My cat won't stop urinating outside the litterbox

findingamber

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About 3 years ago I adopted a pair of sister cats from a shelter. They were at that point 6 years old and had been at the shelter their whole life. They had been put in the special needs room because they were extra cautious and scared around anyone and anything. It took them a few years to get comfortable enough with me petting them.

One of the two sisters has been peeing on the couch regularly, so I now have a plastic cover on which she still pees on sometimes. She will also pee on my bed when left unattended, so now that room is closed off except when im sleeping. I recently got a new rug for my office that i kept under my desk to keep my feet warm and shes decided to pee on that as well. This weekend i discovered she had been peeing on the carpet in my room right next to my clothes dresser.

Since they were adopted, two more cats have joined the household, but I believe the one started urinating on the couch before then. All other cats aren't having any problems urinating outside the litterbox.

Initially I brought her to the vet and they determined she had a uti which could be caused from their stress hormones. So i was given medication and she completed her cycle and the vet gave her the all clear. Per the vets recommendation, I now feed her Royal Canin Vet Diet Feline Urinary SO dry food. I also have Feliway classic calming diffuser in every room that she has been urinating in. I have even changed from a crystal cat litter to a wheat based natural litter thinking that might be a problem.

I have run out of ideas to fix this problem, can anyone help?
 

maggie101

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About 3 years ago I adopted a pair of sister cats from a shelter. They were at that point 6 years old and had been at the shelter their whole life. They had been put in the special needs room because they were extra cautious and scared around anyone and anything. It took them a few years to get comfortable enough with me petting them.

One of the two sisters has been peeing on the couch regularly, so I now have a plastic cover on which she still pees on sometimes. She will also pee on my bed when left unattended, so now that room is closed off except when im sleeping. I recently got a new rug for my office that i kept under my desk to keep my feet warm and shes decided to pee on that as well. This weekend i discovered she had been peeing on the carpet in my room right next to my clothes dresser.

Since they were adopted, two more cats have joined the household, but I believe the one started urinating on the couch before then. All other cats aren't having any problems urinating outside the litterbox.

Initially I brought her to the vet and they determined she had a uti which could be caused from their stress hormones. So i was given medication and she completed her cycle and the vet gave her the all clear. Per the vets recommendation, I now feed her Royal Canin Vet Diet Feline Urinary SO dry food. I also have Feliway classic calming diffuser in every room that she has been urinating in. I have even changed from a crystal cat litter to a wheat based natural litter thinking that might be a problem.

I have run out of ideas to fix this problem, can anyone help?
[/QU

did your cat have crystals? That's why I gave my cat rc so. Have you used a black light and enzyme cleaner? Since uti can be from stress which my cat has, I spend more time with her playing and brushing, cat tower,chew toys,wands pop up cubes,lounger. Their litter boxes are from storage bins. I have 2 18inch high and one long 30 inches long. Lots of litter
 
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findingamber

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Yea the vet said she had crystals in her urine, I use an enzyme cleaner every time to clean up. Also have 3 litter boxes, which I could get a couple more. I do have lots of toys and a cat tower but shes not very fond of playing and usually runs away any time I try
 

maggie101

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Yea the vet said she had crystals in her urine, I use an enzyme cleaner every time to clean up. Also have 3 litter boxes, which I could get a couple more. I do have lots of toys and a cat tower but shes not very fond of playing and usually runs away any time I try
I found the best toy for my cat. A wand toy with just the attach part,no toy . It looks like a little bug crawling on the ground. Even though my cat no longer has crystals I give her purina ur mixed with a food she loves,since crystals can come back. I watch her use the litter box and her behavior. She used to stare at one of my cats for a long time, a rescue she has never accepted
 

suzeanna

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Yea the vet said she had crystals in her urine, I use an enzyme cleaner every time to clean up. Also have 3 litter boxes, which I could get a couple more. I do have lots of toys and a cat tower but shes not very fond of playing and usually runs away any time I try
It's recommended to have enough litter boxes for your cats +1 extra, so if you have 4 cats it would help to have at least 5.
 

di and bob

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I would provide one box with old-fashioned clay clumping litter, some cats absolutely refuse to go in 'organic' anything. She may hate that wheat-based and crystal litter.....
 

FeebysOwner

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Half the battle in getting rid of crystals is moisture. I would try adding the RC SO in canned food as well. Moisture helps keep the bladder flushed out and aides in preventing crystals from forming to the point where they cause irritation, inflammation, and infection. Perhaps, try a water fountain to see if that will entice her to drink more.

Another issue is that sometimes when an infection is identified and no urine culture is done, the most effective antibiotics are not always the one(s) prescribed. While most antibiotics will reduce the infection, they may not totally eradicate it. So, check to make sure a urine culture was performed and the most effective antibiotic was given to your cat. In addition to the type of antibiotic, many vets prescribe a regimen of 5-7 days of an antibiotic when sometimes it might require as much as 10-14 days to completely knock out an infection.

As far as calming products, not all work on all cats, so Feliway isn't the only one you should rely on if there is any chance it is not helping much/any. Do an internet search on 'cat calming products' to see all the potential options. Forms of entertainment are also sometimes used to help reduce stress in a cat, such as bird/squirrel videos, bird feeders that can be seen from windows where you have cat perches/trees. Some even use cat music - David Teie's Music for Cats which is on Prime and Spotify, Cat In My Arms on Spotify and elsewhere, and RelaxMyCat are the ones I have seen most often recommended on this site.

It might not hurt to try to use puppy pee pads in a litter box instead of litter since she seems to like going on softer/smoother surfaces. If it works, perhaps over time you can revert back to litter once this habit of hers is broken, and all locations are deemed to be odor free. Try other forms of cleansers, such as the ones in these articlea (see below) if you haven't already.
How To Get Cat Urine Smell Out Of Carpet: Effective, Non-toxic Solutions – TheCatSite Articles
How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of Clothes And Linens – TheCatSite Articles
 
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