Cat peeing outside his litterbox
May 14, 2018 12:53 PM Subscribe
My cat Mew Mew is generally a Good Boy (likes cuddles! tolerates smooches! will go walkies in the backyard in his harness! has only barfed on my new couch once!), but we're having repeated issues with urination outside the litterbox.
About a year ago, Mew had a urinary blockage, which he expressed by peeing in various places over the house (including on my bed) while looking confused. Thankfully, it didn't get to the blood in the urine stage. I took him to an after-hours vet clinic, and the blockage was fixed with temporary medication and permanently switching Mew to prescription urinary dry food.
During this episode, Mew developed a habit of peeing in the corner of our (unfortunately carpeted) living room. I cleaned it with Nature's Miracle pet odour remover, then hired professional carpet cleaners, and then gave up and covered the spot with a piece of furniture (per our vet's advice - as long as Mew can smell it, he will continue to pee there, and the urine has definitely soaked into the carpet, so making the area inaccessible was our only choice).
Now, we catch a strong smell of cat pee coming (1) from more than one spot in the living room and out in the hallway (also carpeted) and (2) from our unfinished basement, where Mew has his litter box. Because Mew likes to yowl and scratch on bedroom doors during the night, we lock him in the living room overnight; he has access to the basement with his litter, and to the kitchen with his food.
I have been spraying Nature's Miracle and vacuuming the carpets, and spraying the cement floor in the basement. I've also added a second litterbox at the other end of the basement, and so far, Mew seems to be peeing in both boxes. However, it's both annoying and embarrassing to live in a house that smells like kitty pee (even if he is the most special kitty in the whole world).
Advice? We can't afford to do major repairs on the house, like ripping out the carpets or finishing the basement. We can't move the litter boxes to another room - we just don't have the space. We also definitely can't let Mew roam the house at night, if this is a territory thing - he wails for attention and keeps everyone up. He gets to go outside now that it's summer and he's very much an only child (although neighborhood cats do occasionally tease him through the windows).
The fearsome peeper himself: https://imgur.com/a/Cduas1i
About a year ago, Mew had a urinary blockage, which he expressed by peeing in various places over the house (including on my bed) while looking confused. Thankfully, it didn't get to the blood in the urine stage. I took him to an after-hours vet clinic, and the blockage was fixed with temporary medication and permanently switching Mew to prescription urinary dry food.
During this episode, Mew developed a habit of peeing in the corner of our (unfortunately carpeted) living room. I cleaned it with Nature's Miracle pet odour remover, then hired professional carpet cleaners, and then gave up and covered the spot with a piece of furniture (per our vet's advice - as long as Mew can smell it, he will continue to pee there, and the urine has definitely soaked into the carpet, so making the area inaccessible was our only choice).
Now, we catch a strong smell of cat pee coming (1) from more than one spot in the living room and out in the hallway (also carpeted) and (2) from our unfinished basement, where Mew has his litter box. Because Mew likes to yowl and scratch on bedroom doors during the night, we lock him in the living room overnight; he has access to the basement with his litter, and to the kitchen with his food.
I have been spraying Nature's Miracle and vacuuming the carpets, and spraying the cement floor in the basement. I've also added a second litterbox at the other end of the basement, and so far, Mew seems to be peeing in both boxes. However, it's both annoying and embarrassing to live in a house that smells like kitty pee (even if he is the most special kitty in the whole world).
Advice? We can't afford to do major repairs on the house, like ripping out the carpets or finishing the basement. We can't move the litter boxes to another room - we just don't have the space. We also definitely can't let Mew roam the house at night, if this is a territory thing - he wails for attention and keeps everyone up. He gets to go outside now that it's summer and he's very much an only child (although neighborhood cats do occasionally tease him through the windows).
The fearsome peeper himself: https://imgur.com/a/Cduas1i
We were juuuuuuuust discussing this with a vet yesterday (similar problem at our house!) and a lot of what she suggested, you're already doing, but two things she suggested that I don't see mentioned are
1) Cat Attract, which is sort-of like catnip but apparently made from a plant that cats like to pee on outdoors? Anyway, you get a big canister for like $10 and sprinkle some on the cat's litter and sometimes that solves the problem. (She suggested sprinkling it in one litter box but not all litter boxes, until you know if the cat likes it or freaks out about it. If Mew likes it, go nuts.)
