No Idea What To Do. Cat Making House His Toilet.

[Furballsmom]

Hi, I'm having one last thought, was his neuter completely successful? Are the dogs fixed?

 

[GQE3]

Hi, I'm having one last thought, was his neuter completely successful? Are the dogs fixed?

Dogs are neutered, have had one for 10 years, other one for 5. Both rescues and arrived neutered . Cat neuter was successful. He was neutered almost 7 yrs ago at the shelter and was rechecked a few weeks later by my vet for a kitten checkup . Thank for thinking of different things, I’ve racked my brain!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I'm thinking it's behavioral but you're going to have to figure out how to ignore the yelling, and contain him. Play music (Relax My Cat is an app, also there's Musicforcats.com ) and have recorded poetry play for him. This isn't going to be a perfect answer because whatever it is inside or outside of that house, visitors bringing in strange smells on their shoes etc etc is still there.

You said you have small kids? Did this start timewise correlating to babies in your house? I don't know, but In any case you're truly going to have to contain him.

You don't have the time, never mind the energy to keep cleaning. You're better off explaining a yelling cat than trying to keep up with an issue that's gotten out of hand. Try harp music too, your prospective buyers will be impressed at your efforts to calm an upset kitty

So since he bites things, get a big metal crate although you'll have to watch for him hurting himself and use bitter apple spray on the bars if it looks like he's trying to bite, or hurt his nose.
Take another look at @tokssngstrs post from earlier, #6 I think.
He's holding you-all hostage and you're right, it isn't fair. But you haven't given up on him and he needs help. Maybe the move will be the thing, as with another kitty here, and will remove him from whatever it is that is driving him to mark EVERY thing. Or not, but you're right, you can't keep on like this, and he needs to be kept from eliminating wherever he pleases.

 

[GQE3]

Hi! I'm thinking it's behavioral but you're going to have to figure out how to ignore the yelling, and contain him. Play music (Relax My Cat is an app, also there's Musicforcats.com ) and have recorded poetry play for him. This isn't going to be a perfect answer because whatever it is inside or outside of that house, visitors bringing in strange smells on their shoes etc etc is still there
You said you have small kids? Did this start timewise correlating to babies in your house? I don't know, but In any case you're truly going to have to contain him.

You don't have the time, never mind the energy to keep cleaning. You're better off explaining a yelling cat than trying to keep up with an issue that's gotten out of hand. Try harp music too, your prospective buyers will be impressed at your efforts to calm an upset kitty

So since he bites things, get a big metal crate although you'll have to watch for him hurting himself and use bitter apple spray on the bars if it looks like he's trying to bite, or hurt his nose.
Take another look at @tokssngstrs post from earlier, #6 I think.
He's holding you-all hostage and you're right, it isn't fair. But you haven't given up on him and he needs help. Maybe the move will be the thing, as with another kitty here, and will remove him from whatever it is that is driving him to mark EVERY thing. Or not, but you're right, you can't keep on like this, and he needs to be kept from eliminating wherever he pleases.

Thank you! I really appreciate your reply! The kids came before the cats. My youngest is 7 and cats are coming 7 in December so they’ve never known life without the kids.

The kids are what’s saving the cat with me because I’ve just reached the end of my rope. This cat loves the kids. He is excited every morning to assist me in waking them for school. He is a total rag doll with them. It’s very sweet. I’m going to try meds but I need a plan B in case that doesn’t work. I know after all these years I cannot continue like this anymore. I’m smelling pee this morning but can’t find it. I want to cry as I’m so tired of this.

 

[Furballsmom]

Your plan b might have to be temporary containment or crate training...there's nothing bad about these methods, and they are most definitely better than dealing with the house in such chaos.

