Male Cat Peeing Outside Of Litter Box

[ABPlatt]

Hello - we cannot get a handle on why our male cat is peeing outside of the litter box. Can anyone offer some advise on what is happening and how to correct this behavior? Below is some information.

Info on Cat and House:

• Male - long haired cat - 16 lbs (down from a high of 21 lbs in 2017)
• Neutered & declawed
• Indoor only, but we have a screened in deck that he occasionally has access to. Has never peed outside.
• approx. 13 years old (He is a rescue cat, unsure of exact age)
• Our 2nd cat is his sister and they have always been together.
• 3 story home, cats primarily on main level and basement - one box on main level, two in basement
• litter scooped once a day (worlds best cat litter)
• House is mostly carpeted, basement is unfinished
• Vet checked for UTI and/or any kidney issues during late July / early August 2018 and all was cleared - no medical issues per the Vet
• All spots are cleaned with an odor neutralizer when we see them
• Not consistently peeing in one spot
• He will pee in front of us. If we notice he is wondering looking for a spot, we can get him to use the box if we pick him up, carry him to the litter box, physically place him in the box and stand with him.
• Diet is a mix of dry food (Purina pro plan sensitive stomach) and wet food (Tiki Brand variety packs)

Major changes in the last year:

• Moved into this home in July 2017, behavior has been on and off since about January 2018, but has gotten worse in the past 4-6 months.
  
• We are currently pregnant and due within the next 2 weeks. At the advise of the Vet, we have given him daily "special" attention to sit and pet him / play with him to try and ease any anxiety that could be related to this change.
• His sister had a treatment for thyroid issues and was at a facility for 3-4 days in July 2018. His behavior became worse when she came back home.

Any advise is greatly appreciated! We really don't want to have to keep him quarantined in the basement, but we also can't have him peeing on all of the baby's things once our baby is here.

TIA!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! A warm welcome to you!!
Is he still unhappy with the other kitty? Try rubbing a towel on her (in the direction that her hair grows) and then rub the towel on him. That gives her scent all over him, and should help if he's grumpy about her.

Other than that, try music. The app Relax My Cat is a great resource or there's kusc.org

Also, add a couple more litterboxes, and try some different litter. There's one called Cat Attract that might help.

You, Your Cat And Stress

Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know

How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide

 

[ABPlatt]

Hi! A warm welcome to you!!
Is he still unhappy with the other kitty? Try rubbing a towel on her (in the direction that her hair grows) and then rub the towel on him. That gives her scent all over him, and should help if he's grumpy about her.

Other than that, try music. The app Relax My Cat is a great resource or there's kusc.org

Also, add a couple more litterboxes, and try some different litter. There's one called Cat Attract that might help.

You, Your Cat And Stress

Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know

How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide

Yes - they are currently laying together so he is still happy with his sister.

Given his size, his litter box is also a rather large box with high sides and a low front so he is able to "easily" walk in and turn around. He tends to fling litter out because as soon as he is finished his business, he will just jump out in any direction. I'll look into the Cat Attract litter though - thank you!

 

[Furballsmom]

Do try adding another box, and definitely try the music - you may be very pleasantly surprised

 

[Wile]

What kinds of surfaces is he peeing on? is he specifically targeting soft surfaces?

One possibility is that sometimes declawed cats will get arthritis in their paws, which makes digging in litter boxes painful for them. If this is the case you could try switching to a 'soft' cat litter or putting puppy pads in the litter boxes instead of litter so he doesn't associate the litter box with pain.

 

[ABPlatt]

What kinds of surfaces is he peeing on? is he specifically targeting soft surfaces?

One possibility is that sometimes declawed cats will get arthritis in their paws, which makes digging in litter boxes painful for them. If this is the case you could try switching to a 'soft' cat litter or putting puppy pads in the litter boxes instead of litter so he doesn't associate the litter box with pain.

He pees on the carpet / the walls (no, he is not spraying - even when he pees in the box, he pees on the side of the litter box more than in the litter itself so we have a higher side box). We are trying out the cat attract litter now, but he will dig in the box as if he's playing in sand for a minute or longer before hes goes #2 every time so I'm not sure how painful it is on his paws if he's only adverse to using the box & litter for peeing.

He used the cat attract litter once last night so we'll continue to monitor to see if he chooses the box over the walls with this new litter (we're trying two brands in side by side litter boxes to see which he prefers).

 

[ramscici]

Hi there! I'm sorry you're having these issues. I know how frustrating it can be. Is this a recent behavior, or was he always doing it and it got worse lately? My young male was peeing on most things (especially soft surfaces) upon bringing him home from a shelter. We did a number of things that seemed to stop the behavior:

• Plugged in two feliway diffusers for a calming effect -- we suspected it may have been anxiety / insecurity in his new environment, even though he was very friendly with all of us
• Used an enzymatic cleaner to thoroughly clean ALL surfaces he peed on, and, if possible, threw them in the wash with Oxi Clean. We then sprayed with a citrus scented Nature's Miracle after washing and let that soak to top it off. Some cats don't like the smell of citrus, and it will probably discourage from visiting that area again for peeing.
• Removed all "pee triggers" for a while. He was mostly peeing on blankets, laundry, soft beds, etc. so we made sure none of these things were accessible to him / in a pleasant spot to pee on for a few weeks. Since you have carpet I realize this is probably harder, but maybe you could try putting some aluminum foil temporarily (or something equally unpleasant for cats to walk on) in some common spots he's been peeing in?
• Changed our litter to be soft and fine-grained. Sometimes it's as simple as changing a litter, so maybe you could experiment with a different kind? Just stay away from crystals.

You mentioned he is declawed also. Has he been checked for arthritis? If not, this is something I might bring up with the vet.

Anxiety and/or pain is almost always why there are behavioral issues with urination. Try a few of these tricks. And good luck!

 

[ABPlatt]

Just wanted to say thank you for the cat attract litter tip!

We went out and bought two brands that night (worlds best and Dr. Elsey’s) and bought another large litter box to try the two brands side by side on our main level. Since we have used worlds best litter for years, we mixed about 75% WB cat attract with 25% of our usual WB litter in one box. The other box has only Dr. Elsey’s brand cat attract litter. Side by side, both of our cats have been choosing the Dr. Elsey’s brand litter!!

Our male cat hasn’t peed outside of the box since we put out the Dr. Elsey’s litter. We plan to keep both options available for at least another week or two to be sure, but this litter already seems so much better. Not only does our problem cat willingly use it without us having to place him in the box, but it clumps better than Worlds Best for easier cleaning AND less litter tracks out of the box when he jumps out.

I’m really hoping this is a real fix and not some temporary thing until he decides to be a pain again haha.

Thanks again!!