At My Wits End With Cat Peeing Outside Of Litter Box

[jagged37]

Hi everyone!
Our beautiful tortie cat, Lilly, started peeing outside of her litter box this past year when our other 2 cats became sick (one had cancer and the other was old and had kidney failure among other things). They both died in July. During their sickness, the peeing ramped up and after their deaths it got even worse. She would pee on the stove, counter, on the wall next to her litter boxes, and in the mud room bathroom or on the door if we had it shut. She would yowl again and again at night and wouldn't settle down. I should tell you that I used Nature's Miracle, vinegar, peroxide and baking soda and everything in between to clean the messes. Mostly Nature's Miracle which honestly I have my doubts about working.

Anyway, In October, I finally talked to the vet about putting her on anti-anxiety meds. She was on them until beginning of January. We were getting our hardwood floors redone so we were living in our apartment above our garage and I forgot to get it filled. Well, she did really well - no incidents at all and she started playing again.

We've finally moved back in the house and now she has started her peeing outside of the litter box again. It had been isolated to the Florida room where we keep one of her litter boxes. The other I put in our bedroom. But, tonight, she peed on the trim next to the mud room bathroom. I should say that this is near the back door that leads to the screened in pool area where I do let her out from time to time.

I honestly don't know what to do. I try to play with her and give her oodles of attention but I must admit it's difficult some nights because I also have 2 dogs who require a lot of exercise and training so I actually started some clicker training with Lilly so she could feel like she was part of it. I also tried calming treats and recently got this calming liquid. I don't feel like any of this works. My opinion is that she gets frustrated when she can't get whatever it is she wants (outside access to the pool cage or food, for instance).

I welcome any and all suggestions! I need help! My husband has threatened to throw her outside but frankly I don't care what he says. I will rent an apartment with Lilly before I let that happen. And, I really am tired of cleaning up cat pee and I get frustrated because I don't understand why she is doing this. So, I'm determined to fix this problem because she is honestly a wonderful cat and I love her to pieces. Thank you!!!!

 

[marmoset]

Is she spayed? How old is she?

It sounds behavioral but have you had her vet checked just in case? Is she still on meds for anxiety? It sounds like a lot of moving in a short period of time.

 

[Lya]

Was Lilly checked for crystals or urinary infections?

If yes and all negative, might started since the other cats died? I guess with them being sick and all it’s a common thing for her to mark, could be due to anxiety or territorial. I’ve heard than when an alpha dies (probably one of your other cats) it’s stressful for the remaning cats, who feel the need to either fight each other to become the new alpha or protect the place from predators by themselves, specially if there’s only one left, Lilly in this case.

I don’t know how you feel about it, but I heard kenneling works. You set up a nice, large kennel for her, with a resting place, food and water, and finally litterbox. Being in that closed space is more likely for her to rewire her brain and learn again the proper place to pee. If you catch her peeing somewhere else, calmly pick her up and put her in the kennel.

 

[jagged37]

Yes, I believe it is behavioral. And yes, I've had the vet check her several times.

No, she is not on the anti-anxiety because honestly it seemed like she was doing better wo/them and it really didn't seem to be doing much.

Yes, it was a lot of moving but when we weren't in the house, the behavior stopped and I thought it would get worse because of the changes.

 

[jagged37]

Was Lilly checked for crystals or urinary infections?

If yes and all negative, might started since the other cats died? I guess with them being sick and all it’s a common thing for her to mark, could be due to anxiety or territorial. I’ve heard than when an alpha dies (probably one of your other cats) it’s stressful for the remaning cats, who feel the need to either fight each other to become the new alpha or protect the place from predators by themselves, specially if there’s only one left, Lilly in this case.

I don’t know how you feel about it, but I heard kenneling works. You set up a nice, large kennel for her, with a resting place, food and water, and finally litterbox. Being in that closed space is more likely for her to rewire her brain and learn again the proper place to pee. If you catch her peeing somewhere else, calmly pick her up and put her in the kennel.

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Yes - she's been to the vet several times and they have tested her urine.