 

[Erin80]

I feel your pain......I had a cat that was a carbon copy of your cat behaviour wise. It’s AWFUL. You’re a better person than me though, I ended up giving him to my mother in law (I have 3 kids, and at the time my youngest was starting to crawl....and I couldn’t have a cat peeing and pooping where she crawls) thinking our house was too loud and stressful for him. She is widowed and lives alone...we thought he needed quiet. We were wrong. Within a week he was pooping in her basement, and she took him to the shelter. So awful. He was an amazing cat otherwise. So I totally understand where you are right now and how it feels. He ruined our basement carpet. We have a large house and to re carpet our entire basement is super pricey and just annoying to have to do because of a cat that has behaviour issues.
Anyway, I definitely recommend containing him somehow. Do you have a basement bathroom or laundry room you can set him up in? Or even a large crate....I attached a picture of where we had our 7 month old kitten after we brought him home and it worked so well. Because of my experience with our previous cat, I had to be sure that the newbie would pee and poop in the box before he got the run of the house. You could crate your kitty for a while, then slowly give him more freedom if all goes well.
Medication was literally the only thing we didn’t try with Fletcher, and I wish we had....but at the time I was just DONE. If I hadn’t had 3 kids, it might have been different.
Anyway....I wish you lots of luck. And just you know aren’t alone in how you feel!

 

[1 bruce 1]

I hate jumping on the Prozac bandwagon, because sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and I hate putting medications in them unless it's 100% needed. JMO.
But if it works, consider it a behavior modification (is that the term I want?), basically, think of it as using this to re-make good habits, calm him down a bit, with the hopes of weaning him off of it after those habits are stamped in his mind.
This is a long shot but what is he fed?

 

[GQE3]

View attachment 259198 I feel your pain......I had a cat that was a carbon copy of your cat behaviour wise. It’s AWFUL. You’re a better person than me though, I ended up giving him to my mother in law (I have 3 kids, and at the time my youngest was starting to crawl....and I couldn’t have a cat peeing and pooping where she crawls) thinking our house was too loud and stressful for him. She is widowed and lives alone...we thought he needed quiet. We were wrong. Within a week he was pooping in her basement, and she took him to the shelter. So awful. He was an amazing cat otherwise. So I totally understand where you are right now and how it feels. He ruined our basement carpet. We have a large house and to re carpet our entire basement is super pricey and just annoying to have to do because of a cat that has behaviour issues.
Anyway, I definitely recommend containing him somehow. Do you have a basement bathroom or laundry room you can set him up in? Or even a large crate....I attached a picture of where we had our 7 month old kitten after we brought him home and it worked so well. Because of my experience with our previous cat, I had to be sure that the newbie would pee and poop in the box before he got the run of the house. You could crate your kitty for a while, then slowly give him more freedom if all goes well.
Medication was literally the only thing we didn’t try with Fletcher, and I wish we had....but at the time I was just DONE. If I hadn’t had 3 kids, it might have been different.
Anyway....I wish you lots of luck. And just you know aren’t alone in how you feel!

Thank you for your reply! Trust me....I’m about there. I had been considering to see if my mom would take him bc her house is so quiet but she has another cat and I think he might act out there too and don’t want to ruin her home.
I have 3 kids as well. Well past the crawling stage but we just had one slip in pee when coming off the staircase and fall. I’m just exhausted by this. I do not think he peed anywhere yesterday that I’ve found...yet. We do love him and that’s why I’ve tried for so long. I don’t want to take him to a shelter, I doubt I can find him a new home without him being returned either. Can’t go outside bc no claws.
I do have a crate for my dog, I can try that.

 

[GQE3]

I hate jumping on the Prozac bandwagon, because sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and I hate putting medications in them unless it's 100% needed. JMO.
But if it works, consider it a behavior modification (is that the term I want?), basically, think of it as using this to re-make good habits, calm him down a bit, with the hopes of weaning him off of it after those habits are stamped in his mind.
This is a long shot but what is he fed?

I’m on the fence with Prozac. My vet says we can try but with the behavior being so extreme he’s not sure it’ll do enough to make him cease the behavior. The holidays are coming, we will have guests coming and it will send the cat into a tailspin and I do not want more soiling of guests items. So anyhow, I’m not sure what I will do.
He is fed an organic salmon based cat food, it is dry. I’ve tried wet food and both cats refuse it.

