Stress Peeing Going on For Years - New here hoping someone know something new to try

The Monster's Account

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Hello All,
I am new to the group and thought I might find some fresh ideas to try for my cat.

He is 13-year-old male (fixed) Maine Coon.
He is the largest of my 4 cats, by far, but the biggest chicken (the gray poofer in the pic)
He spends most of the day hidden in the closet and sleeps next to or on me at night.
About 8 years ago we had to move in with my parents and they have a cat (older female 18)
He started peeing everywhere (no space is safe)
I had him treated for a never-ending urinary tract infection (apparently stressed cats will show they have this in perpetuity)
I have done the Jackson Galaxy drops and plug-ins.
He can get high but prefers to be low and hidden.
He is now on cat anxiety meds but they don't work that well.
I have had him since he was a kitten, no physical trauma.
There is not much I can do about the living situation, but I could never rehome him.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
IMG_6778.jpg
 

tarasgirl06

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Hello All,
I am new to the group and thought I might find some fresh ideas to try for my cat.

He is 13-year-old male (fixed) Maine Coon.
He is the largest of my 4 cats, by far, but the biggest chicken (the gray poofer in the pic)
He spends most of the day hidden in the closet and sleeps next to or on me at night.
About 8 years ago we had to move in with my parents and they have a cat (older female 18)
He started peeing everywhere (no space is safe)
I had him treated for a never-ending urinary tract infection (apparently stressed cats will show they have this in perpetuity)
I have done the Jackson Galaxy drops and plug-ins.
He can get high but prefers to be low and hidden.
He is now on cat anxiety meds but they don't work that well.
I have had him since he was a kitten, no physical trauma.
There is not much I can do about the living situation, but I could never rehome him.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
View attachment 402926
Hello T The Monster's Account and family, and welcome to TCS! My first question would be, do you have a good vet and has he seen him or her recently? If his anti-anxiety med is not working very well, can it be changed? Does your parents' cat come into your cat's room, if he has his own space? Does he have a nice large litterbox and do you scoop regularly? I try to scoop around 5 times a day for my two cats, ages 17 and 14. We don't have "accidents". I do use Nature's Miracle-Just For Cats enzymatic cleaner for any spills and to clean up when they regurgitate/vomit. Used as directed, it works very well, and it is absolutely safe. It's available at Petco.com and just about all "pet" supply venues.
There are natural calming aids also obtainable through those venues, such as NaturVet's "Quiet Moments" soft chews. You might look into those.
What a beautiful pic! Is that your guy and your parents' cat? They look so loving and affectionate toward each other!
 

sunny578

Mom to an inappropriate urinator
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Aww he looks amazing. My sister has a maine coon. They are so cool:)

Wondering about his diet, especially since his vet said he has a chronic UTI (cystitis?)

My cat is a nervous nelly, and this comes out in urine. She has mild chronic cystitis, and putting her on a raw-only diet has helped with that. I know this is expensive and not all cats will eat raw (my other cat won't) but I would still consider his diet, and if he is eating mostly dry food, thinking about making a change.

Another thing you can do for chronic bladder probs is to make sure you have lots of water sources for him to "discover." You don't want to keep a water bowl by a cat's food dish, but instead have them in a variety of places around the house. He might be into a water fountain if you haven't tried that already!

You are currently living with 2 cats? Where are your litter boxes? Do they have hoods? How often does he use them for urine?

After reviewing his diet and his access to water, I would next consider the litter box set up. I would make sure you have at least 3 big boxes in various easy to get to places around the house. What litter are you using? Have you experimented with different kinds?

Even though it looks like the cats in your space are totally best friends, your cat might be nervous while using the box, and making sure that he has a clear line of sight while he is in his box can help him feel safer while in there. So, you wouldn't want your boxes to have hoods or to be shoved in a closet or all to be in the basement or something like that. You don't want them anywhere where he could feel ambushed while using them. You want his path to a litter box to be easy and stress-free.

Does he like to scratch? This is another thing that could help him feel calmer--providing lots of different scratching options, and putting at least one of these in each room. If he is trying to spread his scent because of anxiety, scratching is another way for him to do this.

You say that no space is safe (ugh I remember when it was like that with my cat) but I'm wondering if he has a preferred illegal urinating spot. How often is the illegal urinating happening? Who all lives in the space--just adults and two cats, or are there children and other pets? Where is his safe space--in the closet in your room? I'm guessing he has a litter box in there? Where does he eat? If you want to answer these questions, I could try to help you come up with a plan! If this has been happening for a while, it might take more than what I've already suggested.

For my cat, I had to block of a bedroom with a baby gate that lets only cats in (I also have dogs and kids) and make this her bedroom. I had to totally ditch the dry food and switch to a raw diet. I put a cat tree in the master bedroom, and a scratching post in my daughter's bedroom. And, on top of all this, I had to confine her for a couple of weeks while she re-learned how to use a litter box. But, at the time, she had gone over a year without using a litter box at all, so she was a pretty extreme case. I don't recommend confinement until you have tried absolutely everything else, because that in and of itself can add stress to a cat's life.

Please keep us posted, and reach out if you have any more questions! I (unfortunately) have lots of experience with this!
 

Simon1313

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Hello All,
I am new to the group and thought I might find some fresh ideas to try for my cat.

He is 13-year-old male (fixed) Maine Coon.
He is the largest of my 4 cats, by far, but the biggest chicken (the gray poofer in the pic)
He spends most of the day hidden in the closet and sleeps next to or on me at night.
About 8 years ago we had to move in with my parents and they have a cat (older female 18)
He started peeing everywhere (no space is safe)
I had him treated for a never-ending urinary tract infection (apparently stressed cats will show they have this in perpetuity)
I have done the Jackson Galaxy drops and plug-ins.
He can get high but prefers to be low and hidden.
He is now on cat anxiety meds but they don't work that well.
I have had him since he was a kitten, no physical trauma.
There is not much I can do about the living situation, but I could never rehome him.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
View attachment 402926
Sounds like my story... My 16 year old neutered male was driving me crazy with his behavorial urination habit. He would go anywhere he wanted. Visitor"s open suitcases, any clothing on the floor, shoes, boxes , the list goes on and on. He would even stand and look at me and pee on something. After numerous vet trips and tests and Jackson Galaxy methods failed we finally resorted to medication. I did not want to put him on it but I was out of options. It was to the point of euthanization , him or me , I couldn't decide. But neither my husband or I had the heart to do it. he was my buddy since he was a kitten. We put him on generic Prozac ( Fluoxetine 10 mg _- 1/2 tablet daily) kept him on it for 30 days and he finally quit the horrible behavior !! He did relapse 6 months later and I put him back on it for a week. I am happy to say that we have been pee free for 9 months now !! Good Luck !
 
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