Neutered Cat Peeing Outside Litterbox

[BlazenlyObvious]

So a lady who adopted a kitten that I rescued has been having issues with him peeing on things for a while now. Just recently he has been neutered yet it hasn’t stopped. He still will use the litterbox but sometimes chooses to pee, not poop, outside the box.

She has seen three different vets and he has been cleared of health problems.
She has changed the litter three different times to see if that was the issue, it wasn’t. She added more litterboxes and even would clean, using a cleaner that would completely eliminate the smell, any spots he peed on to get rid of it and try and make him avoid going back to the spots. It didn’t work.
He likes to pee on clothes, on the bed, on sheets, you name it. And he’ll do it if you’re in the same room, too.
The vet said it’s behavioral, and one even suggested putting him outside which she refused to do for obvious reasons. She doesn’t want to get rid of him but she told me she can’t keep doing this if he isn’t improving. I don’t want her to have to get rid of him, as I can’t really take him back and would hate to see him go to a shelter as he’s so loving and sweet. Plus he isn’t even a year old yet.
They do have a dog but the two get along just fine and will even lay with each other. There’s no other cats in the house either, and he loves the entire family.
He was rescued outside at about 2-3 months old, but all his other siblings, including his feral sister that we kept inside with us, have no problems with using the litterbox (once we added one in almost every room minus the bathroom).

I’m looking for any advice anyone could possibly have as she really loves that cat and he loves them. It would be so sad if they had to get rid of him because he pees on things...

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Since he seems to want to pee on soft stuff, I would suggest using either a litter box or a cardboard box lid and placing a puppy pee pad in it. If he goes in there, over time you can add a tad bit of litter to it, and take it from there.

I would also recommend keeping clothes off the floor, and even placing a plastic tarp/shower curtain over the bed to deter him from peeing there. There are also cat deterrent sprays that can be used to try to dissuade him from peeing on certain surfaces. Multiple litter boxes for him would be advised, but you said she did that already. But, there are some cats who do not want to go in the same litter box to pee and poop.

And, if he is peeing in the same places, she is probably not getting the urine smell out even if she can't smell it. For carpeting, and non-washable fabrics there is a product called "The Equalizer" which does not require saturating the material to remove the smell, hence less drying time. And, it wouldn't hurt to buy a black light so she can detect urine that has not been removed from an area. All other washable items need to be soaked in an enzyme product before being washed. And, a black light can be used on them to determine if the urine has been removed.

You said she has been to multiple vets and he has received a clean bill of health - can you ask to see the results? Did these vets perform a urinalysis, including a urine culture. Do you trust her? Has she ever owned a cat before?

I am sure other members will come along soon and offer more tips/advice.

 

[BlazenlyObvious]

Hi. Since he seems to want to pee on soft stuff, I would suggest using either a litter box or a cardboard box lid and placing a puppy pee pad in it. If he goes in there, over time you can add a tad bit of litter to it, and take it from there.

I would also recommend keeping clothes off the floor, and even placing a plastic tarp/shower curtain over the bed to deter him from peeing there. There are also cat deterrent sprays that can be used to try to dissuade him from peeing on certain surfaces. Multiple litter boxes for him would be advised, but you said she did that already. But, there are some cats who do not want to go in the same litter box to pee and poop.

And, if he is peeing in the same places, she is probably not getting the urine smell out even if she can't smell it. For carpeting, and non-washable fabrics there is a product called "The Equalizer" which does not require saturating the material to remove the smell, hence less drying time. And, it wouldn't hurt to buy a black light so she can detect urine that has not been removed from an area. All other washable items need to be soaked in an enzyme product before being washed. And, a black light can be used on them to determine if the urine has been removed.

You said she has been to multiple vets and he has received a clean bill of health - can you ask to see the results? Did these vets perform a urinalysis, including a urine culture. Do you trust her? Has she ever owned a cat before?

I am sure other members will come along soon and offer more tips/advice.

Thank you for your response, I will pass everything you said along to her!
I didn’t think about using pee pads! Iya just strange that sometimes he will use the box and other times won’t.
I’m pretty sure they’ve done all the testing you’ve mentioned but I’ll ask just in case. I do trust her, she takes really good care of him. I do not know if she’s had other cats before but she does have a dog.

 

[FelisCatus]

It could be feral/stray cats or other animals hanging around the property at night. Just because he doesn’t go outside doesn’t mean he can’t smell or hear them around the door or windows. Look into placing critter cams for night time outside. If this is the problem, the next step would be deterrents like ones that spray water or play a sound when wild/neighbour animals are nearby.