LoveToKnow Cats:AllComments

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Thanks for sharing, Nedra. You may have to retrain a cat when this happens too by isolating them with their litter box for about a week. Most cats get back on track fairly quickly.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Mark, A couple of years ago I had this problem with a female cat who had no previous history of doing this. I took her to the vet who told me that because she had a urinary tract infection and it was a little painful when she urinated, she was associating the pain with the litterbox. Once the medicine took effect she stopped urinating on the bath mats.

-- Contributed by: Nedra

Hi Karen,

More than likely, he is staking claim to his territory. Unfortunately, once a cat starts this it can be hard to overcome. The first thing I'd do is get him to the vet and make sure there aren't any health issues going on there. If he gets a clean bill of health, try some of the following:

Make sure each cat has a separate litter box and that they are kept meticulously clean. This may even mean scooping several times a day. You can get family members to take turns.

Thoroughly clean any areas he has soiled with a good enzymatic cleaner to discourage him from returning to those areas.

Try isolating him with his litter box for a minimum of two weeks.

Good luck!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I have a 9 year old male cat that is fixed - He was fine when it was just him and another male but ever since I adopted 2 females he has been spraying around the house - I have 5 litter boxes that I keep clean and everyone is fixed. This morning he actually sprayed on my legs while I was in the bathroom. I don't know what to do.

-- Contributed by: Karen

I have a 12 year old persian female who has lived with me for about 6 years. She was spayed before I got her. I noticed that she was urinating in the bath about 6 months ago so I started keeping her sandbox really clean in order to rule out the possibility of her not wanting to use it because of of it being dirty. Today I saw her go upstairs and when I walked up myself caught her urinating on the bath mat next to the bath even though the bath was totally empty. Any ideas on why she is doing this and how to get her to stop would be most welcome.

Thanks Mark

-- Contributed by: Mark

Hi Astrid,

It sounds like there have been two major upheavals lately. First, the new baby. Anytime a new person enters the home, some cats get very upset. This is not specifically directed at the child, but at the change in the household.

Also, you've moved to a rental home. Moves are very stressful for cats and disrupt them from their regular routines.

My advice is to go back to a litter tray for them. Confine the cats to the room with the litter (one for each cat) for a minimum of one week. During that time, thoroughly clean any soiled areas with a good enzyme cleaner.

Once you let the cats back out in the main part of the house, watch them carefully and if they start to urinate elsewhere put them right back into the room with the litter.

I don't many cats that won't have accidents with a lack of litter box in the home, so you probably do need this.

Also, I am a bit worried about the dark color of the male's urine. Males are very prone to crystals and stones. I think you should take him to the vet and have him checked out just to be on the safe side.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi,

i have 2 cats that have started to urinate a few months after the arrival of our baby girl. the male cat is the main culprit and so far he has urinated under her cot, in her room, in our walk in robe on our shoes etc, in the laundry where our dirty washing is, on most of the doors and the hallway cupboard doors - also on the carpet around the edges in our room - which is surprising as they sometimes sleep in their in the day. the urine is very yellow but i dont see blood although it does look orange sometimes. it is hard to tell as they are indoor cats but have access to a fully enclosed outdoor area ( not huge) - they have always gone outside so we gave up on the litter trays years ago. the cats are around 4 and 5 years old. i have been cleaning the areas with vinegar but he still seems to go back. i also have started using felaway. i need some help on this one as we have a rented home and cannot afford for any more destruction to the carpet. my husband wants to give them away. we are at our wits end.

thanks, Astrid

-- Contributed by: astrid

Hi Kelly,

This is actually a fairly serious problem and you need to get him to the vet immediately. It is most likely caused by crystals that have formed and are blocking the passageways he uses to urinate. Because he is not going to the bathroom, there is a high risk of blood poisoning and organ damage. It is serious enough that I would pay the extra expense to take him to an emergency vet.

This can be treated fairly easily (usually with a catheter and medication, although it sometimes requires surgery). Your cat will then have to be on special food to prevent the reformation of crystals. Please check back and let us know if he's okay.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

My male neutered cat of 2 and half years seems to be going to urinate every 5 minutes but he isn't passing any liquid, what could be causing this problem?

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi Emma,

First, since she's had health issues with this behavior in the past, I would take her to the vet and have her tested for problems.

In the meantime, make sure you thoroughly treat any areas where she has had an accident with a good enzymatic cleaner. You can get this at your local pet supply store. This will also help with the smell in your home.

If all of this fails, I would isolate her in the room with her litter box for a minimum of two weeks. Then, only let her out when you are there to supervise and make sure she isn't urinating in inappropriate places.

Hopefully, these techniques will help and clear up any issues she is having.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

hello, I have a cat called Taylor she is nearly 2 years old, i got her when she was 5 days old and raised her very well, toilet trailed her in the first few weeks.

We have moved twice since i got her, at the flat we never had any problems, since we have moved to our new house, after 5 months of being in she started to wee in the corners of my siting room, took her to the vets to be informed she had cystitis, after taking medication to clear it she stopped for a while... now she has started again since i've had new carpets fitted, again only in the sitting room!

