it is.
When cats pee on inappropriate surfaces, it can be a behavioural or medical issue.
In some instances, it is a sign of a bladder inflammation (cystiits) or stress, so we should keep an eye out for other signs such as excess thirst, peeing more often or peeing in drips and drops.
Cystitis is more common when there is more than one cat in the house and/or when cats do not have outdoor access.
Certainly, with any urinary issue, a urine analysis is sensible first step, to ensure we don't have e.g. an underlying UTI or cystitis contributing to the problem. If we do and it is not resolved, it may be hard to stop the behaviour.
It is quite possible one of the cats has the medicla issue and the other soils when they smell the urine, to mark their territory.
It may also be that something plastic was used (perhaps to line their tray or bedding) when they were kittens and they think it is an appropriate place to pass urine.
In this case, I'd be sure to remove plastic from their reach whenever possible, to break the habit.
We must clean up any pees immediately with an enzymatic cleaner to prevent re soiling and eliminate the odour.
Be sure you have 3 litter trays (assuming there are 2 cats) and that they are kept clean and fresh. They should be in areas of the home with low foot traffic.
It may be worth trialling a tray with a roof and/or trialling a new litter type.
Be sure to never punish the cat for this, as this can contribute to anxiety and worsen the behaviour.
