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I have had my cat for 3 years, nevered peed before and now he pees only in the kids room where he sleeps. The cat is fixed. What do i do?
Robert
I would suggest moving the litterbox to that location
Animals will often urinate indoors to change the scent of the location to a scent they like (their own) and are familiar with. Have you by any chance changed the cleaning products you use in the kids room recently? If not, you might try pouring some straight vinegar on the area. Cats don't like the strong smell and will generally leave that area alone.
I also had this problem my cats decided after an unfixed male joined the group they no longer could use the litter.
Are the litter boxes kept clean?
Male cats who only receive dry cat food will develope urine problems. Peeing on the floor or carpet is their way of telling you they are ill.
How to put this delicately... How old is the child, do the perhaps wet the bed? If so, the cat may be smelling it & trying to "Overwrite" the smell.
No one wants a litter box in their kid's room.
As the owner of four cats, and 8 more in the past, I thought I may have some knowledge that will help.
My first thought, since you said he is a nuetered male, is Feline Urilogical Syndrome. This is where too much magnesium in the diet causes the urine to form crystals and causes painful urination for the cat. It mainly happens in nuetered males and the first symptom is they stop using their litter box. Cat's are fastidiously clean and when they are sick, they like to be even cleaner. So, since their penis hurts, they do not want to go to the bathroom in a litter box, which usually has some residual waste already in it. So they see it as "dirty".
But before assuming this is your cat's problem, you need to ask yourself:
+ Have I changed the brand of litter I am using?
+ Have I changed where the litter box is located?
+ Have I added or subtracted anything to his litter (like baking soda, etc) ?
+ Is there a new cat in the house, even one just visiting (or was there just before the problem started)?
+ Have I changed the floor cleaner I use in the room where the litter box is?
+ Have I changed the litter box itself?
+ Have I changed his food?
+ Have I been cleaning the litter box more or less often then usual?
+ Have I added or taken away a mat/carpet in front of the litter box?
+ Do I feed him a low-magnesium food or a food meant for a cat's urinary health?
If your answer to any of these questions is YES (except the last one), you have a behavioral problem on your hands. And that is a good thing. Whatever you have changed, go back to the original. He must prefer it and is trying to tell you that. Remember, out in the wild, animals comminicate through urine. That is what he is trying to do with you. Unfortunately your sniffer isn't sensitive enough to get the message. So you have to use you brain to figure out his message.
The next thing I would do, is clean the area he has been marking with a enzymatic cleaner. They use enymes to break down the urine. Ask at your pet store or look around the web. Shop around for the most recommended. It may be a bit pricey, but get what people say works. There are many on the market that are crap.
For any residual smells, Fabreze Deep Clean works great.
Next, stop letting him have acess to your children's room. At all. At least until things are back to normal. The kid's may whine. But explain that he is being punished and they will have to understand. Keep the door closed during the day. And at night, if they can't sleep with the door closed, try a baby gate. Though he may be able to jump over that. I'm not sure what advice to give you. But keep him out so he gets the message. And PLEASE don't put another litter box in there! That gives him the message that it is OK to pee in there (as long as he does it in the box) and then you will never be able to take the box away, or he will start peeing on the floor again.
Sometimes cats decide they like a new place to pee. Either to act out and tell you they are angry or because ??? Who knows? They are cats! But cats can be trained! Don't give in to him!
He may be telling you that he wants his litter box kept cleaner. Sometimes males decide to boycott because they get choosey about the state of the cleanliness of the litter box. A great, easy way to keep it clean is to use scoopable litter (if he can tolerate it, some cats can't) and keep a bucket with a top (I got mine from the grocery bakery for 50 cents) and a garbage bag inside it next to the box and scoop it every day or even every time you go in the bathroom. Very easy and makes your litter last longer.
If your answer to ALL of those questions was NO, then you need to take him to the vet and tell him you answered no to all of those questions and tell the vet what he has been doing.
The sooner you get him to the vet, the better. The next stage of the disease, is the crystals all build up and block the flow of urine. He won't be able to pee.
If the disease isn't treated early on, the only treatment is a surgery that removes his penis (and isn't always sucessful and is expensive) or putting him to sleep.
I don't mean to scare you. I am NOT saying this is what he has. But it is nothing to fool around with. When I was a young cat owner with my first cat, I ran into the very same problem, and didn't take him to the vet on time because I thought it was a behavioral problem, not a health problem. I ended up putting him to sleep. He was 3 years old as well.
