Older Cat Peeing Outside Box- Not Crystals

[Pouncecat1]

My 15 yr old cat has been peeing outside the litter box.

I took in a urine sample to check for crystals- they said he was negative. He had bloodwork done- all normal except he is borderline hyperthyroid. I plan on taking him to a new vet this week to get a second opinion. I know the thyroid testing isn't that accurate and I would like to go ahead and start him on medications for his thyroid.

My parents are at wits end with him and my dad says we should just shoot him- which would never happen in this family, but you can see how upset everyone is with him. He is ruining our furniture.

I have an outdoor cat pen- I think I'm going to have to move him outside. I hate to do that because it is cold out there, but this is Florida. If i have to move him outside I need to erect some windproof shelters for him to sleep in. He can be locked in the bathroom during the night when it is cold or during rainy weather.

The pen will be fully covered with a tarp (only north side open) to keep him out of the sun. It is also possible he has squamous cell carcinoma which can be caused by excessive sunlight. He has a lump on his ear which the last vet said to watch. I'm thinking they will probably end up removing that portion of his ear- I have had feral cats ear clipped so I expect they might need to do the same.

Any suggestions on getting him to use the catbox? He is a big cat and has always peed standing up- our catboxes are 17 inches high for this reason. Just last night he peed on the recliner chair and the night before that he got my socks in the bathroom. He likes going on the recliners and we tried covering them with laundry baskets but it didn't work- he just waits for you to move one... or sit down and then leave the room for 5 minutes. Come back and there is a mess that you usually end up sitting down in. Then it is on your clothes...

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
Instead of a catpen outside, why don't you contain him in a room with litterboxes, puppy pee pads and shower curtains on things you can't move out.
He's possibly quite ill, changing up his world could be hard on him.
Play music from the app Relax My Cat, check into calming products and then when he's using the boxes consistently, let him out but watch him. Put him back in if necessary.
If you do move him out, pick up a couple thermal heat pads to add to the pet beds you put out.
Also try a litter called Cat Attract.
Good luck, let us know what the vet says.

 

[Jem]

Did the vet give you any advice on why he's not using the litter box? Did they mention at all the possibility of arthritis? Do you have other pets in the home that might be interfering with his using the box? Do you have any other animals outside (strays, wild, neighborhood) that could be stressing him out that he feels he needs to be territorial?
Even if his urine sample was "normal" there is still the possibility of cystitis caused by stress. Did they mention if there was any presence of inflammation?
Cats don't pee around the house unless there is something wrong. I'm glad you'll be going to another vet. Hopefully they will do a thorough exam. Good luck and let us know what they say.

 

[stephanietx]

Have you tried a box with shorter sides? It could be difficult to get up and over the sides of a box with taller sides due to arthritis.

 

[Pouncecat1]

It could be arthritis, but he is a great jumper- I've seen him jump 3 feet easily. The other cats don't bother him at all. He is very friendly and kisses everybody including the dog. No wild animals outside except an owl that hangs out just outside the window. The last time I tried one of the shorter dome boxes, he would go inside, but pee through the opening onto the floor.

I suppose I could try a shorter one again and put a pad down just in case. Perhaps a step stool in front of the current litter box- not sure he would use the step stool?

 

[Timmer]

How many other cats are in the house and how many litter boxes do you have? Do you keep them scooped and clean?
If you only have one, get a couple more.
So many factors you haven't looked into perhaps. you can get inexpensive pee pads at the dollar stores -- they are for humans, to put down on furniture. Same thing as the expensive ones in the pet stores. My one cat used to pee standing up and I had pee pads under the box. That helped. That will not encourage your cat to go into the box just because you put a pee pad down, but it will help you.
Your cat is getting older. Arthritis could be an issue but you said the cat still jumps around so it's probably not.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Have they tested for any kind of urinary tract diseases - besides just crystals? And, as Jem said - perhaps cystitis? Diagnosing cystitis is challenging, but there many things a vet can rule out first before reaching that conclusion. At the end of my 'war & peace' novel, you will find an article about it, in case that helps any. The bottom line is there is something wrong health-wise. Perhaps, you will want to ask the vet about x-rays or even an ultrasound to see if they can spot something going on in the abdomen/urinary tract.

As far as cleaning, you could try using 'The Equalizer' (on amazon.com, and other on line sites as well) for any carpeting, upholstery, etc. - things that cannot be washed. It has been very effective for me as it does not require the material to be saturated in order to work, hence less drying time. That is just in case, you are not currently getting the smell out of the items he has peed on - especially the recliner.

There is another product that @Beyond Confused recommended in another post and swears by it - it's called SCOE10x (only sold on line).

Cystitis in Cats - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment - Cat World

 

[Saber_Wing]

I would take him back to the vet and have them test for infection, and maybe even look for bladder stones. Does he appear to be straining when trying to urinate? If he's going outside the box, there has to be a reason. If not physical, then behavioral. I second everyone else's suggestions about having enough litter boxes and keeping them scooped too.

 

[palikakitty]

My 20 year old cat was peeing on the dog beds. I got a low box and put towels in it and he stopped with the dog beds! Over time we moved to newspaper and he still uses it. It’s in our kitchen which isn’t cool but whatever works!

 

[Kflowers]

The thing about arthritis is that just because he can move to jump doesn't mean it's comfortable to climb in the box. Think about the position of his legs when he jumps - it's more of a knee thing, with a straight back hip stretch both sides. Think about the position of his legs to climb in the box - that involves more of a forward hip swing on one leg and a back stretch on the other.

 

[catlover73]

One of my cats ended up with a blockage from a UTI. He had an ultra sound and there were no stones or crystals present. Do you know if the vet checked for a urinary tract infection. Not using the litter box suddenly could be the very beginning of a UTI. Sometimes there are no other symptoms. This happened with one of my cats. When he developed another UTI 2 years later there were no symptoms until he partially blocked. I would get a 2nd opinion from a different vet to rule out an infection causing this behavior. If your baby is in pain while peeing it could cause fear issues with using the litter box. Once a medical issue is ruled out we can help you figure out how to fix the problem.