Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi! I am pretty new to the cat world, but I have a general knowledge of feline behavior. About 2 months ago I found myself suddenly with a new kitten, as her current owner was not caring for her properly. We don't know how old she is, but with her growth in the past 2 months and the size she is now, I am guessing she may be 10-12 months? She looks to be nearly full grown now. She hasn't had her first heat yet, and I am not sure when that is supposed to happen.

I have read the posts regarding litterbox issues, but none of them are exactly what I am going through. Kitty is using her litterbox without an issue. But, every so often she will walk to a corner of a room, sniff a piece of clothing, or a bag, or towel (whatever is there) and she will quickly jump on top of it and "mark" it. She isn't peeing as normal, as it is only a few drops, but the odor of those few drops is horrid! Do female cats mark things? If so, would getting her spayed help with this? She is an indoor only cat, and has only started doing this in the past week. Nothing has changed at all since we've gotten her, and her litterbox is always clean. And, like I said, she pees in the box regularly. Any suggestions or ideas as to why she is doing this, and how to stop it??

Thanks!

Kitty & Zelda

Hi There,

Since your cat's urine has a strong, unpleasant odor, there is a good chance that she has a urinary tract infection. Cats often urinate outside the box when an infection is present. It is their way of letting us know that they aren't feeling well.

Please take your kitty to the vet ASAP as untreated infections will only get worse with time. It should be pretty easy to get cleared up with the right medication.

I also highly recommend that you make an appointment to have her spayed. She sounds like she is past the age when heat cycles begin and believe me, you don't want to live with a cat in heat. Besides, you don't want to risk the possibilities of her getting mammary cancer or a uterine infection, known as pyometra, where the organ fills with pus. Each cycle that a cat goes through makes her more likely to develop mammary cancer.

Take care, and please let us know what the vet says.

PHKitkat