Cat peeing outside of litter box, desperate for help

[*JoGo*]

I posted in June that my kitten was going to the bathroom outside of the litter box. He was sick and I hoped he would stop once he felt better. Well, we found out it wasn't him but our other cat. She is almost 8 yrs old and has never gone outside her box.

That was June. She has been to the vet. She has been treated (and is still on meds) for a UTI and something else. I've talked with the vet and she thinks it is behavioral. We have seen a stray cat sleeping at our front door. She thinks this cat is bothering our cat.

The laminate floor where she always pees (multiple times a night, sometimes when we are not home during the day) is ruined and we had to throw away 3 rugs. I got a spray that is supposed to clean it and has a citrus smell. We put down pee pads. It is impossible to put a litter box here because it is right against the door/wall with another door that opens into the area (very cramped area).

I have called the humane society and the pound. No help. No suggestions about what to do about stray.
I am desperate. I love her. But I cannot deal with this. She will have to go. And I don't even know where she will go because the humane society is at twice their capacity and the shelters are full also. I am heartbroken. She is the sweetest cat.

I asked dh to get a trap from work and I will catch the stray and take it out to some property his family owns and leave it. He can't get one right now. But is that crazy? I don't know what to do!! I've even sprayed outside our door with the spray hoping to wash away the stray's scent and discourage it from marking at our door, IF it is marking there. I don't even know.

Please help. I love her.
Please don't flame me.

 

[MichelleVW]

I posted in June that my kitten was going to the bathroom outside of the litter box. He was sick and I hoped he would stop once he felt better. Well, we found out it wasn't him but our other cat. She is almost 8 yrs old and has never gone outside her box.

That was June. She has been to the vet. She has been treated (and is still on meds) for a UTI and something else. I've talked with the vet and she thinks it is behavioral. We have seen a stray cat sleeping at our front door. She thinks this cat is bothering our cat.

The laminate floor where she always pees (multiple times a night, sometimes when we are not home during the day) is ruined and we had to throw away 3 rugs. I got a spray that is supposed to clean it and has a citrus smell. We put down pee pads. It is impossible to put a litter box here because it is right against the door/wall with another door that opens into the area (very cramped area).

I have called the humane society and the pound. No help. No suggestions about what to do about stray.
I am desperate. I love her. But I cannot deal with this. She will have to go. And I don't even know where she will go because the humane society is at twice their capacity and the shelters are full also. I am heartbroken. She is the sweetest cat.

I asked dh to get a trap from work and I will catch the stray and take it out to some property his family owns and leave it. He can't get one right now. But is that crazy? I don't know what to do!! I've even sprayed outside our door with the spray hoping to wash away the stray's scent and discourage it from marking at our door, IF it is marking there. I don't even know.

Please help. I love her.
Please don't flame me.

Maybe you should contain the cat to a small room with a litter box until she starts using it consistently. Please take the stray cat to a shelter and not leave it at some property. Even if they put the stray down, that is better than the poor thing starving, getting killed by something or reproducing even MORE stray cats.

 

[Jennasis]

Have you had this cat for 8 years?

 

[Coconut36]

You said the cat is still being treated for the UTI and other issues? What is the other issue..is it crystals in the urine?

Once they have UTI and other out of box issues it can become behavioral but I am surprised if the cat is still being treated the vet is now writing it off as behavioral as the cat could still be experiencing discomfort and thus going outside the box. My first kitty had terrible issues with UTI and urine crystals...a change in diet can sometimes help give them relief and reduce/eliminate recurrences. Can you move the box elsewhere? Right now the kitty is likely smelling all the other times they went out of the box so they just go there again. Getting it away from there to a fresh area might help. You could also try doing a puppy pee pad UNDER the rug (to hold it down but keep it from getting to the floor) and get a run you can toss in the washer.

As for the other kitty..there is often little you can do as pound/Humane Society doesn't often pick up strays (no leash law for cats). You could contact an organization in your area that deals with feral cats and see if they can help you as they often trap them and spay/neuter them. Another option to discourage it from around your properly might be to sprinkle cayenne pepper around where it likes to hang out. It can drive cats away as they don't like it. Aluminum foil is another deterrent but depending on where the cat is hanging out it might not work for you.

 

[Belle2007]

I'm sorry! We had a stray outside and it upset my cat so very much. I can sympathize.

I'm thinking either she is sick again or try a brand new cat litter and put it somewhere else... she may associate the cat litter with pain. (I learned that this week from My Cat is From Hell on Animal Planet.)

Hope you find a solution!

Peggy

 

[*JoGo*]

She is on Piroxicam and is supposed to take it once a day for 30 days, she also had another antibiotic she had to take twice a day for two weeks. She went to the vet a couple weeks ago. She has a UTI... Thick bladder wall and a fungus. The vet didn't say anything about crystals.

