Another urination problem (family wants to get rid of him) pls help!

[debbiegarland]

Hi everyone!  I am at such a loss at what to do with my cat's problems.  I know this is yet another thread about cat urination issues but please please please any advice would be helpful, as my family is sick of my cat's problems and wants to get rid of him    Sorry in advance for how long but I feel like if you have the whole story about his rough start it will make more sense.  

So here is my cats backstory:

I got him when he was about 3 months.  Now he is one year.   He is from a rescue shelter and just the most gorgeous siamese lynx mix with blue eyes!  I now realize that it was not a good rescue organization.  I called back when I discovered some of his social issues.  Turns out his foster mom did not socialize him well.  He was kept in a locked tower cage while all the dogs barked at him (i realize this is why he avoids my dog all the time--but their relationship is fine).  (And she kept him locked in there because one of the dogs got a cat and killed it--so horrible!)  So he has some issues and would bite and scratch us all the time.  Someone recommended getting him a playmate so he would get out his energy.  It worked pretty well.  

Problem:

Out of nowhere though he just began peeing on the rug downstairs in front of the bathroom which is where we feed the cats.  (although maybe I should mention when he was a kitten he peed twice on a towel on the ground, but we were able to put a stop to that). This has been going on for maybe a month.  So first thing I did was take him to the vet--he has no health issues, vet said it was behavior.  So I took the food out (so food and litter box not in same room).  Didn't work.  So I got a third litter box.  Didn't work.  I then started playing around with different litter types, different boxes, how much I put in, how much I cleaned.  Nothing has worked.  He pees the carpet soaked through.  The carpet is ruined and I had to pull it up.

My family is fed up and ready to get rid of him. I know he has his issues.  He is really not a social cat.  My family sees little value in keeping him.  They are just done with him, but I don't want to give up on him!  He had such a rough start in life and he is so scared of people, it would be so hard for him to adjust to a new family.  Honestly I don't even know if I would ever find anyone who would put up with half the stuff he does.  But to my family this urination problem is just a breaking point.  

So so so sorry this is long!  But if you have read all this thank you!! I truly appreciate any advice/hope you could give.  I really want to keep him, and I would be heartbroken to have to give him up.  

 

[2Cats4everLoved]

Please know I don't have personal experience with this type of behavior, however thinking about what you wrote your sweet boy has been through a lot and definitely needs attention and positive reinforcement.

When he urinates does your family yell at him or swat, spray with a water bottle?

I'm just curious, but in his foster home, did he live there when the Dog killed the cat.  Or did he come after, if he did go to that house after this most sad accident happened, then I would say authorities need to be called.  AND I don't mean to put the dog down either, but this home should not have any cats with a dog like that.  Or perhaps the dog is dangerous to all...  who knows.

I have some questions - 

How big is your home.

How many people live in your home.

Do you have your own bedroom.

How many other pets do you have.

Are you home or out most of the day/night.

How is his eating.

What is the sweet boys name?

Getting him a playmate kitty could cause additional issues, as his problem isn't seeking attention for play, it's urinating.  Hopefully he's just trying to claim space.

Don't fear.  We'll help you get to the bottom of this.  But you do need to ask your family members to take it easy on him, he's been through a lot in his life, it started out terrible, he may have seen things that you don't know about.

Be patient.  I'm hoping soon other members will chime in with great advice for you as well.

 

[debbiegarland]

Thanks so much for your quick response!  I know the incident with the dog was a horrible event.  The dog had a lot of issues.  The foster mom was very upset about it.  I believe since that she tries not to overlap dogs and cats. I don't even know if she still fosters.   (I mean she is a very caring person--she rescues animals from high kill shelters and bad situations.  But their organization I believe is very underfunded.  And the accident happened years ago)

So my house is a fair size.  It is big enough for my two cats and dog and family.  Everyone treats the cats nice--but I am their main owner and main reason we have the cats.  They never swat or spray the cats.  We have only caught him in the act of peeing once and just didn't even know what to do.  My cat eats his food fine.  In fact feeding times is one of the rare times he shows any affection!  He loves meal times.  Interestingly though he shows absolutely no interest in food or treats besides his meal times.  The pets are alone for aboutt 4 times a week for about 4-5 hours.  

 

[2Cats4everLoved]

Okay, so that's not bad.  HMMMMM.....  I have to think about this one.

