Jesse's Pee Problems

[newsguyatl]

So when Jesse peed on my bed a couple times the first few weeks I had him, I attributed it to immaturity and newness.

But in the last several weeks, he's taken to peeing on my blankets, seemingly in the morning when he wants me to get up to feed him (though I could be wrong on this, it's just a hunch).

So I've now had to stop both him and Nikko from sleeping with me a night... A not so easy task, seeing as how I live in a loft with no "door" upstairs to my bedroom -- I've had to maneuver my chest of drawers on my steps to block them from coming up at night, it's really displeasing.

He also is still peeing in the bathroom sink. Often times when I'm in there, he'll come in, look at me, sit in the sink and tinkle away. I used to think it was kinda cute, until I came to realize it could be a part of bigger problem.

And just a few minutes ago, I was in my utility closet (actually looking for some toys for them) when Jesse came in, sat in one of my unused planting pots, and started peeing in there.

I don't know what's the cause of this. I don't think it's a urinary infection or anything, because he goes in the litter box just fine, too. It could be immaturity or just behavioral (or a combination.)

I DO know that my patience is starting to wear thin. I'm not OCD, but I AM an extremely neat and clean person, and this cat piss everywhere is starting to drive me up a wall. Meanwhile, I'm having to essentially punish poor Nikko for Jesse's behavior.

I'm at my wit's end. Does anyone have ANY idea what the heck his problem is?!?

He's cute, but he's starting to annoy me as well.

[Lorien]

1. Try a brand of litter called "cat attract"

it's guaranteed to stop that kind of problem. I recommend it for the first three weeks for the kitten I adopt out, and so far, no "accidents".

[newsguyatl]

2. but wouldn't that be

for cats/kitties who aren't litter trained?

so far as i know, he is (with the exception of these incidents)... that's why i wondering if he's acting out.

i mean why would he use the litter box 98% of the time, and then go around me somewhere odd the other 1 or 2%?

[Lorien]

10. No, it's for cats who are doing what Jesse is doing

all my fosters are litter trained, but a change in environment or diet can cause them to "act out"-that's why I suggest the litter.

[newsguyatl]

12. ok, i'll give it a shot

thanks

[Shoeempress]

3. Has he been tested for cystitis? Male cats particularly prone, and can

die as their urethra can be blocked. It is the formation of crystals in the urine which are sharp and uncomfortable. This will frequently lead to bladder infections. Get him checked, it can be treated with diet. One of our's has it and we have had him for at least 14 years, other than cystitis, he is healthy as can be. When he has a flair up (Usually in hot weather) he will pee on all kinds of things. Off to the vet and get antibiotics and he is fine in a couple days.

[CC]

4. I would definitely check into

cystitis just in case. Also how many litter boxes do you have? My Siamese is very picky about his litter box and refuses to share.
Also even though I use scoopable litter and clean twice daily he wants it dumped, bleached (the pan) and replaced weekly at the least. I was told to have at least 1.5 litter boxes per cat. BTW when Ayja was unhappy about his litter the first place he got even was the bed. He also paced the house. If everything checks out try feliway. Hope you figure it out because he is a cute cat and it is very unfair to Nikko.

[newsguyatl]

8. ok, thanks for the advice

i'll check it out

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Some advice I got from a vet --

This worked. Years ago I had a cat who would occasionally relieve himself outside the litter box, usually in corners or in plant pots. Finally I took him to the vet, who determined there was nothing physically wrong with him. The vet said I should shut him in a small room like a bathroom with food, a bed and his litter box, for about a week or so (taking time to visit him and play with him, of course). The idea was that cats are clean animals who won't soil the area where they eat and sleep, so if they are in a small space with their food and bed, they will "remember" to use the litter box in order to keep their living space clean. I thought it seemed strange, but I tried it, and believe it or not, it worked. Some years later the same cat had another episode; he got the same treatment, and it worked again. It might be worth a try for Jesse -- though you will probably have to listen to some outraged howling.

[newsguyatl]

9. if i put jesse in a small confined

space, the neighbors would be knocking my door down... not sure if you've ever heard a siamese's crying before, but think of the loudest, shrillest, most blood-curdling sound you can, and that's about what it's like...

i tried that the first week i had him, that's actually how i litter trained him and it seemed to work.

that's why i'm just at a loss as to why he's doing it now.

