I need cat help - long

[karebear219]

So my 11 year old cat has had issues with going pee outside the box for years, but it is usually just spuratic when he is upset about something and sometimes it is just marking (gross yes, but not too untollerable). Last year we replaced our entire carpet in prep for bkb in hopes the peeing outside the box would stop. It didn't and the new carpet is now ruined.

The last couple days the urinating outside the box has gotten MUCH worse. He is full on peeing in his usual spot downstairs and now has started peeing in our bedroom too. Last night he even peed on top of bkb's bottles sitting out on our kitchen counter.

He's been to the vet several times to rule out medical issues. There is nothing wrong with him. he's been on anti depress

Our last attempt to get him to go in the box is removing the lids and putting all fresh litter in it.

As a background, we have three total cats. Two males and one female. This cat is a male. They have been living togethere for five years. I can't think of anything else to add right now, but let me know any other information that might help.

I am at my end with this cat. I can't take cleaning up cat pee twice a day and I am concerned for bkb too. I don't want to put the cat down, but giving up the cat may have to happen. Moving him outdoor is not an option because he has never been an outdoor cat. We also have a lot of coyotes near us so he would not survive. Help please.

[7costanza]

First, I'm really sorry you have to deal with this. We had a similar issue with our male cat, and it turned out he just wanted to be able to go outside whenever he wanted, and the problem has largely stopped.

How may litter boxes do you have? I think the rule of thumb is one per cat plus one. Does he have enough privacy in the litter box?

[joenali]

Cars are gross. Case in point.

[Deleted]

Joenali - that is not helpful Plenty of DOGS pee in the house, too.

Anyway, yes, ditto 7costanza about the number of litter boxes.

The only time I had a male cat who consistently peed outside of the box, turned out he had a fatal and practically impossible to diagnose disease that caused sediment to be in his bladder. So he would have to suddenly pee with no warning and couldn't make it upstairs to his box. After we figured out what was wrong and I put a second box downstairs, he could USUALLY make it to one or the other.

[karebear219]

We only have two boxes, so maybe that will help. I just hate to have cat boxes all over the house.

[Deleted]

Aug 18, 2012 16:12:57 GMT -5 @ksta said:

Joenali - that is not helpful Plenty of DOGS pee in the house, too.

.

This. And so do children.

Anyway, I saw an episode of my cat from hell once and that cat had a similar problem. The cat whisperer dude told them to put a top cover over the letterbox for the cat and it seemed to work.

[niq]

Ziggy had peeing problems for a while ... not sure if it's because she couldn't make it to the box, or just because once she got used to peeing in one place she just kept going.

The vet suggested that we put one litter box in every room, and then slowly move them closer together until you can get rid of a couple of them. But even then you may need 3 boxes.

You might want to get the omega paw self-cleaning boxes which are at least less of an eyesore and easier to clean.

[llh0211]

I agree with pp's. Try getting another litter box, and clean the ones you have, as the smell can seep into the plastic pan part too. Our male kitty is really finicky. If he doesn't feel like the litter box is clean enough for his tastes, he will pee outside it.

[karebear219]

He went to the vet a year ago. It's been two years since he had blood work.

[karebear219]

okay thanks koosh your right. It's worth checking things out. I keep hoping he has diabetes just because it is an answer and it is a similar symptom of that too.

[InBetweenDays]

We have a similar problem with our cat. He doesn't go on top of things like bottles or anything like that, but he's almost 13 and we've always had problems with him going outside of his litter box (or spraying). What has helped (although not solved) the problem is to add more litter boxes (we have 3 for one cat) and get a Feliway plug in. He is a very anxious cat and the Feliway helps with anxiety.

I do also agree with having the vet check him out since he hasn't had an exam in a year. Good luck, believe me I know how frustrating it is (we could never get rid of him, but I know secretly DH wouldn't be sad if he didn't live a long, full life).

[polarbearfans]

In would suggest adding some feliway diffusers to your home if you dont already use it. Add more boxes: the rule is one per cat plus one with a minimum of or per floor of your home. The cats sounds stressed. Uncover the litter boxes too. The lids trap odor and set the cat up for ambush from other cats or at minimum feel unsafe.

Another vet visit might be good too. Maybe he has developed a UTI or something else.

[amandasw]

Aug 18, 2012 14:56:52 GMT -5 joenali said:

Cars are gross. Case in point.

yup, cars are really gross

and like pp said, people, dogs, kids... all living beings are gross!

[amandasw]

Aug 18, 2012 23:41:07 GMT -5 polarbearfans said:

In would suggest adding some feliway diffusers to your home if you dont already use it.

you can definitely try this - I think they definitely did help our cats when we were having issues.

also, I know at one point someone on ML was having a serious cat peeing issue and I think eventually they had to decide to find it a new home. It was just too difficult and nothing would help. I know it's not ideal, but maybe as a plan E, start asking around with family to see if someone might be able to take the cat. I know re-housing can be stressful, but maybe not having other cats around would be better in the end? I'm sorry, cat pee sucks

[jennlin]

Aug 19, 2012 2:09:20 GMT -5 @amandasw said:

Aug 18, 2012 14:56:52 GMT -5 joenali said:

Cars are gross. Case in point.

yup, cars are really gross

and like pp said, people, dogs, kids... all living beings are gross!

Lol i didn't catch this.

[Deleted]

Aug 19, 2012 17:49:07 GMT -5 jennlin said:

Aug 19, 2012 2:09:20 GMT -5 @amandasw said:

yup, cars are really gross

and like pp said, people, dogs, kids... all living beings are gross!

Lol i didn't catch this.

Bahaha, I didn't either!

[picksthemusic]

Do you have places for him to "escape"? Like up-high places for him to perch and observe? Does he have lots of things to do/climb on? It sounds very behavioral and territorial. He may feel trapped or encroached upon, especially with BKB.

I'd recommend calling the Cat From Hell guy, but he may not travel this far.