For the time being, perhaps when you are out of the house, can you put the cat and his gear (litter, water, food) in your room, so he can have some alone time.

What's his name...

Now I think you said the kitties get along.  Is this the same when no one is watching?  What's the age difference between the two cats.  And is the dog a hyper dog or calm...

 

[debbiegarland]

Putting him in my room could work.  I feel bad though having him cooped up in  my room, because he is very hyper and will sometimes run circles around my house haha.  

Now the cats mostly get along.  When I got the second cat, my first cat (oh and his name is Leo sorry!) calmed down, and stopped harassing us. The intro took a long time, but it was pretty smooth.  The initial week that they were let out together had its bumps but they got used to each other.  In fact besides the fact that Leo was a little too rough, he never really showed signs of aggression.  

The problems we see, are just caused by Leo being too rough.  They have about a five month difference.  Leo is about one, my second cat (Percy) is about 6 months.  We picked Percy because he was brave and very social and playful.  They play together, sleep together, and even groom.  However at night they both go bonkers and Leo gets too rough and they will often end play sessions yowling at each other, with minimal to no hissing, perhaps they might hiss once.  (also leo gets mad because percy always plays with his tail) We try and monitor as best we can.  However in the morning their relationship is always still intact.  They will groom each other in the mornings sometimes. 

And the dog is a super friendly lab.  He is calm, hes getting older.  He is 6.  He was initially excited by the cats but now he just ignores them.  He is so affectionate though, I think he wishes they would let him be closer to them!  But my cats also just ignore him and occasionally Leo will swat at him, but they are really fine.  Have had no problems with them.  

 

[whatsonemore]

I'm sorry you are going through this.   I know how frustrating it is when you have an animal with issues and have to try to figure out what the problem is and how to solve it. 

I've never had this experience before, but I do know how animals tend to think, so here's my thoughts for you.

First of all, make sure you clean the spot(s) very, very well where he has urinated.  You do not want him to be able to smell the urine and keep going back there. 

Once you have cleaned the spot thoroughly, put his food in that spot.  Most animals don't want to go to the bathroom where they eat.

If you have a certain time you know he tends to go, keep an eye on him and if he's exhibiting needing to go behavior, sniffing the area, etc., put him in the litter box.

Also, how is his relationship with the other animals?  Is he stressed by the unlove from the other family members or pets?  Stress can make cats do  things they wouldn't normally do.  My latest rescue just decided to pee on the dog bed suddenly in front of me the other day and I'm sure it was because he was upset because I wasn't letting him outside.  He had only been with me for about a week and I wanted to keep him indoors to spend time with him and let him know that this was his permanent home.  Prior to me, he'd showed up at a house where he was kept in the garage and not hardly fed (because she hoped he'd go away), so he has had at least 2 other homes prior to mine.  In any case, the longer he was being kept inside while the other cats got to come and go as they pleased, the more upset he got, until he acted out.  A couple of days later, after it had been a week and a half, I started accompanying him outside and he's now full time indoor/outdoor and we've had no other issues.

Your kitty has seen and been through quite a lot and some cats are just slower to warm up to people and new living conditions than others, even under the best conditions.  My advice is to be patient with him.  Talk quietly and lovingly to him whenever he's around, play with him, and just work on building up his trust and love and confidence.  You want a happy, well adjusted cat and it takes love, time and patience.  Good luck and keep us posted.  

 

[debbiegarland]

Thanks so much for your kind words and advice!  It really means a lot! 

I think the smell is mostly gone.  I mean I cleaned it and ended up tearing up the carpet it was so ruined!  

I don't think he is getting stress from my family, but perhaps just getting the second cat?  He started peeing maybe about 3 months after getting the second cat.  Could he be trying to claim the bathroom as his and he doesn't want the second cat to go in there and eat?? I find that kinda weird though because I moved the food upstairs and he still pees.   And whats more is I have two litter boxes downstairs and one upstairs.  And I have never seen him use the downstairs one, only the upstairs.  So its weird that although he still uses the upstairs one he still also pees downstairs on the carpet.  

I was also looking into getting feliway.  Any thoughts on this anyone? 

 

[2Cats4everLoved]

it sounds though that Leo and Percy get along.  If they groom each other, that's a big deal.  

I don't know if keeping him in your room would work, it may remind him of being locked up at the foster home.