2) Switching up litter. Make sure all litter is unscented. Then, in a second litterbox (or, she said, even a plastic-lined amazon box or whatever since you're just experimenting), try a different litter -- different materials, different textures. Try something non-clumping, try a pellet format instead of sand/clay, whatever. He may have decided he doesn't like the litter he's using, and trying something else may make him a happier litterbox camper.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 1:07 PM on May 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
1) Cat Attract, which is sort-of like catnip but apparently made from a plant that cats like to pee on outdoors? Anyway, you get a big canister for like $10 and sprinkle some on the cat's litter and sometimes that solves the problem. (She suggested sprinkling it in one litter box but not all litter boxes, until you know if the cat likes it or freaks out about it. If Mew likes it, go nuts.)
2) Switching up litter. Make sure all litter is unscented. Then, in a second litterbox (or, she said, even a plastic-lined amazon box or whatever since you're just experimenting), try a different litter -- different materials, different textures. Try something non-clumping, try a pellet format instead of sand/clay, whatever. He may have decided he doesn't like the litter he's using, and trying something else may make him a happier litterbox camper.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 1:07 PM on May 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
HRH Miss Lady Qu'Appelle, RIP, would stage Direct Actions like this if I dared veer from unscented clumping clay litter. Anything else, and she'd go on Litter Box Strike.
Has Mew Mew's litter changed?
posted by spinifex23 at 1:10 PM on May 14, 2018
Has Mew Mew's litter changed?
posted by spinifex23 at 1:10 PM on May 14, 2018
Any cat (especially a male cat) with a history of feline lower urinary tract disease whose litter box habits have changed needs first and foremost to go back to the vet right away. Like, today or tomorrow, if possible.
Cats are fastidious creatures by nature, and when they feel well they don't urinate outside their allocated bathroom area. Mew Mew is likely just as unhappy with this turn of events as you are.
posted by jesourie at 1:43 PM on May 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Cats are fastidious creatures by nature, and when they feel well they don't urinate outside their allocated bathroom area. Mew Mew is likely just as unhappy with this turn of events as you are.
posted by jesourie at 1:43 PM on May 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
What a darling!
Take him to his vet. Do what the vet says. Cats don’t suddenly develop litterbox issues unless something is wrong. He’s trying to tell you he needs help.
posted by bile and syntax at 1:59 PM on May 14, 2018
Take him to his vet. Do what the vet says. Cats don’t suddenly develop litterbox issues unless something is wrong. He’s trying to tell you he needs help.
posted by bile and syntax at 1:59 PM on May 14, 2018
things to help:
1) feliway diffusers
2) have one more litterbox than you have cats.
3) make sure the litter box is BIG enough.
3) try completely emptying and refilling the litter box with clean litter.
also I'd suggest a vet as this could be something UT related.
posted by evilmonk at 2:19 PM on May 14, 2018
1) feliway diffusers
2) have one more litterbox than you have cats.
3) make sure the litter box is BIG enough.
3) try completely emptying and refilling the litter box with clean litter.
also I'd suggest a vet as this could be something UT related.
posted by evilmonk at 2:19 PM on May 14, 2018
Yes for a vet check ASAP. But assuming that checks out okay:
Even if you can't permanently have a litterbox in another room, could you manage one temporarily? Gigi periodically goes on strike against the room her litterbox is in. Sometimes we have some idea why - most recently it was when we switched to the A/C and there were different noises in there, heaven forbid - but sometimes there's no telling. The best thing we've found to do is temporarily set up another box in a different room from either her usual boxes or her new forbidden peeing spot, and cover up the old peeing spot for a while with aluminum foil or a piece of furniture (after a good carpet cleaning). She can be distracted into using the new box by its novelty, and then eventually she'll decide the old box is okay again too, and the new box can be removed, and everything is fine for another year or so until she goes on Pee Strike again.
posted by Stacey at 2:28 PM on May 14, 2018
Even if you can't permanently have a litterbox in another room, could you manage one temporarily? Gigi periodically goes on strike against the room her litterbox is in. Sometimes we have some idea why - most recently it was when we switched to the A/C and there were different noises in there, heaven forbid - but sometimes there's no telling. The best thing we've found to do is temporarily set up another box in a different room from either her usual boxes or her new forbidden peeing spot, and cover up the old peeing spot for a while with aluminum foil or a piece of furniture (after a good carpet cleaning). She can be distracted into using the new box by its novelty, and then eventually she'll decide the old box is okay again too, and the new box can be removed, and everything is fine for another year or so until she goes on Pee Strike again.
posted by Stacey at 2:28 PM on May 14, 2018
What special markings he has!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 2:30 PM on May 14, 2018
posted by The Underpants Monster at 2:30 PM on May 14, 2018
Have you witnessed him deliberately peeing in those spots? Asking because my old cat who was extremely prone to blockages would sometimes have surprise urine happen if he had a very small blockage / irritation and something suddenly cleared. The prescription dry food helped but did not fix my cat who got blocked somewhere between 4-6 times before we got him surgery. One other thought - is he having any difficulty physically getting to the basement or any aversion to it in general?
