Pee issues

[Sushismom]

I have 2 cats, Sushi and LB, and Sushi has stopped using the litter box for peeing every time like sometimes he uses it and sometimes he doesn’t. LB sometimes does it too but not to the extent that Sushi is right now. I have 4 litter boxes throughout the house for them to use, 2 in the living room, one in the cat room, and one in the guest bathroom.
I don’t allow the cats in my kids bedroom, the kids playroom, or in my bedroom anymore because Sushi goes in and the first thing he does is find the closest pile of blankets or toys or clothes and just pee on them. I usedto be able to trust the cats going in the rooms at least most of the time but now I just can’t because I don’t want pee all over the place. When it first started the kids liked the cats in their room and the cats would sleep in there but sushi would wake up and then go pee in the nearest soft spot. Sushi also loved looking out the window in my room and watching the birds but he started peeing behind some boxes I had in the room which I cleaned up and filled in the hole so he couldn’t do that then he found other spots. The final straw was when our other cat LB peed on the bed next to one of my sleeping kid’s.
I’m kind of coming to my wits end. I haven’t changed anything except we movedback in February to a new home but the peeing started several months after we moved. Neither cat is fixed yet but I’ve got appointments made to have that done in a couple weeks.

 

[rubysmama]

How old are your cats? Are they both males? If so, it could be territorial marking, which *may* stop once they're neutered. However, once a male cat starts marking / spraying, there is unfortunately no guarantee that neutering will break the habit. It will, however, get rid of the awful tom cat urine smell.

Meanwhile, make sure you use an enzyme cleaner to wash the areas / linen where they've peed, so that you remove the urine scent. You might also want to get a black light, so see if there's any spots you've missed.

Here's some TCS articles with more info:.

How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of Clothes And Linens – TheCatSite Articles
How to Successfully Combat Cat Urine – TheCatSite Articles
How To Remove Cat Urine – TheCatSite Articles
How To Remove Cat Urine Odor From Your Home – TheCatSite Articles
How To Get Cat Urine Smell Out Of Carpet: Effective, Non-toxic Solutions – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Mamanyt1953]

One thing that I would do, seeing that your real "problem child" likes to seek out soft areas is to have him checked for a UTI. Cats, while very smart, have certain blind spots. If it hurts when they pee, they associated the pain with the box, and will frequently seek out soft surfaces, hoping to avoid the pain.

Other than that, rubysmama gave you excellent advice!

 

[Sushismom]

Sushi is around 8 months old and LB is around 7 months old. Marking was the first thing I thought of but whenever I’d just go look it up the way they described marking was different than what they are doing but it can still be done differently I’m sure. They are still squatting just like they are using the litter box and then trying to cover it.
I’ll see about setting another vet appointment before the one where they are getting fixed just to check for possible uti or infections. I had not thought about that being a possibility.
I will definitely be reading the articles that were suggested and making sure to completely clean any areas and soft spots that has been peed on again just to be sure that it is not due to any scent that might still be there.

 

[rubysmama]

Since they're still kittens, territorial marking seems less likely, and an UTI a possibility. So definitely mention that to your vet.

Litterbox Problems? Here’s Why You Should Call Your Vet – TheCatSite Articles

 

[di and bob]

Has the litter been changed at all, cats HATE a change in their litter and plain clumping clay litter is often the best. I would definitely get them neutered, it would help tremendously. If the hormones have started going they could feel the urge but not quite know what to do with it yet. The vet should check their temps to diagnose a urinary tract infection, Frequency and odd spots are good clues also. Moving may have brought on a stray in your yard at night, etc, the cats would see him and mark their territory. It takes at least 6 months for a cat to settle in after a move, they get VERY unsettled with changes. Get some Natures Miracle for the cat urine, it has enzymes that actually destroy the urine.