That's interesting about the alpha cat. Our big orange tabby died about 2 years ago and he was the peace-keeper of the house. We were all very devastated when he passed away. I doubt the 2 that recently passed away were alphas but maybe to Lilly they were.

We were using the crate for her when we weren't around. I just feel so bad about putting her in there especially when we're home because she loves being around us and the dogs. But, this might be the only option left. Thank you.

 

[danteshuman]

Maybe the key here is the house? A couple things I would try: 1)I would look over inside and outside your house for cat pee with a black light. It could be that the pee didn't get all cleaned up, soaked in the carpet pad or what I think is happening .... you have neigbirhood cats/feral cats marking your house/yard. 2) I would make your yards unfriendly to cats. Especially if you see pee marks outside your yard or catch cats in your yard (setting up your phone or a camera to record during the night might work?) If you have INTUDERS in your yard, your cat is under siege. I would buy motion activiated sprinklers. Sometimes possums, coyotes, foxes or dogs coming into your yard every night is what causes their territory insecurity.

Honestly through it all I would ask your vet about trying Prozac for your cat. In the it couldn't hurt to give it a go for 6 months to a year then wean her off. You may need to increase the dose until you figure out the right dosage. I also heard they make a Prozac cream.

Your cat is screaming at you that something in that house is very wrong (but the apartment is OK.) Figuring out what it is may take time but you can do it. We once had a dog that peed upstairs in front of my sister's old room every time it rained or if my dumbass room mates stuck a rug in front of their door (after we removed the carpet.) Our best guess is that her rabbits peed in the carpet in that room and the dog smelled it plus the dog hated getting her paws wet. I feel your pain.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Along with the great advice, try a cleaner called The Equalizer, it doesn't require soaking hang in there!

 

[Wile]

Hi there! It is hard to tell what is going on because there have been quite a few changes in your household, but I had similar thoughts to danteshuman . My gut feeling is that the loss of your other cats, medication, and the change in living arrangements might be red herrings. The reason why I think that is because right now Lilly seems to be spraying places that are territorially insecure (close to the pool door). Medication can help with this kind of insecurity, but you can also make a few changes around your house to address the problem too.

My approach to addressing Lilly's peeing would be to make sure that there are no other cats around that she might feel threatened by. Make her feel like she is the only cat in the world. Block her sight-lines out of windows. Use motion activated sprinklers or cans of air to scare other cats out of your backyard. Put scratching posts in places where she has repeatedly marked to try and shift the marking behaviour to scratching rather than spraying.

I hope things work out!

 

[rubysmama]

Sorry, if I missed this, but how many litter boxes do you have? Just wondering if you've tried putting out more litter boxes, particularly in the areas where she is peeing.

I also see you've tried crate training. It doesn't come up very often here on the forums, but here are 2 threads by members who've tried it, if you're interested.

About To Start Crate Training For My Extremely Litter Box Averse Cat
Crate Training My Cat

 

[jagged37]

Thank you for all of the advice. I thought about blocking the windows but the only problem is that in the Florida room, we have a huge sliding glass door and I'm not sure that would be an option. We could get a blind for the back door, though. I'm also not sure there are any other cats outside (we adopted all of the neighborhood cats when we moved in ). There might be other critters like raccoons or opossums but I highly doubt any cats.

I have a scratching post in the mudroom hallway near the bathroom door and there is a cat tree with scratching posts in the Florida room which has tile flooring. I also feed her in there away from her litter box, of course. We currently have 2 litter boxes and I will say that I've noticed she is pretty picky about her boxes. I dump them every 2-3 weeks and I've noticed that if it's nearing time to dump them, she will start her bad behavior but then again I haven't been keeping very good track on that specifically and I might just bee looking for answers. However, I started a spreadsheet with when I last changed the litter and her litter box habits.

The other thing I'm going to do is to get a black light and try a different enzyme cleaner. I already ordered it, otherwise, I would try Equalizer as was recommended. I really wonder if Nature's Miracle works to get rid of the urine because I always thinks it stinks in there but I really don't like the smell of Nature's Miracle. And if I think it stinks, then she probably does, too.