 

[Wile]

I’m on the fence with Prozac. My vet says we can try but with the behavior being so extreme he’s not sure it’ll do enough to make him cease the behavior. The holidays are coming, we will have guests coming and it will send the cat into a tailspin and I do not want more soiling of guests items. So anyhow, I’m not sure what I will do.
He is fed an organic salmon based cat food, it is dry. I’ve tried wet food and both cats refuse it.

If you are going to go the prozac route I'd suggest starting as soon as possible so that the medication has time to kick in before the holidays. It takes a couple of weeks before you will see any difference in his moods, but it should definitely help with his anxiety. He will be a much happier cat if he doesn't have to feel anxious about territory all the time.

One other more "creative" idea I thought of while reading this thread is you might also want to consider trying the Hills C/D Stress prescription diet with your cat. It's really formulated for cats who have urinary issues and cystitis that are influenced by stress. But it has a few things added to it that make cats calm, like tryptophan. You could try it in conjunction with the prozac.

 

[Advcatlady]

Gosh I am so sorry to hear about the problems you are having. You said it started when family visited? And it gets worse when new people visit? External smells seem to be a trigger (animals respond to - smell, visuals & voice) and the insecurity is bought out when there are new smells so that's the objects that are laying around that "doesn't belong" in the (ahem his) territory. He feels the need to mix his scent to be comfortable or to own these things in his territory. It may be that he associates new smells with being declawed too. That's what pops into my head when I read this. I'd almost want to try a new tact... Take the cat outdoors (leash and harness). It needs to be desensitised to take in new smells and nothing bad happens and it doesnt need to mark anything. He needs to know he can't own everything, especially not own everything by peeing/ pooing on it. Anyways just thought I'd give another perspective. Also with training I find that they do the things you "think" they'll do. So think of him going to the toilet appropriately. This may sound like woo woo voodoo stuff and I don't want to sound full of myself but I've been able to train my cat to go to the beach off leash without food by this technique (and since Ive passed learnings onto two other owners and they adapted and could also do the same in a few sessions). Let me know if you want to know more about the outside training tips to stop the "owning" via scent behaviour. Here's a pic to prove I'm not just making stuff up. good luck!

 

[GQE3]

I’m back and unfortunately have totally, completely,and utterly have had it! I have concluded after years of trying to remedy this to absolutely no avail I am done. He had been using his litter box regularly
Over past week or so. This has happened off and on for years now. He will suddenly start to use the box and I think we’ve got it under control, only to go right back to making the house a toilet.
Well we’ve had a good two weeks then suddenly he went into my sons room and peed all over a bench in his room, totally destroyed it. He got on couch and peed all over the decorative pillows. , he went to show rack and peed on it ruining an expensive pair of boots. This morning my husband got the surprise that the cat got into his work bag and peed all over his laptop computer and destroyed important paperwork, all soaked in urine. The cat fully emptied bladder. He then peed all over the wall and floor this morning and just now, right in front of me got into a basket that holds magazines and pooped in it. Right in front of me!
I appreciate everything, all of the advice I’ve gotten. I’ve tried everything. I have all the boxes, tried all kinds of foods, litters, boxes, multiple boxes, sprays, cleaners, vet checks, etc. he goes crazy in a crate and screams all night. My dogs now have to live outside bc if they come in the cat pees absolutely everywhere. So they live out now.
I’ve had to replace rugs, floors, carpets, shoes, bags, clothes. I’ve had to call teachers bc instead of “my dog ate my homework “ it is my cat peed on it, and he actually did. Guests can’t come, kids can’t have friends over bc the cat poops and pees on their bags, shoes, jackets, etc. this has been so bad for so long I can’t even recall everything.
We’ve had to pull our home off the market bc of the cat. If anyone looks he pees everywhere. Cannot afford to continuously pull up carpets and have full home deep cleanings. The cat is literally running our lives.
I’ve tried and I’m heartbroken but I can’t live like this anymore. I’m calling around to shelters today.

