Cat lovers - help me please

[KristaTX]

I already know what the cat haters will say, so thank you but no need to respond .

I have 2 indoor brother cats, Bert and Ernie. They are 3 years old and both were neutered at about 6 months old. One (or maybe both) of them has been urinating around our house for months. It began last year when we undertook a remodeling project. It kind of stopped after a while, but then in the early spring we had a houseguest staying with us for about 3 weeks. Unfortunately the guy's stuff smelled like other cats, and he was kind of mean to our cats . That definitely stressed out the kitties.

We think it is just Bert, but it is possible that both could be marking. We have had both cats checked by the vet for urinary problems (negative), tried Feliway spray, Feliway plug-in, Buspar (anti-anxiety medication), thoroughly cleaning everything with Petzyme and Nature's Miracle, and now I have started to take Bert outside to try to see if he'll urinate outside. I found fresh urine in 2 places today . Fortunately we only have carpet in 2 rooms (the rest are wood, etc), but this is driving us absolutely crazy.

Has anyone conquered this problem with your cat before (without getting rid of the kitty)? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[grinningghost]

Our male cat has been ALMOST perfect with using his litter box - except for a couple times when for absolutely no reason, he peed outside the box.

I scrubbed the area like a maniac, and then, moved the litter box to another area. I made sure to bring him over to it and show him where it was. The problem was solved. He just started using the box again in the new location.

Don't know if it will work for you - but you could try it. Good luck. Kitties are worth all the trouble, because they're so darned sweet.

 

[KristaTX]

I did add another litter box for a while, but it didn't seem to stop the problem. Maybe I will try just moving the regular litter box to another room and see if it works. I like having it in the laundry room, though.

 

[grinningghost]

Originally posted by KristaTX
I did add another litter box for a while, but it didn't seem to stop the problem. Maybe I will try just moving the regular litter box to another room and see if it works. I like having it in the laundry room, though.

That's where mine used to be, in the laundry room. I thought maybe something banging around in the washer or the dryer spooked him, and that's the original reason I moved the box. Don't know what is was, but it worked.

 

[bballmom56]

This probably isn't the problem with your cat since he's young, but we have an older (we thought he was about 11 judging from what the people told us when they gave him to us, but the vet says he's about 14) male cat that was urinating in many different spots in the house. He was also drinking a LOT of water. Turns out he is diabetic. I give him insulin shots in the morning and he seems to be better about the urinating. He has other problems too, but hopefully this one is better.

 

[goofygirl]

Here's a board full of cat owners that may give you feedback:

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ptindoorcats

I have no advice, I wish you the best of luck.

 

[KristaTX]

Thanks for the link, goofygirl. That looks very helpful for this and other cat topics - I put it under my favorites .

 

[msdis]

Is he spraying or just not using the box? Usually the spraying is a territorial thing. Sometimes one cat will dominate the other and he may be scared to use it for fear of attack. Just some thoughts. Been there so I can sympathize. We only have one male and he is great. So we are fearful to get another for this exact reason. Good luck.