We have had her Since she was 18 months old. Adopted from humane society. She was born there, someone adopted her then returned her a year later. I suspect she was abused because of certain behaviors. Extremely timid and fearful.

Coconut- what sort of dietary changes? She eats Taste of the Wild because our kitten is a Savannah and needs grain free. She's been eating this for about a year and a half now.

She doesn't go #2 outside of the litter box. I've emptied the litter box and scrubbed it and scoop more often thinking she was getting picky about it not being clean enough. We have never caught her in the act of peeing outside her box. She's very sneaky.

Belle- I will try a new litter.

Michelle- I will try to find somewhere to take it, if I catch it, but after several calls, nowhere will take any more cats. And if things don't get better, not only will there be the stray, but my cat will need a new home also. If I could take in the stray, I would. I am heartbroken over the whole thing. I am also hopeful that maybe her problem isn't the stray.

 

[minniecarousel]

Before you get rid of your cat, invest in a "have-a-heart" trap for the one outside that is not yours. See if you can trap it and take it somewhere else (shelter, a friend's farm...)

 

[Coconut36]

She is on Piroxicam and is supposed to take it once a day for 30 days, she also had another antibiotic she had to take twice a day for two weeks. She went to the vet a couple weeks ago. She has a UTI... Thick bladder wall and a fungus. The vet didn't say anything about crystals.

We have had her Since she was 18 months old. Adopted from humane society. She was born there, someone adopted her then returned her a year later. I suspect she was abused because of certain behaviors. Extremely timid and fearful.

Coconut- what sort of dietary changes? She eats Taste of the Wild because our kitten is a Savannah and needs grain free. She's been eating this for about a year and a half now.

She doesn't go #2 outside of the litter box. I've emptied the litter box and scrubbed it and scoop more often thinking she was getting picky about it not being clean enough. We have never caught her in the act of peeing outside her box. She's very sneaky.

Belle- I will try a new litter.

Michelle- I will try to find somewhere to take it, if I catch it, but after several calls, nowhere will take any more cats. And if things don't get better, not only will there be the stray, but my cat will need a new home also. If I could take in the stray, I would. I am heartbroken over the whole thing. I am also hopeful that maybe her problem isn't the stray.

It's been a while for me (my kitty with those issues passed away several years ago). It was a "prescription" diet that I bought through a vet office (didn't have to be mine..any vet sold it). It was I think Hill's Science Diet but I can't remember for sure. You might be able to call the vet and see what they suggest. I am not sure it is grain free but whatever it is, it is supposed to help reduce issues with crystals in the urine/kidney issues..etc.

I know for my kitty once it happened outside the box we had real issues with it. It was always urine..she did her #2 in the box always. What happens when they have UTI, crystals and/or kidney issues is they start to associate using the box with pain and sometimes go outside or in small amounts around outside to try to alleviate the pain.

A new litter is a good suggestion (different texture, type..etc). My cat would actually refuse to use the litter box if we used anything but Johnny Cat. Moving the box to a new location and even changing the box out for a new one that seems different (cover if they didn't have one, no cover if they did..etc) might help break the association with bad behavior.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

There is a litter called Cat Attract that our vet recommended when our older cat was having similar issues. Our Petsmart has it. It's got something in it that the cats like (don't remember what it was) that attracts them to the box.

He suggested that along with a new box, new location, etc to get her using the box again. Then we slowly switched back to a cheaper litter (the cat attract was $$$) and better location.

 

[jane2073]

I believe it is Hill's Perscription Diet C/D. My cat also had a problem with bladder crystals and this is what the vet suggested (along with medicine).

When Poppy (my maincoon) had the bladder crystals he started peeing outside the box and then eventually on my side of the bed (to get my attention). After we figured out what was wrong and got it taken care of, he was pretty much back to normal.

He went through another phase of peeing outside the box but this time it was because our other cat was extremely ill. I think he could tell and it bothered him.
When we put her down, he started going in the litter box again.

He is now fifteen and we have a one-year-old (cat) and they both use the litter box just fine.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Go and buy a big wire dog crate to confine the cat to retrain it.

Make sure you stay on top of things with the UTI, getting her rechecked as needed. I would return to the vet to see how things are going medically.

If you keep your cat confined at night and while you are away it may help retrain your fur baby.

Also you did not mention if you had 2 litter boxes for your cats but if you do not I would get another one.

 

[JBurke]

I dont know if you ever watch My Cat From Hell on Animal Planet, but he just had a show about this kind of situtation.

As for the stray cat outside, he recommended getting a motion activated sprinkler. He had the family put it in a potted plant outside by the door. Whenever an animal would come to the back door, the sprinkler would go off. He said after a few times of being hit with water, the strays would stay away.