Good Luck.
Heather
Just a comment on a past comment...dry food alone does not create urinary problems in male cats. It is something that is caused by several factors, diet included, but not alone. It is a myth that cats need wet food. They will drink plenty of water on their own. I was a veterinary technician for 2 years and I am sure of this. Cats who are fed primarily wet food will develop more dental problems, something that CAN be avoided with dry food. They also make special urinary health dry foods now that will help your pet to not develop urinary problems, but be aware, these diets will make your cat urinate MORE often. It changes the chemistry in their kidneys to flush things out better.
I also have this problem.
We have a 5 year old neutered female cat and she has started to pee in our children's rooms. First, she would pee on blankets, and now she is being on the carpet and on the kid's beds.
Is the cat somehow jealous of the kids?
Thank you,
Soon to be dog owner!
Connie - PINE SOL IS HARFUL TO CATS!!!!!!! It causes liver and kidney damage, and if they get fumes near them, can cause resp. problems.
NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER USE ANYTHING PINE SOL OR LYSOL IN A HOME WITH Cats.
My cat had this problem just over a year ago, where she was peeing at the back door (she is an indoor cat). I tried everything but in the end I bought some "eswcue remedy" which is good for acute stress and it worked.
My 8 year old cat has peed and ruined several pieces of furniture and now has started peeing in our bed and pooping on my daughter's bedroom floor. She has been on amitrptyline for 3 years and about two months ago we were told to double her dose. She has been examined and found to be healthy. We are trying to sell our house to move and are afraid to bring her to our new home. Any suggestions? I understand that they sometimes do this because situations change but she is on drugs and life is about change. Thank you.
Hi,
It troubles me to say that not only does my cat pee around the house but twice in the last 6 weeks when my son is in my bed (he is 19 months old) she has peed in the bed.
We are going to the vet tomorrow for the second time.
We also have an older cat, whose house we moved into.
Help
I have a cat who is less than five years old. He was adopted and pretty much since I brought him home he has urinated in different places in my home. I have 2 other cats and 5 litter boxes. He uses the boxes and also pees on multiple surfaces including clothes, upholstered furniture, plastic, and also on my dining room table that had been set. He has been checked by the vet and has not had any UTIs. I am at my wits end.
It looks like you have been very patient with your pet but maybe you have been using an ineffective cleaner so your pet just keeps returning to whatever spots he has created.
Here are instructions on how to make your own enzyme cleaners.
My friend has a cat that she adopted from another family. The cat is about 3 years old and has been with her for about 6 months or so. Kitty has been urinating on her bed and almost everywhere in her apartment.
The vet said she has crystals in her urine and needed to be on special food and medication, which she is. She has spent almost $400.00 on vet visits hoping for some help, but she is still doing the same thing after months.
My friend is about to give up and has contacted a no kill shelter. For now, the poor kitty is locked in her bathroom with food, water, and litter box. If she is out she will go on the bed, bedspread, rug, etc. and the clean up is almost impossible.
Can anyone offer any help? She does not want to give her up, but cannot deal with this day after day.
PS- the kitty is beautiful and very sweet. Any help would be so appreciated.
By Phyllis from NY
Did your friend ask the vet how long it might take to see an improvement? It's not an unreasonable question.
What has your friend done to clean up the urine? Cats' sense of smell is much better than ours, and they will come back to the same spot if they can smell it. If she hasn't already, she should look into an enzymatic cleaner. I bought my first bottle at Petsmart, but have since gotten some from the pet care section at Wal-Mart. The enzymes break down biological waste, so there is no smell left behind. Since the cat has been using these spots repeatedly, I would suggest treating the areas a few times just to make sure.
I haven't had this problem with any of my cats (peeing everywhere on a regular basis). I wonder if offering an extra litter box or two would help. That might be a good quesiton for the vet (along with asking if the cat's condition should have improved by now). Good luck with the cat -- I hope it works out.
We had a cat with this problem at one time. He was cured with the medication and special food. Every now and then he'd have his problems again.
It sounds as if this cat has been on the medication long enough for it to work. So, I'm wondering what else may be going on. I think it's true you need to get rid of all the previous odors. There are some great products out there for doing this. Ask a salesperson at Petsmart for help. While you are there, pick up the Kitty Litter called Dr. Elsey's. It is made to attract cats to use their litter box. My daughter has used it and highly recommends it. Good luck!
