Our male cat has started peeing in the house. Help!!

[OnionPatch]

My husband wants him to be an outside cat now and I can't blame him, but I'm worried.

A little background--we already had two females indoor cats when he showed up outside the back door begging for food about a year ago. He is very cute and sweet although very skittish and leery. We finally let him in. He was about six months old and obviously stray. He was skinny and his coat full of burrs. We had him neutered. As he's grown more confident, he has gotten a little bossy with one of our females and now he's been marking the walls in the house!! I keep the litter boxes clean. In fact, we have three of them. I don't know why he's peeing in the house now and don't know how to stop it. He's healthy. He just went to the vet about a month ago for shots and has a clean bill of health. I think he just wants to show the other cats who owns the place. What do I do? He was obviously pretty outdoor-savvy when he came to our place but I'm still worried sick about him being outside. But at the same time we can't have a cat ruining our carpet and furniture. Please, if anyone knows an answer to this problem, please let me know.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. You might try this - it worked on my cat.

I once had a nice, slightly stupid but very good-natured, fluffy orange cat named Charles. He was neutered and otherwise healthy, but for some reason that I was never able to determine, he started peeing outside his box, sometimes not even near it. I asked the vet what to do, and he said I should confine Charles in a small room, like a bathroom, with his food, some toys, a bed and his litter box, for at least a week (spending a reasonable time in there with him, petting and playing with him). The theory is that cats don't like to make a mess near their food or their bed, so if they are stuck in small space they "remember" to use the box so the rest of their living space doesn't stink.

So I tried this, put him in the bathroom with his stuff. Charles didn't like it much - he sat right by the door and howled for awhile - but it worked. While he was incarcerated I went around the house and thoroughly washed the areas he'd peed on and used enzyme cleaners on those places. Finally I let him out. He never failed to use the litter box again, and he lived for maybe another 10 years after that (he passed away at the age of 21).

[OnionPatch]

2. That's encouraging. Maybe we will try it.

We have an extra bathroom we can keep him in. I had thought about something like this but didn't know if it would be effective or not. It's worth a try, though.

[badgerpup]

3. Is there something going on in his environment...

...that's changed so that he feels the need to 'mark' his territory?
OR...he may be trying to tell you something...

BTDT ALERT:
Wimsey was notorious for inappropriate peeing...made sure I would see him do it, too. :grr:
Turned out the 'message' was that he felt there weren't enough litter boxes available. After I got another box, the behavior went away.

And is he OK health-wise? Inappropriate peeing is often the first sign the cat will give you that it might have a bladder infection. Neutered males seem to have issues with this sort of thing...you may want to talk to your vet about what he's eating.


Hope you can get this straightened out...it can be very frustrating!

I do wish that they could just TELL us what's going on...:banghead:

[japple]

4. Cat Attract cat litter -- guaranteed to work. Available at PetSmart or by mail order.

Also, there might be a male cat outside that is spraying somewhere nearby and if your little guy smells it, he thinks he needs to cover up that smell with his own. I'd confine him for awhile and try the Cat Attract litter. Good luck and keep us posted.

[japple]

5. As Velveteen ocelot pointed out, cleaning the spots where he

has gone before is a biggie. He might keep going back there if any smells linger. If you have access to a black light, that will reveal where he has urinated in the past.

[OnionPatch]

6. I'm getting them as clean as I possibly can.

I'm using some enzyme stuff called FON (Feline Odor Neutralizer) that you spray on. To be safe, I've been applying a "stay off" pet repellent in any area he sprayed after the cleanup. He doesn't seem to be going back to places. Each episode has been a new spot.

I think I cleaned every spot really well so far. I have an ally in this....my gray female kitty, Pan, who tries to bury his pee each time. :) I hear scratching NOT coming from the litter box, and I know something has happened. At first I thought she was the one who peed on the floor when I caught her scratching, but I figured out that she just tries to bury it, lol. She tries to bury every gross thing she finds, such as furballs, throwup, any cat food she dislikes, and the rare dog dropping (that only happens if my husband forgets to let the dog out. :grr:) But I do plan on trying the black light in case Pan or I missed anything. I don't know where to get one around here but I bet I can find one online.

Thanks everyone, for the advice. We've been keeping the pee-boy under supervision or isolated in the bathroom. He's been good for the last few days. I'm making another vet appointment to specifically have him checked for a urinary tract infection. I don't think there are any other cats outside. Our two very large dogs generally discourage feline visitors to our yard. I think with all our pets the continuing jostling for position may also be bothering him, so I'm adding yet another litter box so he has plenty of options.

Keeping my fingers crossed.....

[virgdem]

7. I'm glad you are taking him to the Vet...

just as a precaution, to rule out anything medically that may be causing the spraying/urinating outside the box. It sounds like you are taking everyone's advice and I'm sure you will resolve the problem in the near future. Good luck!

[japple]

8. Sounds like you're doing everything right, and having a feline

"ratter" helps alot, too. I think it's hysterical that your kitty, Pan, tries to help clean up everything, the little busy body. My females are much busier bodies than my big hunka boy, but he's older.

[OnionPatch]

9. Pan is a riot.

She's one of those cats with oceans of personality. I could fill this forum with her antics. :) She's everyone's favorite. (Shhh, don't tell the others.)

[OnionPatch]

10. Ok, now what the heck??

So Cody (the pee boy) has been behaving since he spent the weekend in the bathroom. I have seen no signs of inappropriate peeing. That is until last night......this was so weird......I walked in the kitchen and he was standing there. I said "Hi Buddy" to him in a friendly voice and he turned toward me and looked at me and lifted his back and tail like they do when you pet them, then he turned sideways and squirted on the wall right in front of me while he was looking at me!! It wasn't like he was doing it to make me mad, he seemed to be in his affectionate mode! I have the strangest feeling that he's trying to claim me from the other cats. Is that possible or am I losing it?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. It could be some weird territorial thing.

Doesn't appear to be a physical problem or illness, but you might talk to the vet about behavior issues. He might need more time sequestered in the bathroom to relearn the Don't Pee Anywhere Except The Litterbox lesson.

[japple]

12. What did the vet say? Did they test his urine to see if he might

be having problems with crystal formation?

[OnionPatch]

13. He goes tomorrow.

We'll see what happens.

[prole_for_peace]

14. Watched an episode of Must Love Cats that had a bit about this.

www.catsparella.com/2011/03/must-love-cats-episode-6-recap-resource.html

Cheetos spraying problem was solved by anti-anxiety medicine.

They also mentioned that you should have one more litter box than the number of cats in the house