Inherited cat peeing all over house for months

toby4448

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I inherited my dad's cat about 7 months ago after he passed away. When I first brought her home she was peeing blood everywhere and very stressed. Vet ran a ton of test, nothing wrong with her so we assumed stress. She quickly quit peeing blood, and came out of her shell and seemed to blend in well with my two small dogs - all was well, except she would pee in one corner of the kitchen often. She would also use her litter box. Well fast forward 7 months and the urinating has gotten out of control. She has a few places in our house she likes to go - kitchen corner under windows, my closet, and a few places in den under windows/doors. But she also uses her litter box - she pees a lot. It is driving us all insane. She is at least 13 - my dad and her lived together alone until he passed away - so it is a major adjustment to come live with us and 2 small dogs. I assume it's stress but what do you do???? She never seems stressed. She sleeps ALL day long unless she is peeing or drinking. She has an entire room to herself where dogs can not get to. But she spends most of the time asleep on sofa. She sleeps in the bed with us also. She just seems to fit in and be happy except for the urinating. I have tried the Feliaway diffusers and they did nothing. I am not sure if I should take her back to the vet? I just hate to spend another $1000 on tests and nothing show again. She is ruining my floors and I am at my witts end. Would love any advise!!
 

FeebysOwner

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It is so great that you could take this cat when your dad passed, bless you and sorry for your loss.

Tbh, 7 months is a long time for a cat that age, so it is likely something health-wise could have changed. A senior cat should have semi-annual exams that include full-scale blood work and urinalysis. Since she was already prone to peeing problems, she could likely have urinary tract issues that have become more apparent now. Peeing a lot, especially more than before, is another possible indicator of a health-related issue.

There could be something new going on in your home that you take for granted which is bothering her, or it could even be outside animals roaming about your property that is causing stress. Seeming happy isn't really a good indicator with a cat, because they hide things going on with them so well.

Cleaning the areas where she pees with enzymatic cleaners just to help discourage her from continually using those same places, is one thing to do. Trying other calming diffusers besides Feliway is something else to do; not all calming products work on all cats, so experimentation is almost always necessary. There are also cat calming treats, another experiment.
 

Eurocat

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Hi
I think the stress and upheaval of the new circumstaces is definitely a factor, but if the cat mainly sleeps, drinks and urinates then I would definitely get a second medical opinion asap. I‘m thinking along the lines kidney issues, diabetes, infection, etc etc but IMO it really should be checked out again.
Best of luck!
 

downton ali

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All good advice above. If she's sleeping all the time, could she be a little depressed/still stressed? Maybe some interactive playtime with you, plus the calming plug ins, plus using an enzymatic cleaner- the combo of which will help a bit at a time. Btw, I found that Anti-Icky Poo Unscented was the only cleaner that worked for me. So glad I found it thanks to my vet. Also, put something in those spots that already smells like the cat, so that they recognize their scent there and don't try to "re-apply" it.
 

CodyMolly

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Hi so great you took your dads cat in! So lovely of you! Usually if a cat bleeds it urinary track infection. Did your vet do a pee sample? Won’t show in the blood. Maybe you can just bring the cat back for the pee sample and only be charged for that… with that said definitely get it checked for that. I have a cat that would bleed on and off and what they found in the pee sample was she was passing stones. Had to go on antibiotics and special food and then and has been fine eating prescription food and she stopped getting or producing stones. Drinking A lot and peeing a lot as she is a senior also can be a sign of thyroid disease- not a big deal either. Romeo peed a lot and really drank a lot and was a senior too when he got this. Put on meds and he was fine. Also a sign of that is your kitty will get alittle thin or scrawny looking. Buts that’s easy to treat too meds once a day. Happens we all get old. Diabetes also makes you drink a lot too.. anyone who drinks a lot will certainly pee a lot. If I were you I would just start with the urine sample and thyroid and diabetes test only if you haven’t done that. What your describing is old age for kitties. Try a different vet . Bring your records with you too or have them faxed over or look at the tests they did and see if any of the stuff I mentioned is on there. And question your vet on the tests you do and make sure they explain every thing to you.. otherwise I am so glad she is happy and loving your beautiful home!
 

CodyMolly

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Oh forgot to mention where ever she peed clean clean clean with warm water good I also had a cat named chance .. that’s how he got his name - he was a male cat and peed every where too ! he was young and territorial also was passing bladder stones.. and I bought this stuff called Cat Attract.. you put it in the litter . It attracts cats to use the litter instead of peeing everywhere. If I were you I would leave two litter boxes out and sprinkle this in the litter and I bet a lot of the peeing will stop!! You can buy it google cat attract. I promise you it shall work! But put more litter boxes out ! That’s my suggestion.
 

NekoM

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There’s a couple of things I’m curious about - Is her litter box out in the open or is it somewhere more discreet and private. Also when you say she has her own room is it a free roaming space or more enclosed?
 

Ocean Planet

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This may be an odd response, but it is an option.

My cat for some reason developed a habit of peeing outside the box at times and using the box at times. No problems were ever found by the vet. He is just super anxious. Well, I had to think of something to protect my home and getting rid of him wasn't an option.

He liked going in corners for some reason. My solution, I went to his favorite spots and using masking tape, I taped a puppy pad up in the corner. He would back up on it, do his thing and I'd dispose of the puppy pad and place down a new one.

Yeah, its kind of a bummer to have them taped around the house but it saves from any more further destruction. Just a thought. At least until you can figure things out or re-train.
 

CodyMolly

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I had to do the wee wee pad thing too! For one of my male cats! He actually would go in the litter but pee straight out! I have dogs and thought of the same thing! It saved my walls and floors! I actually also bought plastic sheet at Home Depot so I could clean that and just throw out the pad on the floor too! Can’t believe others do this ! And shadow lives until the age of 23 he was a big black cat he once was 20 lbs at times. Big love bug but didn’t pee right but loved and miss him lots!
 

Alldara

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T toby4448
Firstly, sorry for your loss.
Peeing blood due to anxiety is a medical condition called FLUTD. You can read about it here: Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) | International Cat Care
The website includes many tips to help.

Personally, having dealt with FLUTD a long time, I would take these steps:

- put another litter box in the corner of the kitchen where it all started. She's comfortable going there obviously, so this is likely a non-negotiable in terms of getting her to use the box.

- senior cat bloodwork. Things change quickly at that age. My cat went from perfectly healthy to serious condition in 8 months, which we discovered at his bi-yearly medical exam.

-urinating a lot is usually a sign of illness. You can take this with you to your vet or send it to your vet before appointment: Cat Behavior Problems - House Soiling | VCA Animal Hospital.
 
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