The pets board is dead, so I'm hoping someone has tips here.
DH is seriously going to kill my 10 year old male cat if we don't figure this out. I don't know what to do with him (the cat, not my DH)
DH has been scooping the boxes twice a day, the cats have HUGE litter boxes (two cats, 3 boxes in 2 locations) but Taz (problem cat) pees in front of the boxes every. single. day. The boxes were spotless last night before we went to bed, and this morning, Taz had peed in front of the box. We have mats down that trap the stray litter when they hop out of the boxes, but they don't contain the pee, so DH is stuck scrubbing the bathroom floor pretty much every morning.
We just don't know what to do. We can't monitor him every time he goes in there... he waits until night when we are asleep to pee outside the box. He has been to the vet and there are no health issues. This is purely behavioral. I am suspicious this is him trying to assert his dominance since my other cat is kind of a bully.
I'm at my wit's end with this cat. He has already destroyed a Pottery Barn area rug in my living room and I just ordered a new (cheap) living room rug. God help him if he pees on it. I'm ready to tie his urethra in a knot.
Is the bully cat interfering with pissing cat when he goes into the bathroom? Or has he in the past? This could essentially be a fear response. If he's getting accosted in the litter box, then he might be trying to make his escape easier by not actually getting into the litter (if that makes any sense).
You could try a different type of litter, a cover, Cat Attract litter, or Feliway (pheromone diffuser or spray). What does the vet suggest?
When we had issues with out male peeing outside the box (when the issues were not health related, as we had those too at some point), we bought all new boxes and added boxes. So instead of 3 boxes, we had 5 extra large ones (for two cats). We literally put them in the middle of the rooms and everywhere where he had peed before. We also removed the covers, so definitely do taht if you have them.
If it doesn't work, try a different litter too (but keep the multiple big boxes). Maybe try two boxes with a different litter, and three with the one you have now? He may hate the texture under his paws.
Then once you manage to have him pee IN THE BOX, you slowly move the boxes closer to the corners of the rooms and where you want to keep them. Then you eventually remove one box and see if the problem comes back. If it is safe, remove one more box to keep only three in the desired locations.
Also, our vet said that when they don't find anything they diagnose them with inflammatory bladder or whatever, which is basically a "we don't know what is wrong, but it seems lik it hurts" diagnosis. So we did carthrophen injections weekly, then monthly, then quarterly, then every six months, and then we stopped them.
It is in incredibly frustrating process, but it worked for us. Tiger had gotten to peeing in the bathtub, and on two armchairs and he completely stopped after this.
I know it is frustrating because it can be ANYTHING. But there are several things you can try before giving up. Also felliway, or the rescue remedy can work well. And kitty prozac.
and if your vet doesn,t have any suggestions, I would look into a vet specialized in cats, or in behavioral issues. They should be helping you through this, and not just saying "welp, can't find anything wrong!".
I had a cat who would harass the ever loving shit out of his sister only when she used the bathroom, so she'd go out of place. If it's something similar to this, I would try using Feliway. It helped with the two cats I had.
He's not peeing over the edge. We have two huge tupperware bins instead of classic litter boxes, so the sides are high. We cut a notch out of one side so they can easily hop in and out, so access isn't an issue. He walks up to the box, squats and pees. I have caught him in the act. ETA: the 3rd box is a classic box without a lid, but he never pees in (or outside of) that box.
He hasn't been bullied by my other cat while peeing, so that's not an issue. We don't normally stand guard, but I am aware of where bully cat is when he goes in to the bathroom.
We have tried pretty much every litter out there from corn to shredded paper to a million different brands of classic litter, feliway, calming collars, etc. Nothing works. I had forgotten about cat attract litter; maybe it's time to give it a try again, but it didn't work last year.
I second puppy pee pads. We have a fat girl that sometimes misses. We have a big mat in front of the entrance to the box and it's surrounded by pee pads. It makes clean up much easier.
Does the pissing cat have any safe places in the house that he can go to get away from the bully cat? I don't just mean for the bathroom, either. If he is communicating that he's unhappy with being dominated, then you could try to find ways to make him feel more safe and secure.