If it is behavioral seconding trying a different litter in the second box to see if that helps.
posted by oneear at 2:42 PM on May 14, 2018
If it is behavioral seconding trying a different litter in the second box to see if that helps.
posted by oneear at 2:42 PM on May 14, 2018
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. I won't threadsit, but I just want to confirm: I took Mew to the emergency vet and then our usual vet in March when he seemed more waily for food (every half hour) and hungry than normal, and then lethargic. They suspected another urinary blockage or constipation, but he was completely fine; the vets suggested March madness. We think the issue was likely that I'd briefly mixed non-urinary dry food with urinary wet food, and then gave him just wet food (the fact that he can't come back and graze like he does with wet food seemed to make him food insecure). He hasn't been as voracious with his urinary dry food because he knows it's always there, and the wailing is back at the chatty cat level. We still get yelled at to come watch him eat, though.
He's been on World's Best Cat Litter for months and likes it. We had tried cheaper, less nice litters, but this is the best one. I have Feliway but i haven't used it recently - will plug it in.
I will look into the other suggestions.
posted by elsmith at 2:49 PM on May 14, 2018
He's been on World's Best Cat Litter for months and likes it. We had tried cheaper, less nice litters, but this is the best one. I have Feliway but i haven't used it recently - will plug it in.
I will look into the other suggestions.
posted by elsmith at 2:49 PM on May 14, 2018
Cat Attract fixed this for us along with cleaning the litter box everyday.
posted by tamitang at 3:01 PM on May 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by tamitang at 3:01 PM on May 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Cat Attract definitely helps. My two previous elder cats with UTIs had them on a semi-regular basis, so, yeah, I would suggest going back to the vet.
posted by thomas j wise at 3:50 PM on May 14, 2018
posted by thomas j wise at 3:50 PM on May 14, 2018
along with cleaning the litter box everyday.
Yeah, my Niko comes to me a-meowing if he has to go and there's even one clump in his preferred box. As soon as I've scooped it he jumps right in and goes.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:26 PM on May 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yeah, my Niko comes to me a-meowing if he has to go and there's even one clump in his preferred box. As soon as I've scooped it he jumps right in and goes.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:26 PM on May 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
It might not be possible for you but if you can, try putting a litter box in every location that you suspect he's peeing in. I know it may be inconvenient but it reinforces that peeing is for litter boxes without trying to punish, which can give cats litter phobia.
Honestly, what's worked best for me is catching the cat in the act and picking it up in mid-pee, flipping it over, and letting it pee all over itself. Works like a charm. My cat Sneezy would pee on the carpet all the time until I did that. After she had to smell like pee for a couple days she never did it again.
posted by irisclara at 4:45 PM on May 14, 2018
Honestly, what's worked best for me is catching the cat in the act and picking it up in mid-pee, flipping it over, and letting it pee all over itself. Works like a charm. My cat Sneezy would pee on the carpet all the time until I did that. After she had to smell like pee for a couple days she never did it again.
posted by irisclara at 4:45 PM on May 14, 2018
How old is he? Any chance he has some mobility issues or kitty dementia that are making going into the basement hard to do?
posted by purple_bird at 4:54 PM on May 14, 2018
posted by purple_bird at 4:54 PM on May 14, 2018
I had a cat who developed a UTI. She actually got to the point where she was scared to use any litterbox. (Clever girl, she figured out that she could go in the bathtub and it wouldn't cause her discomfort/wouldn't cause me to sigh heavily.) I got a clean litter pan and some wee-wee pads, and put that beside the regular box. She very happily started using that, for peeing only, and soon started using the litter box again instead of the bathtub.
Upside: kitty is able to urinate on something soft and absorbent and non-shifting, and you don't have more stains in the carpet.
Downside: it does mean the ongoing costs of wee-wee pads.
