Selective Incontinence

all4mom2

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I'm honestly not sure if this is a "Cat Health" or "Cat Behavior" issue, but I guess I have to choose one! The boy in question is 16 years old with multiple health conditions. The problem is that - out of the blue one night - he peed on the floor next to the bed we share instead of in his litter box which is only five feet away. I dismissed it as just a weird fluke, except that it happened the next night as well (worse, because it was once on the floor and once ON ME in bed) and then, the third night, in THREE different spots on the vintage hardwood floor adjacent to the bed. So after 16 years, it's three nights in a row, getting worse each time. During the day (I'm retired and home most of the time), he uses his litterbox religiously; never a single accident in the daytime. It's only at night when I'm sleeping. I make sure the box is freshly scooped (I actually do this multiple times a day) before bed, so there isn't anything new or objectionable about his facilities. It's getting cold, and he's warm under the covers; it's almost like he's too cozy or lazy to walk there!

Any ideas???
 

Kieka

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Has he seen a vet recently? A lot of time litter box accidents can be driven by health issues. Everything from infection to arthritis can result in accidents as the cat is either unable or unwilling to use their litter box because they either can't or are associating it with whatever pain they are experiencing when using it. It being only at night could be that the cold is aggravating arthritis that is milder during the day when it is warmer and he's been moving around more.

Given his age, I would highly recommend starting g with the vet to rule out medical issues even if you have been in the last few months. If it was me, I'd ask for a senior blood panel, urinalysis, and xrays to cover the basics.
 

sunny578

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If he checks out at the vet and his conditions are stable, I’m wondering if perhaps trying a new box right by the bed might help. Or two. Perhaps a lower profile box with a new fun litter for him to try. Maybe next to a heated cat bed on the floor so if he does get out of bed in the middle of the night to use the box, he knows he can hop into that heated cat bed.

I’ve had cats urinate on me in bed, and it’s very disconcerting:-/

Keep us posted, please!
 
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all4mom2

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One spot on the floor has been "the victim" three times now; I'm tempted to put down a pee pad just to save my hardwood (I really can't have the place smelling of urine when I go to sell it), but also don't want to sanction it. At some point this will become a habit...

I'll try a second litter box beside the bed tonight and see what happens. If it were around the clock, of course I'd conclude it was a health issue or age-related incontinence (he just can't hold it long enough to reach the bathroom), but the selective nature suggests not...
 

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I agree with the above speculations about it being health related, and still wouldn't rule it out because he isn't inappropriately peeing around the clock. But, in addition to that, do you have night lights? Older cats can sometimes benefit from having some lighting in the dark if their sight is even slightly compromised.

The floor is most likely also holding a urine smell as it is hard to get out of hard wood. Try Fizzion or SCOE10x as options - a few members on this site have said they use this to remove urine smells, especially from wood surfaces.

EDIT: There are belly bands or diapers that are exclusively for urinating (do not disrupt a cat's ability to defecate normally) you might consider for the nighttime hours if you find no other solution.
 
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all4mom2

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I hadn't thought about the vision thing; as one of his many conditions, one of his eyes is permanently occluded by the third eyelid, and I've wondered how well he sees out of his remaining eye. Thanks, too, for the "belly band" tip; I know they make these for dogs...

Sunny, why did your cats pee on YOU in bed? Yes, it's a rude awakening!
 
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all4mom2

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UPDATE: He just did it in his "usual" spot beside the bed (the one that's gotten it four times now); I shouted out, so he looked at me (guiltily), stopped in midstream, then walked the three feet over to his litterbox and finished up there. So it's not the night time dark or cold, nor has he forgotten where it is (I was thinking maybe kitty dementia). I am stumped and exasperated.
 

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Is this 'favorite' spot in your bedroom? Is it nighttime now (regardless of whether or not it is dark in the room)? Is the location where he is used to spending a lot of time? Have you already set up the second litter box?
 
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all4mom2

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Because he's old and feeble and can no longer jump, I have a mattress on the floor, and we just hang out there. His little bed is at one end of it, and he spends most of the day burrowed under blankets. What he's doing is just stepping off the edge of the bed, peeing, and going back to bed versus walking the few feet to the litterbox. It's daylight, I'm sitting right here watching TV, and I haven't set out the second box yet since I thought the vision thing was the likely suspect. But guess not! He walks to the front glass door to lie in the sun and to his water/food dishes, so it's not that he physically can't walk those few feet...
 
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FeebysOwner

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OK, thanks for the clarification! I guess try the closer litter box and see what happens. Everyone here will continue to brainstorm :think:...
 

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I would try deep cleaning his pee spot with an enzyme cleaner (check with a black light.) then place a litter box without a lid over his pee spot with cat attract litter in it. I would give him a night light to, just in case.

Do you have other cats that could be stressing him? & I would still really do a vet check!
 
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all4mom2

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No; he's been an only cat for a couple of years now. His other health problems have been mounting this past year, especially, but the peeing thing started literally just a few days ago.
 

danteshuman

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Peeing out of the box is often a big red warning sign health wise. It hurts to go per & the cat associates that with the litter box. So the cat avoids the box. That is why we keep saying to take the cat to the vet.

Nick my mom’s healthy 2 year old peed out of the box...., he was peeing blood! He had a UTI day blockage that left untreated could have killed him! He was treated, is fine & pees in the box again.
 

sunny578

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UPDATE: He just did it in his "usual" spot beside the bed (the one that's gotten it four times now); I shouted out, so he looked at me (guiltily), stopped in midstream, then walked the three feet over to his litterbox and finished up there. So it's not the night time dark or cold, nor has he forgotten where it is (I was thinking maybe kitty dementia). I am stumped and exasperated.
Wow, I can't believe he stopped midstream! That's amazing! He totally knows what's up!!!!!
 

sunny578

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Because he's old and feeble and can no longer jump, I have a mattress on the floor, and we just hang out there. His little bed is at one end of it, and he spends most of the day burrowed under blankets. What he's doing is just stepping off the edge of the bed, peeing, and going back to bed versus walking the few feet to the litterbox. It's daylight, I'm sitting right here watching TV, and I haven't set out the second box yet since I thought the vision thing was the likely suspect. But guess not! He walks to the front glass door to lie in the sun and to his water/food dishes, so it's not that he physically can't walk those few feet...
Please let us know how the bedside box goes!!
 

sunny578

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I hadn't thought about the vision thing; as one of his many conditions, one of his eyes is permanently occluded by the third eyelid, and I've wondered how well he sees out of his remaining eye. Thanks, too, for the "belly band" tip; I know they make these for dogs...

Sunny, why did your cats pee on YOU in bed? Yes, it's a rude awakening!
One really disliked an old boyfriend I had. He sort of tried, but was not an animal person at all. When I was gone he'd come home from work and make and eat his whole dinner before feeding her in some kind of misguided show of dominance :(

My other cat is just a very anxious lady and went through a year of extreme anxiety for a variety of reasons (A dog I was boarding chased her and she ran away for a few days, my other cat who dealt with my old boyfriend died, I went on a month long trip and then became pregnant.) I think because of her anxiety, she only felt safe urinating right by me. One day my husband (different guy from the dominant boyfriend) went to work and didn't even realize he'd been urinated on until he got there. LOL now, but. . .
 
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