I just saw your ETA above. Can you move the true litter box into where the cat usually likes to pee? This might be a long shot, but the plastic could smell different to the cat. One of my cats pissed on the small carpet by the front door that we use for shoes, but she's never pissed on the regular carpet. My conclusion was that the adhesive or materials in the carpet somehow smelled different to her.
When we had issues with out male peeing outside the box (when the issues were not health related, as we had those too at some point), we bought all new boxes and added boxes. So instead of 3 boxes, we had 5 extra large ones (for two cats). We literally put them in the middle of the rooms and everywhere where he had peed before. We also removed the covers, so definitely do taht if you have them.
If it doesn't work, try a different litter too (but keep the multiple big boxes). Maybe try two boxes with a different litter, and three with the one you have now? He may hate the texture under his paws.
Then once you manage to have him pee IN THE BOX, you slowly move the boxes closer to the corners of the rooms and where you want to keep them. Then you eventually remove one box and see if the problem comes back. If it is safe, remove one more box to keep only three in the desired locations.
Also, our vet said that when they don't find anything they diagnose them with inflammatory bladder or whatever, which is basically a "we don't know what is wrong, but it seems lik it hurts" diagnosis. So we did carthrophen injections weekly, then monthly, then quarterly, then every six months, and then we stopped them.
It is in incredibly frustrating process, but it worked for us. Tiger had gotten to peeing in the bathtub, and on two armchairs and he completely stopped after this.
I know it is frustrating because it can be ANYTHING. But there are several things you can try before giving up. Also felliway, or the rescue remedy can work well. And kitty prozac.
Thank you for this. Our only problem is that he is only peeing outside of the box where the boxes currently are. I haven't had problems with him peeing anywhere else in the house since I got rid of the area rug. I had cleaned it with enzymatic cleaners (GotPee) but I think he was still smelling the prior pee and was marking. I'll keep the 5 boxes in mind if he tries to pee on the new rug though.
We do have a vet who specializes in cats, and they gave us a ton of suggestions, but I guess it's probably time to go back since nothing has improved since I spoke with her two months ago. I may bring up carthrophen/inflammatory bladder.
Maybe try moving them by a foot so that they cover the spot where he usually pees? I know it sucks. I would definitely go back to the vet if you have tried so many things and nothing works. Mine always had more suggestions.
I just saw your ETA above. Can you move the true litter box into where the cat usually likes to pee? This might be a long shot, but the plastic could smell different to the cat. One of my cats pissed on the small carpet by the front door that we use for shoes, but she's never pissed on the regular carpet. My conclusion was that the adhesive or materials in the carpet somehow smelled different to her.
This is a good idea. He never uses that box, so maybe it will deter him from peeing in that area. I'll try it, but then I think we're off to the vet again if this continues.
Thank you all. Please keep the ideas coming if you think of anything else.
I just saw your ETA above. Can you move the true litter box into where the cat usually likes to pee? This might be a long shot, but the plastic could smell different to the cat. One of my cats pissed on the small carpet by the front door that we use for shoes, but she's never pissed on the regular carpet. My conclusion was that the adhesive or materials in the carpet somehow smelled different to her.
This is a good idea. He never uses that box, so maybe it will deter him from peeing in that area. I'll try it, but then I think we're off to the vet again if this continues.
Thank you all. Please keep the ideas coming if you think of anything else.
I should have added that we took the little rug away and never had another problem with her (knock on wood). It could be a similar issue if he also did this with the area rug. You might also think about what you're using to clean the boxes and see if switching that up or rinsing better can help at all.
First of all, you need to take him to the vet to make sure everything is okay.
Second of all, try every single kind of litter box out there. Get a standard box with a cover, get a rounded box with a cover. Maybe he just wants some privacy.
Try Cat Attract litter, but DO NOT put it in every box. Put it in the box he pees outside of the most.
And honestly, why haven't you put down pee pads (under the litter mats) before? It would save you from the hassle.
We had major issues with this with one of our cats and we literally tried *everything*. He had serious anxiety issues and had to be medicated.
I did everything. Cat attract litter, Feliway everywhere in the entire house, 5 litter boxes for 2 cats, everything, everything, everything over the course of a year+.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jul 9, 2013 11:58:36 GMT -5
We have a behavioral pee-er. Except that ours prefers anything you leave on the floor (other than actual flooring materials). So we have to be careful.