Perhaps if your room is big enough for play, you can take him on his own and give him a good workout with a laser light or something to exercise him to the point of exhaustion. LOL

Keep us posted.

Still thinking about this one....  There is a lot to consider.

 

[debbiegarland]

Thanks for the advice everyone!  

 

[zed xyzed]

I think the Feliway is worth trying. The other thing is that even though you might not smell the urine he might be able. You need to clean the spot really well with an enzyme based cleaner to make sure. How many litter boxes do you have? I think you said 3??? many people suggest  at least 2 per cat. When he does pee did you check to see if the litter boxes have been used? 

I hope you keeping trying to help him. Like you said he would have a difficult time getting rehomed. 

 

[debbiegarland]

Thanks!  I just ordered feliway.  I just find it weird because I see him use his litter box all the time.  I read some articles saying some cats like using rugs as a litter box.  Could this be the reason?  But if this was the reason wouldn't he be using other rugs in my house?  ugh I just have no idea.  

 

[debbiegarland]

Oh no yet another problem!  Does anyone have any input they can give me?

So I pulled up the entire rug, and I thought this would help.  I thought he just decided he liked the rug to pee on so I thought  by removing the rug and getting rid of the scent it would discourage him.  But nope!  He peed on the same spot even though there was no rug and he was literally a foot away from the litter.  Why would he be doing this?!  It  doesn't seem territorial--he is not spraying because the one time I saw him he was squatting. And the vet said he was healthy.  Does anyone have any ideas?  Anyone have any similar experiences? This is just getting so frustrating and I don't know what to do anymore.   

 

[zed xyzed]

I think you need to clean the area with a enzyme clean like Nature's Miracle to completely get rid of the odor 

 

[ivashanko]

The odor must completely go to help train your cat not to piss in that spot anymore.

 

[debbiegarland]

Thanks guys but I already clean with the enzyme stuff.  I just wish I could figure out why he does this!  I feel like it is impossible to fix this issue.  He is so determined to pee in that corner.  And I have no way of blocking him off from it because of how my house is structured.  The only way I can block him off (which I have done once)  is to leave him in a bedroom for 4 hours--and he used the litter box during that time, but when I let him out later he still peed in that corner. I don't know what else I can do at this point.  My family is so sick of him and frankly it is just so frusterating.

 

[wasabii]

Have you tried putting a box like, exactly in the spot that he's been peeing? For at least a little while?
Sorry you are going through this, I can only imagine how tough it must be and exhausting and frustrating.

 

[debbiegarland]

Yes thanks for your kind words but I do have a box like right in the area where he pees.  

 

[talkingpeanut]

I would do two things. One is a litter box bootcamp. I would leave him a small room with the litter box for a day or two so he has no choice but to remember to use it. Then you slowly start to expand his world.

The second option is an anti anxiety medication. It may help to reset him.

 

[debbiegarland]

Great thanks for the advice!  And you don't think one or two days in a bedroom is too much---because he was going pretty crazy after I kept him in a bedroom for only 4 hours!  But i'll research more into the anxiety meds and ask my vet.  I never thought of the anxiety meds.  He is a pretty skittish cat and he runs around my house like he is being chased by invisible ghosts cats lol.  

Also another question-I have been cleaning the house with the enzyme stuff but my house wreaks of cat urine (probably because he still pees daily). I can't seem to get rid of the smell.  Any tips?  

 

[talkingpeanut]

 
Great thanks for the advice!  And you don't think one or two days in a bedroom is too much---because he was going pretty crazy after I kept him in a bedroom for only 4 hours!  But i'll research more into the anxiety meds and ask my vet.  I never thought of the anxiety meds.  He is a pretty skittish cat and he runs around my house like he is being chased by invisible ghosts cats lol.  

Also another question-I have been cleaning the house with the enzyme stuff but my house wreaks of cat urine (probably because he still pees daily). I can't seem to get rid of the smell.  Any tips?  

He does sound anxious.  Meds might help a lot!  Just remember that it can take a month to see effects, so you'll need to work with him until then.

Can you make sure that he has toys in the bedroom?  As long as you go in and play with him too I don't think he'll suffer.

Which enzyme cleaner are you using?  It might not be effective.  If you can still smell it, he certainly can too, and will continue being attracted to those spots.