Help!
I have a brother and sister pair that are now 10 years old.
One boy and one girl.
They have both been spayed/neutered since they were the appropriate age.
For about six months now, one of them has started spraying in my home.
Neither of them has ever sprayed inside before.
We have lived in this home for over four years.
No major changes have happened recently.
They have a cat door, constant source of food and running water.
But one of them, I believe it’s just the male is RUINING this spot on my carpet.
Now, after I run the carpet cleaner over it, it is starting to come up as this reddish/brown color when it dries.
It’s only on the spot behind my couch that has been sprayed and now I’m consistently having to clean.
I have a Bissell Green Machine and use Zep pet carpet shampoo (yellow bottle w blue cap) and Rocco&Roxie stain & odor eliminator (white bottle with blue label)
My questions are:
What is happening to my carpet now?
Can anyone tell me why the discoloration is happening?
I’m not sure if it’s the cleaners I’m using?
Or them in combination with the cat spray?
Any ideas on how to get my cat(s) to stop spraying?
I have purchased a couple nanny cams to put up in my house so I can catch one or both of them in the act.
It is currently only happening on this one spot of carpet behind the couch.
Any advice is welcome.
TIA!!
Brief Answer:
Your immediate priority must be a comprehensive veterinary check-up for both the 10-year-old brother and sister, even though you suspect the male, as this sudden onset of spraying after a decade of appropriate elimination strongly suggests a potential underlying medical issue, such as a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), kidney problem, or even age-related conditions like hyperthyroidism or arthritis making litter box access painful.
The reddish/brown discoloration on your carpet is almost certainly a chemical reaction between the highly alkaline cat urine, the residual proteins left behind, and the cleaning agents you are using, which are likely bleaching or oxidizing the dye in the carpet fibers; standard carpet shampoos, even Zep, are not formulated to break down the specific uric acid crystals in cat urine, which is why the odor and staining persist.
To effectively stop the spraying, you must use a veterinary-recommended enzyme-based cleaner like Rocco & Roxie after ruling out medical causes, as its enzymes fully neutralize the marking pheromones and odor.
Concurrently, I strongly recommend implementing the behavioral strategy outlined in Cat Spray Stop by Susan Westinghouse, which uses a ‘Taste, Touch, Smell’ approach to redirect their natural instincts, alongside placing a calming pheromone diffuser (e.g., Feliway MultiCat) near the marked area behind the couch to reduce the anxiety or territorial stress that may be contributing to the marking.
Detailed Answer:
Your situation involves a significant change in a long-standing behavior for a pair of middle-aged, fixed cats, which is the most critical factor guiding my expert recommendation.
A cat that suddenly begins spraying after ten years of perfect litter box use is a red flag for a medical problem, not just a behavioral one.
For this reason, the absolute first step is a full veterinary examination, including a urinalysis, for both cats.
Urinary tract issues can cause discomfort that the cat associates with the litter box, leading them to spray elsewhere as a way of communicating distress, not malice.
Ruling out these medical causes is the most cost-effective decision you can make, as it avoids spending potentially hundreds of dollars on ineffective behavioral products when the cat simply needs medication.
Regarding the carpet discoloration, your observation of a reddish/brown color appearing after cleaning is a classic sign of chemical damage.
Cat urine is highly acidic when first excreted but becomes very alkaline as it breaks down, and it is rich in uric acid, a stubborn, sticky crystal.
When you apply standard carpet cleaners, even robust ones like Zep, without fully neutralizing the urine salts and proteins, you create a complex chemical soup.
The combination of the alkaline urine residue and the oxidizing or bleaching agents in many commercial cleaners is reacting with the dye in the carpet fibers, causing a permanent stain, known as ‘browning’ or ‘oxidation damage.’ The fact that you are running the carpet cleaner over it repeatedly is exacerbating this damage.
To stop the cycle of spraying and staining, you must address both the cause and the residual contamination.
Since you are already using the Rocco & Roxie stain & odor eliminator, ensure you are using it correctly: it must fully soak the carpet and padding to reach the entire urine contamination zone, be left to air-dry completely (the enzyme action requires time), and no other cleaning product should be used concurrently, as standard soaps can deactivate the enzymes.
The fact that the problem persists suggests either the Rocco & Roxie is not soaking deep enough, or the spraying is continuing.
Once medical causes are ruled out by your vet, the problem becomes behavioral, and your hunch about it being a territorial or anxiety-related issue is sound, especially in a specific, hidden spot like behind a couch.
I recommend immediately implementing three simultaneous behavioral strategies.
First, follow the comprehensive, multi-sensory guidance provided in Cat Spray Stop by Susan Westinghouse, which emphasizes using the cat’s natural instincts to redirect them.
Second, place a calming pheromone diffuser, such as Feliway MultiCat, near the couch.
Pheromones mimic the cat’s natural facial marking pheromones, which signal a sense of safety and security, reducing the underlying stress or territorial impulse that is driving the marking.
Third, clean the area one final time only with the enzyme cleaner, and then temporarily change the environment of that spot.
Place something large, heavy, or texturally displeasing there (like a piece of inverted carpet protector with the plastic nubs up, or a sheet of aluminum foil) to discourage the cat from standing there to mark, or, ideally, place an attractive scratching post or a new, clean litter box right in that corner to change its purpose from a marking spot to a legitimate resource.
Using the nanny cam will help confirm which cat is the culprit, which will allow you to focus environmental enrichment and stress reduction efforts on that individual cat.
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