My cat, who used to use the litter box, developed crystals also. He now associtates the litter box with pain and won't use it. He will poop in the litter box, but not pee. This has been going on now for 8 years. I get puppy pee pads (they have a scent that attracts animals) and he will pee on the pee pad. I wish I had better news, but I have been trying to get my cat back to using the litter box for a long time and he just won't do it. Another thing your friend could try is changing out the litter, replacing litter with shredded newspaper -- anything to make it seem different from when the cat was having pain and issues. Good luck!
I had a cat that stopped using the litter box and we got him to use it again by putting hamster litter in it. It is a paper type litter. You can get it at Walmart, pet shops etc. We were successful with the paper litter and then gradually added cat litter to it and eventually transitioned him back to cat litter.
This is a page about keeping cats from peeing on floor. When a cat pees outside of their litter box determining the reason is the first step to resolving the problem.
This is a page about keeping cats from peeing on a bed. Having a cat that chooses to pee on the bed rather than in the litterbox is very frustrating and baffling.
This is a page about preventing your cat from peeing in the kitchen. When your cat decides to relieve itself in the wrong place, it can be a challenge to train them otherwise.
This is a page about cat peeing outside litter box. If your litterbox trained kitty suddenly begins peeing outside the box, it is cause for concern and possibly frustration.
This page is about keeping cats from peeing on furniture. Sometimes a cat chooses a place to relieve itself that is not where you want.
This page is about cat peeing on clothing. Sometimes cats choose places to relieve themselves that are not outside or the cat box.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
Why does my new cat (male) pee every where in the house. I have two other cats, but they don't do this. Only the new cat we got about 6 months ago and he pees everywhere; on the table, on clothes, and on top of the freezer where there are cardboard boxes. What can I do to fix this problem, it's out of control.
Richard from Bear, DE
Is he fixed? Although cats will still spray when fixed, it sounds like a territorial thing to me, that is why they spray. I would do some research on the internet, there are also several products out there that will help with the stopping of spraying. Good luck! (04/08/2007)
By Michawn
Yes he is fixed. We tried some products, but it seems it's not working. Last night he peed on my son's bookbag. (04/09/2007)
Some cats don't like sharing a litter box or will not use it if the box was even the slightest bit soiled. I put a 2nd small litter box in my bathroom (other box was on another floor) and went in there with her shortly after she ate or after she slept a long time. I didn't engage her (took a bath, etc.). Sometimes I scooped her up for a petting, then plopped her in the box. I let her out of the room if she clearly wanted out. She got the idea. (I shooed the other cat away from that room.) Hope that helps! (04/09/2007)
By Mrs. L
If a male cat isn't neutered it will spray out of instinct to mark it's territory. If it is neutered and still sprays it may have already had the habit of spraying prior in which case it may never stop spraying. (04/09/2007)
By Michelle
I have a cat who was peeing around my livingroom. When I called the vet, he said that the cat associates the pain from a urinary tract infection with the litter box and will not go there because it hurts when he pees. My cat is fixed and had never had a problem with this until the last several years. What I do is this, first I give him a tiny bit of milk with a cranberry capsule opened in it. This helps with the infection.
Then I have a throw rug that he likes to pee on; I put that in front and under the litter box with a plastic bag between the throw rug and the carpet underneath. He now uses the litter box most times and if he doesn't, he will pee on the throw rug and I just pick it up and toss it in the wash. (04/10/2007)
By MelfrmNY
Try soaking the area in vinegar that he pees on. This may help. (04/10/2007)
By Lynn
If the vet rules out all things biological, you probably won't change him. A lot of a cat's behavior is affected by what it's mother taught it. Did she have a litter box available to show him? If she was a wild cat, or a barn cat for example, he probably wasn't taught to use one and it simply doesn't matter to him. (04/11/2007)
By
I just wanted to share some info with you. I have a cat that is about 3 years old and he was born in a barn when we rescued him. He has been fixed. When he was little he used the cat litter box. Then when he got older he was going in one part of the house, I got tired of it and put him outside during the day and let him in at night, now to this day I do not have a problem with him messing in the house. He goes outside and he lets us know when he needs to go. He goes to the front door and meows to be let out even if it is 5am. When he wants in he clings to the front door screen without tearing it and he weights 18 pounds, I have a picture of him for you to see. He is sleeping in a weird way. LOL Animals are smarter than we give them credit for. I love him very much. (05/11/2007)
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