What actually really helped us was getting him on Prozac (yep, the same pills humans take). For a bit, he was really drugged-looking, but I switched his pill to at night before bedtime and it basically resolved the problems, both of drugged Cat and of behavioral peeing. If you've already switched up boxes, switched up litter, and cleaned extensively with an enzymatic cleaner, I'd definitely talk to your vet about medication management of the behavioral problem. If he won't take pills, they can even compound the prozac into a flavored liquid or a cream you rub onto his ear (ours doesn't like the cream AT ALL, but apparently some cats really dig it.)
I have all the books I could need, and what more could I need than books? I shall only engage in commerce if books are the coin. -- Catherynne M. Valente
First of all, you need to take him to the vet to make sure everything is okay.
Second of all, try every single kind of litter box out there. Get a standard box with a cover, get a rounded box with a cover. Maybe he just wants some privacy.
Try Cat Attract litter, but DO NOT put it in every box. Put it in the box he pees outside of the most.
And honestly, why haven't you put down pee pads (under the litter mats) before? It would save you from the hassle.
We had major issues with this with one of our cats and we literally tried *everything*. He had serious anxiety issues and had to be medicated.
LOL. I wasn't aware that pee pads even existed until this thread. Snark much? The mats we have down are somewhat absorbant, but lately he has been overflowing them. I have not been completely negligent here.
He has been to the vet and physically he is fine. No crystals, no infection, nothing. We have tried at least 6 or 7 different types of boxes. He pees just fine in all of them, in all litter types, but he still once or twice a day decides he would rather pee on the mat in front of the box instead of inside the box. We are scooping morning and night, doing a full litter change every 2 weeks and the boxes get scrubbed every 2 weeks as well and the boxes are only 3 months old.
I do appreciate the suggestions and I am going to try some of the things that have worked in the past. DH is running right now to Petco to get some cat attract litter (he's a teacher on summer break, so this helps), I am going to spray down the litter mats with the Feliway spray I have remaining from prior uses, and I'm going to move the undesirable box to his normal peeing location. I am going to take him to the vet again if none of this works, but right now, I am 99% positive this is behavioral, so I am trying to fix the behavior/environment.
I have been here. I can commiserate. it's so embarrassing, annoying, and frustrating. I remember asking for help and people would say "get him fixed!" Or even "it's a UTI, he needs meds!" Well, no, it's not that and I wasn't that stupid to not consider those first.
Thank you. It is completely embarrassing. I want to scream when I walk in the house and the first thing I smell is pee. I always know when he has peed in front of the box instead of inside it.
The cats wandering around the house is a good point. We are in a townhouse and my neighbor used to let her cat out on weekends. He would harass my cats through the window and I'm pretty sure he was peeing on my welcome mat at the front door. Taz started peeing by the front door after that (I'm sure he was marking his territory), but it has been treated, there is a scat mat to prevent him from doing it again, and I spoke with my neighbor and she's keeping her cat indoors now. She felt bad that her cat was terrorizing my boys. I wonder if this is lingering anxiety...
First of all, you need to take him to the vet to make sure everything is okay.
Second of all, try every single kind of litter box out there. Get a standard box with a cover, get a rounded box with a cover. Maybe he just wants some privacy.
Try Cat Attract litter, but DO NOT put it in every box. Put it in the box he pees outside of the most.
And honestly, why haven't you put down pee pads (under the litter mats) before? It would save you from the hassle.
We had major issues with this with one of our cats and we literally tried *everything*. He had serious anxiety issues and had to be medicated.
This attitude is what I was writing about in my post. She already HAS been to the vet. She knows its behavioral. It's really frustrating when you have tried so many things and people seem to place the blame on you.
And honestly, I never would have thought of pee pads. So why so snotty about why she hasn't done it already?! Clearly she didn't think of it until someone mentioned it here before.
I love you Merida. Thank you for understanding. (kiss)
In my experience, adding more boxes doesn't solve the problem. It's one of those "rules" that just doesn't work IMO. 5 boxes for 2 cats is excessive. I think it makes cats more fussy in the long run, not to mention more work for you. It's easier to stay on top of one or two boxes than have them spread all over. What happens is people tend to forget about the boxes, they get dirty, and defeat the whole purpose. If you don't have behavioral issues and you scoop twice a day, one box for two cats is fine. In your case, two boxes should be all you need. Cats like a clean, private litter box, not multiple boxes. Clean is key. Multiple boxes tend to be neglected and unclean for the average owner.
