Feeling hopeless... Cat won't use litter box after stress of urinary obstruction(s) and eventual PU surgery last year

[lydiaclav]

Hi everyone! This is my first post - forgive me if the background is a little bit lengthy. It's a long story

Our six-year-old male cat, PJ, was perfectly healthy up until last March when he started having urinary issues. After spotting the warning signs for obstruction, we took him to the emergency vet where he was hospitalized for multiple weeks with back-to-back urinary obstructions (he was treated and then he re-obstructed immediately afterward) and ultimately PU surgery as recommended by our vet.

The surgery went perfectly and he healed without any complications, but throughout everything he was under an extreme amount of stress. He's always been an incredibly stressed-out cat, needing sedation for even a routine vet visit, so the whole ordeal was very traumatizing for him.

Before this all happened, he NEVER peed outside the litter box.

Since all of this went down, he hasn't used the litter box at all for #1 or #2. It's been over a year. He uses our apartment floor (usually the carpet, sometimes the tile floor) as his litter box and tries to "bury" it afterward by scratching at the carpet. We've tried everything - different kinds of litterboxes and litter, litter box placement, Feliway, pee pads in the spots where he normally goes, multiple litter boxes, etc. but other than one or two incidents when he peed in the litter box out of the blue (which gave us false hope), nothing has worked. When we laid down pee pads, he kicked them out of the way, peed on the carpet, and then used the pee pad to cover it up.

I know he must be really stressed and probably doesn't like the "floor as a litter box" arrangement any more than we do.

We've taken him to the vet for checkups and for UTI treatment twice since his procedure (which is normal for male cats after PU surgery, according to our vet), and we've been keeping the vet updated throughout this journey and she believes it's definitely a behavioral issue. He's still on a special urinary health diet to prevent infections (Royal Canin) and we're careful to keep an eye out for potential UTIs.

As a last resort, our vet even prescribed him an anti-anxiety medication in hopes it would help him relax and resume using his litter box, but that hasn't helped either. For over a year we've just been cleaning the carpet every time he has an accident. We try to get everything out of the carpet to discourage him from going in the same place again, but it feels close to impossible considering its a daily event and cat urine is really hard to eliminate completely.

We don't know what to do anymore. He's a beloved part of our family and we will never consider re-homing him, so we're trying to brainstorm ANY option that might help get him back in the litter box. He is a rescue kitty that has always lived indoors, so letting him outside (especially since we live in an apartment) isn't really an option. Our vet mentioned once, "I'm worried this traumatic experience [of the obstructions] has ruined the litter box for him forever." I'm so scared that's the case and it's hopeless - that we just have to move to a place without any carpeting and clean up after him forever.

Any advice, ideas, or suggestions for:

- Re-training him to use the litter box (if that's even possible)
- Making the litter box more comfortable/appealing for him
- Reducing his stress
- Deep cleaning our carpets to more thoroughly eliminate any trace odors

...would be so, SO appreciated. I've been referencing this site for a while now (it was invaluable to me last year when we were struggling with the urinary obstructions and what to do) and I figured if anyone can help, it's you all.

Thank you in advance!

 

[catsknowme]

Welcome to TCS! I applaud your patience in working things out with your cat - so many unfortunate kitties are surrendered to the kill shelter for far less challenges.
My favorite odor remover is "My Pet Peed". Prior to that, I preferred Zero Odor.
For stress, I recommend comfort grooming. I use a simple plastic comb and control the comb's tooth length with my thumb held horizontally across the teeth. I use "J" strokes that mimic a mother cat's licks. Your cat might benefit from learning to do tricks (great confidence builder). I begin with getting up on a perch then graduate to "circles" and/or "tailwhips".
I also highly recommend vigorous play using a teaser attached to a retired fishing pole or lunge whip for horses. This allows for across the room dashes and high leaps into the air; movements that delight the hunter's spirit that beats in the hearts of our house panthers.
You can ask your vet about using Marshmallow Root which is very soothing to the urinary system. He may have residual discomfort from the surgeries, just like what happens to humans.
You may try to get discarded carpet samples to place on top of the main carpet.
Eventually, you can place the carpet samples in shallow cardboard boxes and see if he will accept that.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Poor baby! I would suggest the same thing - carpet remnants to lay over the carpet, especially in the areas he is prone to going. There are even washable carpet tiles that might be an option. And, as said above, if you can get him using those, then you can graduate on to big cardboard boxes with the carpet inside. For the heck of it, you could also try soil from outside in a low sided cardboard box, just to see what happens.

Cleaners like Fizzion and SCOE10x might be some others to try. Although members on this site have used them for hard surfaces (tile for example, as well as wood), they might be an option for carpeting as well. The problem you are going to have is urine that has soaked through the under pad and even into the surface below - as those areas require a lot of cleaning and a lot of time to dry.

What kind of UTIs is he prone to now? Marshmallow root is one thing to help, but if he is prone to e-coli bacteria, pure D-Mannose is another option. Prescription foods are mostly for helping to reduce the chance of crystal production, not so much infections - although some infections do come from crystals in the urinary tract. I hope the Royal Canin is canned food - just by virtue of the added moisture that canned food can offer. Flushing out his tract as much as possible is the best bet in preventing future infections.

 

[fionasmom]

I have had three GSDs in a row with mobility issues which necessitated having pee pads in the house at all times for them. Yes, they used the pads, but there were also misses. If this really escalates, you can also consider putting plastic carpet runners down, or even a tarp of sorts if this is confined to a space where that would be agreeable. You could then put the carpet samples on top of those and see if it would attract him.

I would also suggest that if you go this route, that you have the area where the carpet is most soiled professionally cleaned....or you can do it yourself. Make sure it is dry before you put anything down. Companies like Stanley Steemer are very effective with carpet pet issues.

You are very kind to work through this with your boy. We never rehomed any dog either.....a huge dog who can't walk and has urinary issues is a pretty hard sell anyway.

 

[lydiaclav]

Thank you all so much for your responses! That is a great idea with the carpet squares. Hopefully that could be a good stepping stone for him getting used to using a specific area. We're planning to get our carpets professionally cleaned for a fresh start and then begin using a new cleaner - thanks for all the great recommendations for those.

I will also talk to our vet about potentially trying Marshmallow root or pure D-Mannose - I believe he is prone to the e-coli bacteria. I didn't realize that the Royal Canin isn't helpful for preventing UTIs, so I might talk to our vet about transitioning him to a different food as well. She has mentioned the benefits of a Royal Canin "calm" variety for him, so that might be a good option.

I hadn't thought about using other means to build his confidence, such as learning tricks, but I'm excited to give it a try and see how he responds. I've been so focused on the litter box issues as a specific behavioral issue, so that's a great reminder that getting more play time and things like comfort grooming could help him all-around feel more relaxed and comfortable, and hopefully, more comfortable with the idea of the carpet squares/pee pads/any controlled area.

Again, thank you all for taking the time to write such thoughtful responses! It is truly appreciated! Hopefully our poor guy will start feeling more comfortable soon.

 

[catsknowme]

Please keep us updated on what you try, what works, what didn't - your new knowledge will help cats around the world.

 

[lydiaclav]

Absolutely - I will report back!