She uses her litter tray to defecate in, will occasionally wee in it but prefers the corners or the room, now she has started doing it while I'm in the room in full view! how do i make her stop, my new home stinks and my friends do not like coming round, please help me ASAP, i don't want to get rid of her!

Thanks Emma

-- Contributed by: Emma T

Hi Jennifer,

Try to get a clean (no blood) urine sample to take to the vet or take her back in. Since this is an ongoing problem, it sounds fairly serious. It could be anything from a bad bladder or kidney infection to something more serious. It's important to find out what is causing it, especially since the Clavamox did not help.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I have eight cats and a dog. Recently one of my cats started to urinate at all her favorite hang out spots including her bed. I took her to my vet. As the vet tried to get a urine sample from her she relieved herslf on the table. There was a bloodclot in the urine. Since she urinated on the table, it was not a sterile sample. The vet did check her blood count and it was a little high. The vet sent me home with clavamox. I gave it to her 14 days. On the 15th day she started to urinate again -esp on herself and in her bed? Any suggestions that might be causing her to do this?

-- Contributed by: Jennifer

Hi Bonita,

Anytime a new person or animal enters the household, it can upset some cats. I would contain the male cat with his litter box (each cat should have his own) for about a week. If he continues to have problems, it's possible he has some health issue that is causing the behavior. Also, if you notice he stops urinating, get him to the vet immediately as he may have stones. Likely, he will adjust over the next week and relearn where his box is located.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

We have two cats, male (10 yrs.) & female (8 yrs.), both neutered. This week we started babysitting for our 10 weeks old grandson. Also this week the male has urinated twice and defecated once outside the litter box. This has never happened before. The litter box is a large, covered one changed once a week and scooped daily. Help.

-- Contributed by: Bonita Stowe

Hi Erin,

I would try to contain them with the litter boxes for about a week. That will get them used to going in the boxes again and hopefully take care of the problem.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I have 2 of the most adorable and loving cats in the world, one male and 1 female(brother and sister)...however one of them is urinating in our basement about 1 or 2 times a week, in the same spot each time. We have had this problem for some time now. I have tried everything from expensive products from the pet store to actually painting the entire basement floor and walls with an epoxy...per our vets advice!!!! The problem still is ongoing!!! We have 2 litter boxes...they seem to like to do #1 and #2 in seperate boxes. The boxes contain scoopabe litter and get cleaned daily and changed weekly. I am running out of things to do and my husband is running out of patience!!! If I can't get this problem solved and fast these cats are going to be gone...do you have any advice??? I am at my witts ends here!!!

-- Contributed by: Erin

Hi Neda,

I'm so sorry to hear that this cat is having so many problems. My advice would be to try to find a vet who specializes in urinary tract type issues. Each vet has his or her own specialty, just as doctors do. You may have to drive a little to go see such a vet, but it would be worth it to get the diagnosis and find out what can be done. Do you have him on a special diet? That can help some with the kidney stones or crystals not forming as quickly.

Since the Betanecole was helping, I would mention that to the vet as well. Perhaps he needs to be on it or something similar again. Please let us know how it turns out. I hope he gets better.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi! I have a 2 years male cat that cannot urinate more than 5 weeks. The problem become so serious and we need your help. We took him to vet and they thought he had FUS and they have unloaded his bladder by tom catheter several times till now-3days once by comatose -. But he didn't get better. We changed his doctor and he diagnosed that maybe some injury on his spinal cord causes his problem. The new vet started to cure our cat by Betanecole-2 tablet each day- . He started to become better and urinated but with pressure and hardness, after about one week he stopped urinating again and now all vets can't understand what his illness is. We are so hopeless here and can't do mercy killing on him. Please help us.

-- Contributed by: Neda

Hi Donna,

Anytime there is a noticeable increase in thirst, I would probably go ahead and give my vet a call. It's possible that your cat is having a minor health problem of her own and the vet can offer treatment that might make her feel better. Please check back and let us know if she's okay.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I have a 10 year old cat that was devoted to my dog, the dog passed away 3 weeks ago and now the cat goes through about 3 cups a day of water, she eats fine and acts fine and is an indoor cat. But I can't get over how much water she goes through, got any ideas?

-- Contributed by: donna

Hi Sarah,

Sounds like she has some expensive tastes. Seriously, though, there are a couple of things you can try. First, if you know you will not able to give her attention, such as if you have a lot going on that day, try to contain her to the area where her litter box is located. This eliminates three fourths of the house and only allows her to have accidents in a limited space. She'll likely just choose her litter box.

You could also try some of the sprays on the market that repel cats from furniture and other items. You can find these sprays at any pet supply store. Spray them around the area where the cushions are. They may stain silk if you spray them on directly. You will want to thoroughly wash the silk cushions she's urinated on with an enzymatic cleaner to discourage her from going there again.

Hope this helps!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I have a 3 year old Bengal female, sprayed cat - she likes to pee on silk cushions. This happens when she doesnt get the attentions she wants! Its nearly always a silk cushion!!

Can you help?

-- Contributed by: Sarah
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