Cat peeing recently, no idea what to do

[KatP]

Ok, so we have a female cat that has been sapid. She still goes into heat though, but we know the cause behind that. Anyways, about 3 weeks ago she started peeing. It started in my room in front of my dresser. As normal I had let her in, in the morning and she walked over, squatted and peed. I was shocked but scolded her and gave her a small smack. A few days went by and nothing else happened so I thought it was a one time thing. About 5 days after the first incident I came home and found a spot where she had peed in front of my bed. I hadn't caught her at it so I couldn't punish her, as she wouldn't know what I was doing it for. I cleaned up the mess, put spray on and kept her out of my room, thinking it might be something in there and she was just marking her territory because she is MY cat. Anyways, my dad walked in today and caught her peeing in the living room by a computer. My mother also found another spot where she had peed. We love our cat and don't want to get rid of her. We have tried sprays, punishing her, even vinegar to get rid of the smell and get her away from the spots. We have another male cat but this has just started recently. She has been drinking a lot of water lately....but she still pees in the liter box. We can't find an explanation why, and have no idea what to do. If anyone can help, that would be GREAT!

[allotment10]

http://www.willasark.com/cattreatment.cfm

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20 070116011020AAPE47K

[iheartruby]

Hi, it could be that your cat has a urinary tract infection such as cystitis - especially if you say she is drinking lots of water too. They use their tray normally but if they feel sudden pain from an infection they will just do it wherever they are to relieve the pain. It could also be a territory marking thing as you say - especially if you have another cat in the house. It's important never to punish them (frustrating tho it is - I've had similar problems for a few years) as this will make the cat insecure and more likely to mark the territory. Have a look at some of the cat websites such as Cats Protection or Feline Advisory Bureau as they have advice leaflets on various problems. I'd definitely take her to the vets for a check over tho - antibiotics for UTIs are dirt cheap in my experience. Good luck.