She hasn't peed anywhere inappropriately today and it's been the 2nd day of a fresh litter box. She also seems calmer tonight than last night. I did some clicker training with her alongside the dogs and she seemed to enjoy it or maybe it was just because she got treats. Either way, she was included in on the fun with the dogs and I do think that sometimes she might feel left out even if it is just because the dogs are getting treats and she's not.

Thank you all. If none of this works, then the last resort will be the crate. She's just such a social cat which is why I'd rather not use the crate.

 

[kobata1928]

Sometimes with cats with inappropriate urinary tendency's it is best to just throw away the whole litter box and get a new one. They have a better sense of smell than us, and for a picky cat it might be best to just start over. You didn't say what type of litter you use, but maybe try something different like pine pellets if you are used to using clumping, or an open sided box if you have been using a covered. One of my cats used to like the walnut shell litter, then just instantly started hating it. As others have said crystals and infections are another possibility, when they experience pain in the litter box they want to go in other places to avoid the pain. Best of luck!

 

[rubysmama]

We currently have 2 litter boxes and I will say that I've noticed she is pretty picky about her boxes. I dump them every 2-3 weeks and I've noticed that if it's nearing time to dump them, she will start her bad behavior but then again I haven't been keeping very good track on that specifically and I might just bee looking for answers.

What kind of litter do you use? I find clumping litter is pretty convenient, and I only occasionally ever dump and replace all the litter. I do remove the waste clumps twice a day. And I clean the sides and bottom of the litter box weekly, or whenever it needs it. Ruby tends to "do her business" backed up against the sides, so the sides need to be wiped down often. I use litter box wipes to do that. They're a bit expensive, but super convenient.


amazon.com/Petkin-Litter-Box-Wipes-40-Count/dp/B00QQHZ7S6

 

[Jem]

we have a huge sliding glass door and I'm not sure that would be an option

We blocked the bottom 2.5 feet of our patio doors with stick on sheet vinyl that looks like frosted glass. It worked well, and wasn't too much of an eye sore.

 

[jagged37]

I already tried that and she still was peeing outside the box. She hasn't had an incident in 2 days and 2 days ago, I dumped the litter. I'm using Dr. Elsy's Cat Attract Clumping litter right now.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hopefully the good trend continues!

 

[Jem]

*This might have already been said so I'm sorry if I'm repeating something*

OK. I know you've been to the vet, and they said she was good, BUT did they mention if there were any inflammatory cells present in the urine sample? Even a very small amount that they thought could be insignificant? I wonder if it could be cystitis brought on by stress. It is possible that the lining of the bladder becomes inflamed and irritated without an infection or crystals. It doesn't help much overall as you still need to find out what is causing the stress but at least if a day goes by and she doesn't use the box, you could try and track what happen the day before or that day and see if there is a pattern.
For example: *I can't recall if you have more than one cat, but if you do...*
The days she goes out of the box might coincide with when the hierarchy of the household is being challenged. In some cases, the dominant cat in the house does not always stay the same. And this is something you might not see or notice so it can take a keen eye to spot the small signs. Again this is just an example, but you never know.

I really hope the new box and litter is all it takes to "reset" her behavior though. I wish you luck!!!!!

 

[jagged37]

Thank you all for the feedback. FYI - she is the only cat as our other cats passed away in July. Them being sick is what triggered all of the spraying.

Unfortunately, none of the suggestions have helped. She goes 3-4 days with no incidents and then seemingly all of sudden, she starts spraying on the walls and the dog food containers in the FL room. She even urinated in our master bathroom shower (we don't use it but still). This morning, I dumped and cleaned her box in the FL Room. I cleaned it with dish liquid and some baking soda. Then, I cleaned the floor in the FL Room with peroxide, baking soda and and dish soap.

This evening, we were all in the living room which is right next to the FL Room, watching a movie. She had been sleeping peacefully on my lap. She got up and started walking around. She started to go into the master bedroom which is where the other litter box is located but turned around, went into the FL room. I knew she had sprayed because I did not hear her scratching in her box and could tell by the way she was acting. Sure enough, there was urine on the floor. This was the same thing that happened this morning at 3am. I got up, fed her some food. This has been the routine and it was working. I'll get up, give her some food, she uses the litter box and then I can go back to sleep. This morning, however, she did not use her litter box and instead sprayed on the wall.