 

[KarenKat]

I’m so sorry it’s gotten this bad, and personally I think you are amazing for working with this guy for years. Most people would not go so far trying to find a real solution. I am also impressed that even at this point you aren’t lambasting how evil the cat is, but simply frustrating with the results. That also takes character.

The cat is also probably not having a very fun time if he’s so stressed he is doing all of this. Rehoming to a one animal household may be really good for him, especially one without the bustle of a family.

I just wanted to jump in and say I get it and there’s no judgement. Our Trin just peed on the surge protector for the computer last week which could have started a fire if we hadn’t been home. And that was only one incident where you have had hundreds. I hope this is a positive move for everyone.

 

[GQE3]

I’m so sorry it’s gotten this bad, and personally I think you are amazing for working with this guy for years. Most people would not go so far trying to find a real solution. I am also impressed that even at this point you aren’t lambasting how evil the cat is, but simply frustrating with the results. That also takes character.

The cat is also probably not having a very fun time if he’s so stressed he is doing all of this. Rehoming to a one animal household may be really good for him, especially one without the bustle of a family.

I just wanted to jump in and say I get it and there’s no judgement. Our Trin just peed on the surge protector for the computer last week which could have started a fire if we hadn’t been home. And that was only one incident where you have had hundreds. I hope this is a positive move for everyone.

Thank you for being understanding! I’ve read through so many forums and I think it must be a rarity for someone to update that it just didn’t work out. I wanted to see that I guess to feel better about the decision. We’ve had him since a kitten so of course we are all attached to him but this has gotten to a level of destruction that I just see no way out of anymore. Like you said he must be upset too but he sure appears happy as long as no dogs and no guests in the house. No idea what could be the triggers for yesterday and today’s events. No visitors, no dogs, nothing. I just can’t understand it. He pees and then goes to clean himself and sleep.
Anyhow I’ve called a few places that are all full so I’m not sure what to do but I’ve got to find a new situation for him (and us) as I feel like a prisoner of the cat!

 

[Willowy]

If you can't find a real no-kill shelter, one that is also a sanctuary that will keep cats for life if necessary, it would be far kinder to have your vet put him down, while you comfort him in his last moments. Any normal shelter will kill him, and it would be cruel to force him to die alone and scared with strangers.

 

[Furballsmom]

Not that this helps necessarily, but reading your posts if I didn't know better it's the dogs, which is to say I think you have strays, ferals or other roaming creatures coming into your yard which could easily have started about the same time, three years or so ago if someone moved in your neighborhood with an alpha cat, the dogs walk through or lay in the scent and then bring that scent inside with them. Then, when that scent is around, he redirects on to everyone and everything else.

I'm basing that on the fact that my boy doesn't cover his poop when he detects animals in his backyard. When they aren't around, he's fine. Way less of a reaction but still basically the same thing. It's all territorial with cats.

By the way, speaking of outdoors, if by chance I'm wrong about that (you could set up a camera to check, both day and night because I don't think I'm wrong), if there actually aren't other cats et al and therefore it's safe to do so, do you have anyone who can train him to walk on a harness/leash to get him into an environment other than what he's used to?
Can you obtain a big walk-in cage for him for outside? Can you wake him up from those naps and make him do something other than
bothering your other cat, --play with him, get a laser light, get a ripple rug, get this cat involved with things?
Prozac did nothing for the behavior? There are a couple other products a vet could prescribe but again, if there's an outside element of another cat, you'll need to address keeping it away otherwise everything else is a temporary bandaid solution.
Citrus peels, motion detecting sprinklers, even lemon furniture polish outside can deter other cats.

 

[Erin80]

I completely understand how you feel.....I responded earlier saying I re-homed our cat a few years back (well, he went to a shelter....they are all no kill in our area) due to issues very similar to yours. I totally get where you’re coming from and totally support you!