[Madrone]

6. In another thread of yours regarding peeing in the sink -

I told you at least it wasn't all overy the fucking!!! couch - like MINE had just done. Well - he did it again, and before that he'd been pissing huge quantities of pee all over the bloody house.

Turns out he has diabetes.

Go get a comprehensive vet check done to rule out any medical issues.

[newsguyatl]

7. yikes

were there any other symptoms?

and what is the treatment?

[Madrone]

11. Symptoms -

Always staaaaaaaaaaaarving - although aren't all drama queen cats always starving? :D Eats a lot, drinks a TON of water - the water in the dish was drying up in record time. Peeing EVERYWHERE. Started out in isolated incidents, and then progressed in both frequency, volume, and location.

Insulin shots for the rest of his life is a treatment - however, my vet wants to try and regulate mine with diet and vitamins. Right now, he's on an all raw meat diet - and he gets a big horse pill every night. I've already noticed the amount of water consumed and the amount of urine in the cat box has decreased a LOT. He's isolated from the other cats - currently living in the dog crate so I can regulate his feed and closely monitor his behavior.

All in all, diabetes isn't that bad. My cat won't die from it, as long as I do my part. My older cat was diagnosed with kidney failure a couple of months ago - that's much worse, as he WILL die from that. :(

[newsguyatl]

13. oh man

that sounds a lot like jesse... eats a ton, drinks a ton, and pees constantly...

on edit: how long are you going to leave him in the dog crate? that sounds miserable for him.

[Kashka-Kat]

16. just saw this- disregard my posting below!

And get your guy to vet straightaway!

"Eats/drinks a ton and pees constantly"

Well there you have it, classic diabetes symptoms.

As prev. poster mentioned it is easily treated-- many cats are cured with low carb diet--does not have to be prescription food, but any with low grain/carb content. Cats are obligate carnivores which means meat eaters and the high carb content of dry food can trigger a type 2 diabetes in some cats.

If you have to go to insulin shots (as one of my cats did) then that is quite manageable, insulin supplies are cheap, the needles are very fine and don't hurt. My cat associated shots with feeing better, he'd come and get me when it was shot time and purr when the needle went in.

felinediabetes.com is a great resource-- I met so many fine people there!

let us know what happens, OK? Its common for cats to associate pain & discomfort with their litter box and start to avoid it. Also diabetes can cause neuropathy which can interfere w/ sensation and the signal to go to the bathroom.

[newsguyatl]

19. i'll see how he does in the coming days

maybe get a second cat pan (only have one now) and see how things go...

if things get worse (or even continue at their pace) i'll take him to the vet.

i've been worried sick ever since the possiblity of him having diabetes was brought up...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

20. He seems awfully young to be diabetic.

But even if he is, it's manageable. Teddy (now 14) has been diabetic for the last 5 or 6 years; I give him insulin shots twice a day (which don't seem to bother him in the least); and he is doing just fine. The symptom that gave it away, aside from peeing a lot (he never went outside the litter box) and being hungry all the time (cats are ALWAYS hungry, so I didn't pay much attention to that), was foot drop; he started walking flat-footed on his hind feet. The vet said this was a sign of diabetic neuropathy -- but it went away after a few weeks on insulin. Anyhow, even if the little guy is diabetic (and I hope he's not), it's not as bad as it sounds. Teddy is fine, and I expect to keep him around for many more years.

[Kashka-Kat]

22. yes but not unheard of

good to hear your guy is doing OK, a lot do live a full life and then die at an old age of something else.

[Kashka-Kat]

23. maybe you could try diet change now and see what that does

nothing to lose doing that

http://felinediabetes.com/faq.htm

scroll down 1/3 of the way to "diet and feline diabetes." Hopefully he's just a growing boy but if not, probably better to start treating sooner rather than later. I know its scary-- I spent a weekend crying when Basil was diagnosed-- and there is a bit of a learning curve, but then I found out it wasn't nowhere as bad as I thought

[newsguyatl]

24. i'm almost 100% positive

it's not diabetes.

he just likes peeing on my bed spread and in the sink...

it's behavioral -- and i'm hoping like hell he grows out of it.

i just got home and went upstairs and saw yet ANOTHER big wet spot in my bed.

he heard me screaming and is now hiding behind the couch. i can't help it, but i've fucking HAD it!