Other points have been covered but as a general checklist:
Good sized litter box- not huge but some of those tiny ones are useless
good litter- some cats hate the pellet or crystal litter. Good soft sandy litter like Fresh Step is good. Everclean that they sell at Petsmart is pricer but fantastic stuff. Zero odor.
Is the box in a private area where the cat isn't being hassled by another pet. Cats are like people. They like privacy when they use the toilet.
Sprinkle Cat Attract litter on top of your current litter. The great thing about Cat Attract is that you don't need to fill the box with it 100%. Just a good 1/2 inch on top of current litter will often work
Some cats like a covered box, some don't. Try having one box covered and one not. I have one Booda Dome for two cats and they love it.
Do you live in a safe area? In general I'm against outdoor cats 99% of the time because there are issues. BUT there are always exceptions. One person I know who lives on a dead end, good distance between neighbors and had these types of issues put a kitty door at her back door. Turns out the cat just hated going to the bathroom indoors. He would go outside to pee, spend a little time in the yard, then come back inside. Like I said, it's not a scenario that would work for most people, but in her case it worked great.
The prozac can work wonders too. The vet can send it to a compounding pharmacy and have it made into a cream that you rub on their ear rather than have to give a pill. I've heard great things about it. Pets are like people and sometimes dogs or cats will develop anxiety and there's not necessarily an obvious reason. A lot of times the medication is needed temporarily like a few months to solve the problem.
Someone else I know used their old dog crate for their cat while they were at work. Keeping him confined got him reacquainted with using his box. They did this for a month until he got back in the habit of using it.
I'm sorry you are going through this but it is fixable. Good luck to you!
sorry I just saw your update that you are in a townhouse. Skip the outside thing.
Yes other animals outside can terrorize your cat. This could absolutely be leftover anxiety. Try the prozac cream in the ear or pill and I think you'll see a big change. The medication is pretty inexpensive from what I remember.
Yeah people who let their pets roam in a townhouse or subdivision type situation really suck. We used to live in a townhouse so I feel your pain. One person down the street used to let her dogs run around loose rather than walk them. I came home one time to our front windowsill trashed. Our dog had scratched the shit of the window and the blinds were torn down. I was like WTF? Had no idea what he'd gone crazy over until the day I saw the woman's dogs just running all over. She had just moved so I pretty much met her by saying, "Welcome to the neighborhood. Can you please walk your dogs rather than let them run all over the place?" lol.
My cat had some mean things happen to him when I lived at home (not by me) and therefore had an aversion to litter boxes. When I moved out, I took my cat with me and he'd pee in our new house. Then we got a dog. The dog loves the cats, but she also likes to chase him. He's 13, he doesn't have the energy for her BS.
First I had the litter boxes (1 for each cat) in the basement. Not good enough, she could still find them and him. Then I moved them on top of an unused desk in another room. He didn't like it because he chose to sleep in a box next to the desk, now the poo was to close to his delicate nose. FINALLY I moved it into a room that we aren't working too fast on remodeling. The dog cannot get in there. It is 100% privacy, my Husband and I don't even go in there unless it is to change the litter.
This solved it. He no longer pees on the floor/in random spots. He goes into the room and uses the box.
13 years, it took me 13 years to figure out that his problem was needing to be left alone in an area that no one goes into. And to also not punish him for peeing outside of his box and to patiently/impatiently put up with it.
Do you have an area that you could maybe make private and not disturb? See if your cat uses it then?
However, I DO still put puppy pads down around the boxes. He's a fat cat, even the large boxes leave him room to hang his ass over the edge at times.
ETA: I feel it was the not punishing him for peeing else where, plus giving him his own little safe heaven to do his business that helped. At my parent's, someone would be mean to him if I wasn't around to protect him. So he hated the litter box, he never felt safe.
moonbeamlove, I'm so glad you figured out the issue! One clean, private box is worth 100 boxes to a cat. That's why I usually tell people to avoid adding more boxes. It doesn't get to the root of the issue.