Neutered cat peeing outside some litter boxes

[missko]

Hi all, I have a 12 year old neutered male cat who has been peeing outside of some litter boxes consistently. For some boxes, he will always pee on the mat outside the box. For other boxes, he will pee inside the box. We use the same litter for all the boxes and have the same litter boxes in all locations. He always poops inside the litter boxes. Blood tests and urinalysis show no issues with UTI or bladder. He does have early stage CKD but his kidney values are good.

This has been going on for about a year and I cannot understand what has gotten into him. We recently moved and had a baby although this has been happening before those life events. This is a two cat household and he gets along well with our other cat, a 5 year old spayed female.

Would love any insight or tips for how others resolved litter box issues.
Thank you!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Is the same box(es) that he always pees outside - or, has he done it with all of them at one time or another?

Only two things come to my mind - 1.) the area immediately outside the litter boxes where he pees smells of his scent, which kind of becomes an invitation to pee there again and again. If those places have not been cleaned with an enzymatic cleaner, you might need to do that. Also, if the area is carpeted, the pee might have soaked through to the underpadding, which might require the carpeting being pulled up in that area and the padding - and maybe even the sub-flooring - being treated directly. If the pee hasn't soaked past the mat (s) you have down, it might just be time to buy new mats. 2.) Watch for how much 'stuff' is in the box where he pees outside. It could be that he has decided he needs a 'cleaner' box to use to pee in. Cats can change their preferences at any point in time, for reasons we will never understand.

 

[Maurey]

Seconding what FeebysOwner has said. To approach from a slightly different angle, though :

Is there something distinctly different about the locations of litter boxes where he pees on the mat vs inside the box? Sometimes, weeing like that can be about scent marking (even if he isn't specifically spraying), and indicative of a dominant/confident cat trying to declare that "hey world, I'm here". It's the same reason some cats won't bury their poo. It can help to add some things he can scent mark (to clarify, something like a cat post, a bed, or something soft he can brush against) in the same room or area as a litterboxes he keeps having near-misses in :>

 

[missko]

Thanks so much.

he pees on the mat outside the same 2 boxes. He pees inside the other 2 boxes.
We have changed the litter mats - no difference - he pees on the new mats outside those two boxes. We have started laying down rags to make clean up easier. He happily pees on the rags.

I can’t think of anything too different about the four litter boxes. Two are upstairs and two are downstairs: he pees outside one box upstairs and one downstairs.
The other cat thankfully still does her business inside the boxes.

the prescribed elavil for this “behavioral issue.” I have not given this to him yet. Has anyone tired this for peeing issues? Was it effective?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Since it is consistently the same two boxes, I would suggest to you that whatever is underneath the mats you have replaced is still carrying the smell. You may not smell it, but you can bet he does. Whether that be carpeting or some other surface, those areas need to be treated with enzymatic cleaners. If it is feasible, move those two boxes to a different but nearby location and deep clean the area in front of where those two were. Block those areas off if you have to while trying to remove his scent. Puppy pee pads are an option besides the rags.

I cannot fathom how a behavioral issue is behind this since he does use two of the four boxes. However, if the inappropriate peeing has gone on long enough, it could - in part - due to being a habit now. But, if you move the boxes, that could break the habit.