[Kashka-Kat]

25. welll....

if it was me I'd want to know so I'd know how to deal with the problem. But I'm not you so I'll let it go I guess...

But pls. consider that most cats that are surrendered to an animal shelter its because of litter box problems... hence my sense of urgency about this, can be literally a matter of life and death for some cats... so pls do work on it behaviorally (as described in the holisticat article) if that's what you believe it is and don't just "wait for him to grow out of it"... screaming doesnt work, the cat won't associate that with what he did 8 hours ago.

And be on the lookout for worsening diabetes symptoms like camping out at the food and water dish, hiding, walking on hocks. My poor Basil looked absolutely miserable before I got it thru my dense head and realized he was very ill. Cats are notorious for hiding illness and not looking as sick as they really are.

OK end of lecture, good luck, I really do hope it works out for the best somehow for you and your kitty.

[newsguyatl]

26. thanks

i'm going to take him to the vet... didn't mean to imply i wasn't -- i'm just saying i have a gut feeling it's behavioral -- and you're right, i'm guessing that may be the reason someone turned him in.

about the screaming, it was reactionary. i'm not perfect, i can have a bad temper, and when i come home after a hard day's work only to find a piss-stained bed and mattress for the third time in a week, i did what came natural :shrug:

my 2 month old $200 blanket is now in the trash because of this. so i'm not too happy about it.

but we'll deal. i'll figure it all out somehow.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. There are some good enzyme products you can get at pet stores.

I've had good luck with these products -- having also had to deal with occasional eposides of kitty incontinence. If your blanket is washable, try some of this stuff. Simple Solution and Nature's Miracle are two that I've used. I'm guessing the little beast's problem is behavioral, and maybe the vet can give some advice. I do recommend the solitary confinement method, though I appreciate how loud a Siamese can be when he thinks he's being ignored.

[newsguyatl]

28. thanks

yeh, it's washable -- but after about the 97th time of washing it, not only was the color almost gone, but the smell still lingered -- at least to my super sensitive nose.

yeh, i just feel so certain it is behavioral -- because of when he does it and where... it's almost like a "spraying" type behavior or something... i dunno, but it's a major pain in the ass. i never had problems like this with nikko (save for the first 3 days)...

i've tried confinement... after this last time, i put him in the utility closet with the litter box and closed the door. after about 2 minutes, he began the crying... after 5 minutes, my ears began to ache... 10 more minutes the paint was pealing off my walls.

20 minutes in, i was beginning to fear neighbors coming over to check on a dying child...

of course when i finally open the door, he just prances out like nothing happened... lol

[Eurobabe]

14. oh my...

Well my mom's second cat is a pisser. He has peed all over her house since she got him, it started when he was about 4 mos. old. We think it has something to do with her older cat being a definite alpha male.

Biddy (aka Wellington) has been to the vet, been on tranquilizers, but nothing helps. He's just a loveable pisser. What is not loveable is the smell of my mother's house. At some point she will have to rip the carpet up and get wood floors. Her padding is shot.

Wouldn't hurt to take him to the vet to rule out FLUTD. But he's so young to get that, what do you feed him? -48

[newsguyatl]

17. well

mainly purina kitten chow (dry food)
sometimes sheba (wet food)

water and cat milk...


and i've gotten into the bad habit of feeding him my snacks, because he's practically begging me for them... and him eating popcorn is about the cutest thing i've ever seen... that's his favorite.

[Kashka-Kat]

15. after you rule out physical health problems...

this is best article on "house soiling" I've seen, scroll 1/2 way down page to article "a practical approach on feline house soiling"

http://www.holisticat.com/behave_arch1.html

[newsguyatl]

18. thanks for the link!

[prole_for_peace]

21. keep the litter box away from the food and water.

if they are close some cats will not use the box because they don't want to dirty the place they eat.