Peeing Problems :(

[tgb]

I have a 10 month old male cat. I've had him since he was 4 months (he was rescued from the street, near death, at about eight weeks). He started marking/spraying at around 6 months but he also started peeing on my roommate's bed! The vet said he was healthy and it was likely retaliation for being trained not to jump on tables. we got him neutered and the marking behavior stopped but the peeing continued: in the boxes he liked to play in, on the front door mat, on the landing, in a plant as we were clapping at him and saying "no" (he's incredibly responsive to voice commands usually) and most recently ON THE TABLE! he'd taken to jumping on the table again and we've been chasing him off with noise (banging a plastic grape box on the table)

I am at my wit's end. I've had many cats in my life but never dealt with this. I do not think it is UTI because: 1) he was fine the last time we talked to the vet about it 2) when he pees there is a copious amount 3) cleaning up with paper towel there is no evidence of blood 4) we pick him up often and he shows not signs of pain or discomfort and he is crazy active.

he has plenty of toys, 4 floors to roam, a window perch to look at birds and watch what's happening on the street, supervised time on my enclosed balcony, an excellent (expensive) food supplemented by fresh fish and chicken treats and plenty of positive attention. He is an only cat and shares the house with my 8 y.o. yorkie but he is the dominant one and kinda bullies her. he is by far the smartest cat I've ever had but incredibly stubborn and gets very angry when he doesn't get his way i.e. if i won't let him out on the non-enclosed balcony he attacks my ankles repeatedly and I have to kind of fight him off

We have two litter boxes which are well maintained but only uses the one on the fourth floor near my room - he used to use the 2nd floor one a lot but isn't really using it anymore (our house is four floors but I live in Taiwan and the houses are tall and narrow with only two rooms and a bathroom on each floor so I think the 2boxes should be ample)

Help, what can I do? do I need a cat psychologist? I'm losing my mind. Any insights, recommended resources, or cat whispering services welcome!!

 

[rubysmama]

Welcome to The Cat Site. Sorry about your cat's litterbox avoidance issue.

Does he ever pee in a litter box? Two boxes should be fine with one cat, but I wonder if you could try putting the second box beside the other one and see if that makes a difference, as some cats like to pee in one box and poop in another.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Do give that a try. It won't hurt a thing! And your vet was most likely wrong...it is the very, very rare cat who indulges in retaliatory peeing. I've may seen one out of several thousands that I really wondered about. And that was a poop. If this is behavioral, your vet should be able to suggest a behaviorist in your area. If he can't, call another vet, or your local shelter and ask.

What are you cleaning with? If you are NOT using an enzymatic cleaner, then he can still smell his pee, even if you can't, and that would attract him back to the same spots.

 

[maggiedemi]

Is your cat eating a lot of dry food? I have this problem with my boy cat if he eats too much dry food, so maybe try increasing his canned food and decreasing the dry food. Also, 4 floors is a lot. Is there a litterbox on the floor that he spends the most time on?

 

[tgb]

Welcome to The Cat Site. Sorry about your cat's litterbox avoidance issue.

Does he ever pee in a litter box? Two boxes should be fine with one cat, but I wonder if you could try putting the second box beside the other one and see if that makes a difference, as some cats like to pee in one box and poop in another.

Hi there, thanks for your response. That's interesting information but he does use the 4th floor box regularly for both. And he previously had been using the second floor one for both as well.

 

[tgb]

Is your cat eating a lot of dry food? I have this problem with my boy cat if he eats too much dry food, so maybe try increasing his canned food and decreasing the dry food. Also, 4 floors is a lot. Is there a litterbox on the floor that he spends the most time on?

He eats half dry food and half fish or chicken and vegetables that I make for him. 4 floors seems big but bear in mind I live in Asia and the houses are about 1/3 the size width-wise compared to North America. He regularly uses the 4th floor box which is my floor. He spends a lot of time on the first floor but the other litter box had been on the 2nd floor and used regularly for a while and now he doesn't use it. So weird

 

[tgb]

Do give that a try. It won't hurt a thing! And your vet was most likely wrong...it is the very, very rare cat who indulges in retaliatory peeing. I've may seen one out of several thousands that I really wondered about. And that was a poop. If this is behavioral, your vet should be able to suggest a behaviorist in your area. If he can't, call another vet, or your local shelter and ask.

