Peeing on the Rug

I'm worried about Kamikaze's eliminating on the rug before his litter box, as I mentioned in the previous post. This morning I wasn't paying attention when he peed all over it, but I caught on just in time to shove him into his box before he started to poo. I googled "cat peeing outside litter box" and got some scary information about "Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease." This causes painful urination which the cat can associate with the litter box, so he avoids it. I don't want to take him to the vet. If I have to, it's probably going to mean canceling my trip to Japan on Thursday, and I'm going to have to sort out a new cat carrier (see: dog carrier) as he's outgrown his, and last time I had to put him in it was like stuffing a sausage into its casing.

Other information I found on Google, though, was that cats don't like change. Not too much around here has changed, but I have been using a different brand of cat litter the pet store delivered. It's Japanese. It's called "Super Joyful." It's lemon scented. I found this on google:

"Citrus: Cats don't like citrus smells. Scatter some orange or lemon peels to create no-go zones. Citronella oil is considered to be a good cat repellent but generally it does not appear to have an effect on dogs."

Truthfully, I already knew this, but hadn't clued in on the big lemon on the bag, or the lemon scent as I poured it into the box. Duuuuh.

Way to go, Japanese Einstein Pet-Product Developers! Why don't you create a litter made of hungry snarling rottweilers next?

So I'm going to get a couple bags of new litter downtown and throw out the contents of his box and start over. Hopefully we'll see him return to his box. He's eating and drinking regularly now, and seems in decent spirits. I'll keep a close eye on him.