 

[GQE3]

Thank you for all of your suggestions. Obviously after dealing with this for years and literally thousands and thousands of dollars in damage, he’s still here. My husbands laptop yesterday was destroyed, no longer works and can’t be fixed. The people working on it had never had a computer soaked in cat urine brought in before but now we can add another almost 3k to replace that. I have felt obligated to try to figure it out and we’ve tried everything and I’m just exhausted and it really is (no exaggeration) destroying our lives.
The true no kill shelters and the sanctuary’s in my area are full and over full. So that’s not an option right now. I realize with his problems finding a home will be probably impossible. And yes I have and am considering euthanasia. Of course I do not want to do that but it is being discussed.

The outside cat idea-yes we have a cat that lives outside that was feral that we care for. But she was here before we had our indoor cats so they’ve never known any different. Our outside cat is very effective at keeping other cats/critters away from our home.

He definitely gets territorial with the dogs. Unfortunately for my dogs this has resulted in me having to keep them outside which isn’t fair to them. They haven’t been inside the house in a long while but the behavior continues. I sincerely appreciate all of the additional ideas. We’ve tried crating him-he goes absolutely crazy. I just have become absolutely exhausted. My life can’t continue to revolve around trying to figure this out and jumping through hoops on a daily basis. We have a busy life with kids, a business, and other animals too. We can’t have guests over, kids can’t have friends over. It’s like being held hostage. My home is being destroyed-literally. Just yesterday he peed all over the wall which of course puddles and went under the foot boards of the wall. Now that has to be taken apart. It’s like a daily disaster . Furniture, rugs, floors, carpets, computer, shoes, curtains, etc have all been destroyed. We replace only to have them ruined again. Btw when we get a Christmas tree he pees on it every day. Can’t put gifts under the tree bc he soaks them too.

I don’t know if he was able to go to a quiet , no dog Home if he’d be ok. I’ve put word out with friends and family to try to see if I can possibly find him a new home. Thank you Erin80, I’m wishing our no kill shelter had availability to take him. I’m getting desperate.

 

[Furballsmom]

Just one more quick question, do you have cameras that show you what's happening outside and at night?

You have food out for the outside cat and the dogs, and even if you pick it up you have water. She is feral so she roams. Other cats smell the water and food, and spilled food, in your yard.
Even if there's no food or water, and even with the dogs, when she's not there you should assume that other cats are.
I've seen cats walk through yards where they know dogs are out but sleeping. If she's not spayed you can darn sure bet other cats are coming around.

Can you board him somewhere temporarily with some kitty prozac, or try crating him with a vet prescribed calming product for OCD behavior so you can prep the house so you can get it on the market and sold?

Can you wake him up and play with him, hard--try a laser light and take him for walks and wear him the heck out, so that you can contain him and cut down on the cleanup?

 

[Pepsi216]

I may have missed it, but did you try the Prozac?

Our Bruce was a sweet but anxious cat and would pee all through the house when he was upset. We figure it was sort of his way of comforting himself when he was stressed if he could smell himself everywhere. Of course, ruined carpets and furniture were the opposite of comforting to us humans! We tried all different things and ultimately went the Prozac route. It took a little while to build up in his system but once it did it was like night and day. No more peeing everywhere, no more ruined carpets, no more stepping in puddles in the middle of the night. Any time we slipped up and missed his Prozac for a few days he'd regress, so it was a long term thing.

After a few years of Prozac we switched to Clomipramine for various reasons, so that may be something to investigate as well. Wedgewood Pharmacy even componded it into treats for us so we weren't shoving a pill down his throat every morning.

All in all, Bruce was on Prozac/Clomipramine for probably 5 years until he passed, and it really did a lot for him. If you haven't, I'd suggest giving it a try; every cat is different of course, but there's nothing to lose at this point.

I completely understand the frustration, only posting in case it gives you more ideas. Best of luck no matter how you go forward.