She has been urinating outside of the litter box more frequently lately. I have been keeping a record of her "incidents" since October. I really don't see a pattern. I don't understand what gets her started. I was thinking it was related to food. When she was rescued, she was found in a feral colony but she IS NOT feral and the lady that took her to the shelter was feeding the feral colony and noticed that Lilly was getting picked on by the other cats and that she must have been dumped there. As a result, she has always been very excited around food. Which is why I started just feeding her a little bit throughout the day and I make sure I give her a little bit before bed. She especially gets restless before bedtime. So, I started playing with her on the bed before we went to sleep. This past week, I started closing the door (we have a litter box in the bedroom). I was hoping that this would be a signal to her that it was time to go to sleep and settled down. It works until my husband comes to bed or I stir in my sleep. As soon as I'm awake, she gets up and starts pacing because she wants food. If I stay in bed, I can almost guarantee, she will spray in the FL Room.

The other thing is that I'm wondering if her spraying has to do with how much she gets to go outside in the pool cage. She loves to go outside in the screened in area but it does seem like the more time she spends out there, the more she wants to be outside and if I don't want her out there like at night, she gets frustrated and sprays. I do keep a litter box in the pool cage when she's out there.

Finally, she has had bouts of constipation and the vet is aware of this. Her stool has been normal except for today. It seemed hard. I'm going to give her some pumpkin in her bedtime snack tonight. I'm considering seeing a different vet - just to get a fresh perspective on her issues and maybe they might think of something different or check something differently on her.

So.....if anyone has any other ideas. I would GREATLY appreciate it.

 

[Furballsmom]

I don't have any other ideas but I'm thinking a different vet is a very good plan .

 

[rubysmama]

Few thoughts as I read your last post:

Then, I cleaned the floor in the FL Room with peroxide, baking soda and and dish soap.

I don't think that combination will remove the urine scent enough that she will not still smell her scent. And if she can smell it, she may continue peeing there. Enzyme cleaners are the only way to remove urine smell. I'll post links to some TCS articles with more info. Also, you might want to get a black light to check around the house for other spots where she's peed.

Combat Cat Urine
How To Remove Cat Urine
How To Remove Cat Urine Odor From Your Home

As soon as I'm awake, she gets up and starts pacing because she wants food. If I stay in bed, I can almost guarantee, she will spray in the FL Room.

Does she eat canned food or dry food? If she eats some dry food, I wonder if setting up an automatic feeder to provide food overnight might help.

I'm considering seeing a different vet - just to get a fresh perspective on her issues and maybe they might think of something different or check something differently on her.

I think a 2nd opinion is a good idea. Are there any cat only vets in your area?

AAFP | American Association of Feline Practitioners
Under "Find Veterinarians and Practices" click on "Learn More". Fill in your info, ensuring you pick "Feline Only" under practice type. That will get you a list of any in your area.

 

[jagged37]

I don't think that combination will remove the urine scent enough that she will not still smell her scent. And if she can smell it, she may continue peeing there. Enzyme cleaners are the only way to remove urine smell. I'll post links to some TCS articles with more info. Also, you might want to get a black light to check around the house for other spots where she's peed.

I always use Nature's Miracle to clean up her urine. I used this mixture yesterday because I really hate the smell of Nature's Miracle and I figure if I hate it her sensitive nose hates it as well. Plus, honestly, I wonder about the effectiveness of Nature's Miracle, which is why I ordered a black light and a different enzymatic cleaner.

[QUOTE="rubysmama, post: 4845140, member: 65762"
Does she eat canned food or dry food? If she eats some dry food, I wonder if setting up an automatic feeder to provide food overnight might help.[/QUOTE]

She eats mainly wet and even when I feed her dry, she doesn't finish it. She doesn't seem to like dry food anymore that much. It could be that she just needs a different kind but I'd prefer her to eat wet due to her constipation issues and the fact that I never see her drink water.

Thank you for the suggestions. I'm going to make an appointment to our alternate vet next week. She is not a cat only vet but we have taken our other animals there for 2nd opinions and she typically comes up with a good solution.