Please Help! My Cat Pees On Anything And Everything!

[bk21]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forum/site, and I need your help. I have a cat that pees on anything and everything and won't stop. I'll give you a little background summary to get you caught up, and hopefully you can help me from there.

I have three cats, all from the same mother. The first two are a female, and the older male, and the third one, is the younger male. The first two were born in the same litter, the third came in the next litter from the same mother. They are all part manx, both boys have stubby little tails, the youngest has nearly no tail at all, and the female has a full tail. The older male is the largest of the three, the younger male is next, but is more compact like a traditional manx. The female is lean, agile, and the smallest of the three, but not by a ton.

The oldest male is definitely the alpha of the group, but they all definitely seem to get along. The oldest male and female tend to hang around us more, and sleep in the bed with us, but the younger male is more independent as far as wanting his space. He'll come around for love and will hang out, but he definitely doesn't stick around as long as the other two. Currently live in an apartment, and they all share a large litter box, and food and water bowls. They are all six years old, and are well taken care of.

The younger male is the issue here, he pees on everything! He pees on the bed, couch, any pile of clothes or towels, as well as shoes and sometimes on the carpet. He uses the litter box regularly, but he continues to pee all over as well.

Now, let me tell you what we know/have tried so far.

-We've tried lavender, having the scent and spraying it.
-We greatly increased the frequency of cleaning the litter box, making it a daily routine.
-We put a tarp on our bed when I'm not in it (he only pees on my side), but he'll still pee on the tarp, sometimes more than once a day.
-We reduced their treat intake drastically, as we've heard that can lead to pre-cat diabetes.
-We've changed the type of litter in the box multiple times.
-We've changed their food multiple times.
-We've given him meds for a UTI, thinking it could be that...it wasn't.
-We use the pee spray that removes their smell from fabric (even on the tarp) every time he pees, so that the scent will be gone and not encourage him to pee there again. The name of the spray escapes me, but I can get it if you'd like to know.
-They've all been fixed, and I know if they weren't, it can contribute to urination issues.

So that's what we've tried so far, and have had no success. If anything, it almost feels like he pees more. He's destroyed bedding, clothing, blankets, furniture and carpet over the years. I'm an animal lover and I will not get rid of him or give up on him, it just gets frustrating sometimes, and I want to resolve this issue however I can. Thanks for any help in advance, it's much appreciated!

 

[ArtNJ]

If this has been going on for years, I'm not optimistic you can change it. That said:

1) Have you taken the cat to the vet for this issue? You kind of made it sound like you got some UTI meds on your own without a vet? Vet is needed to rule out a UTI or other issues;

2) One litter box for 3 cats defies the general advice of one for each cat, and cleaning a box used by 3 cats once a day is more of an absolute minimum than what I would do if I was having a problem like this. I know you are in an apartment, but still, this could have easily have been part of the problem, especially since you mentioned you used to do less than once a day in the one box used by 3 cats;

3) A lot of cats have temporary issues with bed sheets, laundry, bathmats and such because they can be kneaded beneath the paws and it feels like burying waste. The solution I usually recommend is to temporarily deny them access to such things -- keep them off the bed, hang up the bath mats, don't leave laundry around, etc. Unfortunately, if its been years, I don't know if that would work -- and you probably can't deny them access to the rug unless its just one spot, in which case put a box over the spot.

4) As far as the "pee spray" -- you should check if it is enzyme based. The enzyme cleaners like Petzyme completely break down the urea in pee so that there is no residual smell. Most regular cleaners dont.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

First, I've read your post three times, but am still unsure...has he always done this, or did it start more recently? That's going to make a difference.

You do need more litterboxes. The rule of thumb is one for each cat, plus one, and NOT all next to each other. This prevents a more dominant cat from guarding that resource. That may, just may, take care of the issue, but even if it does not, the cats will be far happier for it.

You say that you gave meds for a UTI, but it seems that he wasn't seen by a vet? Just guessing, from your posts. ALL UTIs are not the same, and sometimes a culture is needed to get the antibiotic specific for that strain. Just a thought. I doubt this is your issue, but you want to be sure.

If your problem child is the least dominant, he may be trying to carve out some territory of his own. This would be the most difficult thing to deal with, actually, since he lives in a small area with two other cats. Cat trees and covered beds can make a cat with confidence issues feel safer. Also, playing with them using a wand toy does wonders for confidence levels. The act of successfully "hunting" and "killing" their prey, even when that prey is a bunch of feathers on a string, just flat boosts their little egos. But you have to be willing to BE the prey animal...make that bunch of feather ACT like a bird!

Another, random, thought...can he see outside? Are there strange cats approaching the apartment if it is on the ground level? This can send some cats into a frenzy of territorial marking, as well. If that is the issue, a can of compressed air with a motion sensor generally sends the tresspassers packing in very sort order. One or two blasts of air, and they are done with that area!

 

[Jem]

I agree with everything that others have said but would also like to add that although you may have given him meds for a UTI (unsure you if took him to the vet???) he could have issues with crystals. Antibiotics will not help crystal formation and only a vet will be able to tell you if he has crystals in his urine. And a cat can have crystals chronically without significant straining, meowing in pain or blockages, but it does not mean it still does not cause him discomfort, making him avoid the litter box.

 

[bk21]

Thank you everyone for the responses. I added a second litter box, and it seems to be helping. However, he did pee on the bed a little one out of the now five days having two litter boxes. I know the rule of thumb is one per cat, but we have a small apartment and it's not really possible.

As for the UTI, no, we didn't have it diagnosed by a vet, we just gave him meds for it thinking it was a possibility based on advice from others. He never seems to be in pain or anything, and theres no strong smell from urine. We aren't vets though, so I guess that could still be a possibility.

I make sure to clean the litter boxes daily, if not more than once now, and have made sure to not leave anything on the floor. Everything seems to be helping, but again, he had another accident yesterday. I'll try the toy idea, and keep monitoring the situation. Any other advice is welcome, thank you.

 

[maggiedemi]

Did you try increasing canned food for the moisture and decreasing dry food?

 

[bk21]

Did you try increasing canned food for the moisture and decreasing dry food?

No, they've only had canned food a couple of times. It's exclusively dry food that they eat. How does canned food help?

 

[maggiedemi]

That could be the answer then. Canned food, the moisture helps dilute the urine and keep it flowing correctly. My boy cat used to pee all over when he had too much dry food and not enough canned food.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I know that seems counterintuitive, more wet, more pee, more mess, but it really does make a difference in a LOT of cats we've "seen" here.