As for inside your house, since you have two cats its important to have at least two litter boxes. My older cat had an adjustment period after we adopted two sister kittens. She didnt like having to go in the basement to use the liter box (I think because she would get ambushed by the kittens). She started to poop all around the house. We bought her a new box and put it on the first floor (although the kittens use it from time to time it seems ok).

The expert on Cat From Hell also recommends buying a different shaped cat box than you currently have. If your kitty is having pain, sometimes they associate the pain with the cat box. Buying a totally new box may help.

Good luck. I know how hard it is.

 

[Coconut36]

Funny..the pp made me think of a sprinkler I just saw recently in a magazine. It is motion activated and meant to help repel pests from yards/gardens:

http://www.amazon.com/Contech-CRO10...846&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=repelling+sprinkler

 

[si-am]

OP, you've gotten some great advice here. I agree with getting a new box and trying new litter. The dog crate idea sounds like it might be a good way to handle the situation and reintroduce the litter box, too.

As for the stray... We had one coming up on our deck and antagonizing our cats through the sliding glass door. It created big problems for our indoor cats, who started freaking out and fighting with each other. I ended up taping poster board along the bottom half of the doorso the cats couldn't see each other. Eventually the stray lost interest and stopped coming around.

 

[castmemberb4]

Hello!
I have 4 cats, 4 others over the years who've gone to kitty heaven, fostered kittens and now volunteer in the cat rooms at my local rescue. I've delt with a lot of cat issues! I agree with a lot of things mentioned here.
The fact that your kitty is doing #2 in the box screams that there is a pain association with urination. Even when the pain is gone the painfree association is going to be with a location other than the litterbox. If your cat is still on the meds you may have to live with the problem until she is pain free, then a new box, different type of litter and a new location might do the trick. I don't know the litter someone mentioned but it sounds great and you might not have to use it long term if you gradually switch back.
I don't think this is a crystals problem, however the Hill's Science diet mentioned earlier will help her stay healthy, her problems were cause by something, it could be her food. Also make sure there is no liquid she's drinking that she shouldn't be, ie water standing in the bottom of plant pots, licking the shower or tub where theres soap scum, or toilet water.
As for the other cat. How tame is this cat? The fact that it's sleeping against the door makes me think it want's to come in, but if you need a trap to catch it maybe not. I know you don't want to adopt another cat but if you could establish a place away from the house to give it food water shelter and bedding it might help. I really don't think the other cat is the problem though.
Good Luck, let us know how it goes and please please don't give your 8 year old away because she's sick, she didn't chose this condition.

 

[SideshowBob]

OP, you've gotten some great advice here. I agree with getting a new box and trying new litter. The dog crate idea sounds like it might be a good way to handle the situation and reintroduce the litter box, too.

As for the stray... We had one coming up on our deck and antagonizing our cats through the sliding glass door. It created big problems for our indoor cats, who started freaking out and fighting with each other. I ended up taping poster board along the bottom half of the doorso the cats couldn't see each other. Eventually the stray lost interest and stopped coming around.

Interesting so many others have the stray cat hanging out issue, as going through the same. We call him "Big Head Todd" and can't get rid of him.

Also agree on new litter box. The kind with the opening on top has worked great for us after having "issues".

Best of luck with your kitty and finding solutions.

PS: Called "Clevercat Top Entry Litterbox" and have on Amazon if interested.

 

[Mom_Rides]

My old lady cat has got extremely picky in the last year. She is very healthy but has become finicky. She started rejecting the dry cat food she always ate, started going pee and poo outside of the box and seemed generally more agitated. It was very frustrating for us and we too had discussed the possibility of her having to go.

We switched her to wet food (it took trying a couple to find which one worked for her), went from a litter box with a hood to a bigger, open box but she didn't like that either so we went with a small one and that worked. Changed litter from a generic one I always used to Tidy Cat to Freshstep and finally to Arm and Hammer. My happy old lady is herself once again!

I hope you can find a solution and your cat can remain a member of your family!

 

[*JoGo*]

I bought a new litter box and new litter then set it up in a different location. We have a very small house so I don't have many placement options.

It is in the bathroom, we had one there a couple years ago. After I set it up I closed her in there for awhile (my kid let her out) hoping she might use it or at least make sure she knows it is there.

Crossing fingers.

 

[disneyfans95]

Another reason to not get a cat..

Get a dog.. No need for litter boxes. Animals are meant to go outside the house...

 

[jlima]

ITA on the getting a 2nd letter box suggestion. We have two cats; and three litter boxes! Two have clumping litter (generic from Target) and one has clay litter (Fresh Step). We keep the litter boxes in our garage and have a pet door from the house into the garage so they come and go when they want to.