If I were you, I'd want to check with the vet just in case there are ongoing issues. Also, does kitty tolerate wet food? Mixing wet with dry, and increasing his liquid intake, might help him.
posted by Tailkinker to-Ennien at 7:26 PM on May 14, 2018
Upside: kitty is able to urinate on something soft and absorbent and non-shifting, and you don't have more stains in the carpet.
Downside: it does mean the ongoing costs of wee-wee pads.
If I were you, I'd want to check with the vet just in case there are ongoing issues. Also, does kitty tolerate wet food? Mixing wet with dry, and increasing his liquid intake, might help him.
posted by Tailkinker to-Ennien at 7:26 PM on May 14, 2018
If kitty is fixed, then you to see the vet as there may have a chronic problem.
Additionally, has there been any change to the household that may frighten or displease? And how is kitty's water intake? Too much dry food may be a culprit.
Good luck with that adorable sweetie.
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 7:29 PM on May 14, 2018
Additionally, has there been any change to the household that may frighten or displease? And how is kitty's water intake? Too much dry food may be a culprit.
Good luck with that adorable sweetie.
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 7:29 PM on May 14, 2018
Coming in a little late, since it seems the vet gave your cat a clean bill of health, but for the benefit of anyone else who comes with this question, especially with a male cat ... if he’s peeing somewhere other than his litter box, get him to the vet yesterday, or today, but no later than tomorrow. A urinary blockage can be life threatening.
Source: am owner of a male cat who has spent more than half of his time at the vet hospital since December. He’s been there for two weeks right now, after being home less than a week after his previous week+ stay. We didn’t go early enough initially, ended up going to emergency 24h vet multiple times, there were complications, there was a urethrostomy, there were more complications, more surgery, more complications. Do not recommend.
posted by ellenaim at 9:16 PM on May 14, 2018
Source: am owner of a male cat who has spent more than half of his time at the vet hospital since December. He’s been there for two weeks right now, after being home less than a week after his previous week+ stay. We didn’t go early enough initially, ended up going to emergency 24h vet multiple times, there were complications, there was a urethrostomy, there were more complications, more surgery, more complications. Do not recommend.
posted by ellenaim at 9:16 PM on May 14, 2018
Assuming he has been deemed healthy: We have a male cat who was pooping close to but outside his litter box. We washed the box out and switched to CatAttract litter and that helped, but didn't stop the behavior. What finally stopped it was switching to a stainless steel "litter box" - apparently the plastic box retained some odors even after being washed. I put litter box in quotes because at the time, the only thing we could find was a food serving tray, but it worked fine.
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 11:52 PM on May 14, 2018
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 11:52 PM on May 14, 2018
Everyone above has said everything I'd say, except this: when a feral cat had kittens in our back yard, our male cat peed all over the living room carpet in what I assume was an attempt to mark his territory. So check your neighborhood surroundings as well.
posted by telophase at 9:37 AM on May 15, 2018
posted by telophase at 9:37 AM on May 15, 2018
FLUTD sucks. Like you, I have a male cat who went through a blockage. My cat had to have the PU surgery, but he can still get UTIs with symptoms that mimic a blockage. Stress is a major trigger for this, and his two primary stressors are 1) I have house guests or 2) I go away, and the cat sitter comes. You likely already know this, but when a cat with FLUTD is peeing outside the box, it's normally because he's experiencing pain when he urinates rather than marking. Because cats aren't good with cause and effect, so he's looks for a safe place to pee where it doesn't hurt. He might have crystals at this point or a slight UTI.
Precautions I take:
- Fountain to increase his water intake and dilute urine
- Free feed urinary dry food (sounds like you're already doing this)
- Feed 1 pouch of very watery wet food every evening (I use Weruva's BFF)
- I use World's Best cat litter too, and I clean his box multiple times per day, partly leftover from when I was obsessed to know whether or not he was going. If that means moving his box to a place where you can see it and get to it more regularly, that might be an option.
posted by gladly at 10:18 AM on May 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Precautions I take:
- Fountain to increase his water intake and dilute urine
- Free feed urinary dry food (sounds like you're already doing this)
- Feed 1 pouch of very watery wet food every evening (I use Weruva's BFF)
- I use World's Best cat litter too, and I clean his box multiple times per day, partly leftover from when I was obsessed to know whether or not he was going. If that means moving his box to a place where you can see it and get to it more regularly, that might be an option.
posted by gladly at 10:18 AM on May 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by something something at 1:03 PM on May 14, 2018 [2 favorites]