What are you cleaning with? If you are NOT using an enzymatic cleaner, then he can still smell his pee, even if you can't, and that would attract him back to the same spots.

I think I have that rare cat. he doesn't pee in the same spots - we are always finding it in different places so the cleaning is not the issue. I think he may be the one in thousands. he is insanely smart and very tuned in to our voices and behaviours. He listens and obeys voice commands better than my dog. We had a flea issue so were at the vet and he again ruled out UTI. In his opinion this is retaliatory and emotion-based. We're trying to get him outside on his leash more often as he gets really angry when the dog can go out and he can't and he's always happy after some time in the grass.

I WISH an animal behaviouralist were possible but that sort of thing does not exist in southern Taiwan where i live. Actual pet ownership is a fairly recent phenomenon so basic vet care is available but nothing beyond that, especially for cats. Looks like I've got challenging beast on my hands. Good thing he makes up for it in other ways! Thanks for your reply. It's always good to get new information and better insights into our furry friends

 

[jen]

What kind of testing did the vet do to rule out a UTI? Just curious

 

[maggiedemi]

Are you adding supplements and water to the meat & vegetables? Maybe try adding some canned food. It always helps my cats with peeing problems.

 

[catlover73]

Have you tried adding a new litter box in a new location? Are any of the litter boxes near windows? Maybe he is seeing something outside that is scary to him. I am wondering if something is startling him when he is using the litter box. I am glad you already ruled out a UTI.

 

[tgb]

Do give that a try. It won't hurt a thing! And your vet was most likely wrong...it is the very, very rare cat who indulges in retaliatory peeing. I've may seen one out of several thousands that I really wondered about. And that was a poop. If this is behavioral, your vet should be able to suggest a behaviorist in your area. If he can't, call another vet, or your local shelter and ask.

What are you cleaning with? If you are NOT using an enzymatic cleaner, then he can still smell his pee, even if you can't, and that would attract him back to the same spots.

What kind of testing did the vet do to rule out a UTI? Just curious

We didn't do any tests. The vet said if it was a UTI it would be small amounts of pee all around the house and it would be consistent. He'll go a month without an incident and it seems to coincide with serious discipline or my roommate going out of town. When he pees there is a lot! I know it can be asymptomatic at times but he has an insane appetite, is still growing, glossy glossy fur, bright eyes, energetic and athletic, no abnormal licking and no personality changes

 

[tgb]

Have you tried adding a new litter box in a new location? Are any of the litter boxes near windows? Maybe he is seeing something outside that is scary to him. I am wondering if something is startling him when he is using the litter box. I am glad you already ruled out a UTI.

It's interesting reading these replies and getting a picture of how complex out kitties are. No, one box was in a seldom used bathroom (tiny window up very high looking out to a covered patio) and the other on a landing with no windows. I just moved the second floor little box to the first floor and he's using that one now but not using the 4th floor one as much, which had been his main box. he's a funny one that's for sure

 

[Mamanyt1953]

OK...let's consider that this may be anxiety-driven. That can happen with any cat at any time for almost any reason. Try this. Buy a box of commercially prepared chamomile tea bags. Brew a cup and chill it in the fridge. Give him from 1-2 teaspoonfuls up to 3 times a day. I suggest the prepared bags because they are ALL made from German chamomile, which is safe for cats (the English variety is toxic), and because they are pretty much available world-wide. The tea will gently calm without sedating, and MIGHT do the trick. And have a cup hot, yourself! Sweeten yours with honey. Sugar isn't that good in chamomile tea.

OH, you can also use the chilled tea on any kind of skin "ouchy" in both man and beast! It will even stop the itching from eczema!