Cat peeing in the house?!
 

How do I stop my male cat from peeing out of the litterbox? Alexander is 15 years old. Before you blame his age, he's done this all his life. He will use a litterbox, no problem. But he will also pee right beside it, even when it's clean. I've tried a product called Nature's Miracle; it is poorly named IMO.

I think he's simply making a statement. He's next to the bottom in the household hierarchy. It runs: me, my boyfriend of 25 years, the 16 year old female cat Tigger, Alexander, and the bottom is Rosie the Lab.

This summer we had the back porch rebuilt (with new carpet) and it is starting to smell of cat pee. He also pees in one spot in the living room.

All suggestions are appreciated!

Have you tried moving his litter box and covering up the spots on the porch with a piece of furniture or something that he can't move? Would he just select another spot and pee there, too?

My first thought was a UTI but if he's been doing this for a long time it just sounds like a habit and if you can break a cat of a habit you'll be a millionaire! ;)

You can try Felaway...


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We have several cat boxes... 4 for 2 cats. This seems to help us at least.

Do the other cats use HIS box? Since he is at the bottom of the pecking order, the Felaway may work for him. It reduces cat stress.

Yes, Kitty, he would find another spot. :( He likes to go up against a wall, but he'll use furniture too.


There are 2 litterboxes. I don't think another would change him, because he pees right beside, or in front of, a freshly cleaned box.

He really likes to go outside, but these are Mississippi-born kitties who now live in Iowa and do not do cold weather! I think frustration at the weather is part of it, but he pees where he please in summer too, just not as much maybe.

LOL, think I might have to be a millionaire to afford a Feliway diffuser. Any diffuser, really, because I'd need at least 2 and constant refills. Petsmart has a couple different brands. I suppose I could return the unit if it doesn't work. There is a Feliway distributor not far from me. Maybe I'll talk to them, thanks mrsD!

Hi Sparky,

I like the work of Jackson Galaxy from the Animal Planet programme, My Cat From Hell. He is a Cat Behaviourist who has marked success.

For peeing problems he states there should always be at least one more litter tray than there are cats, that any area which is pee'd on must be disinfected and deodourised immediately to break the 'this is a toilet' cycle. There are deodourisers on the Market. Backing up and marking up a wall is possibly a sign of Territorial Insecurity.

A change of cat litter may be an idea, Natural, smaller grain, Wood, Clay? And a change depending whether you have covered/uncovered trays to the opposite.

On his Programmes in the past 4 years we have seen him work with many owners to resolve just this problem - with peeing and pooping. It does take weeks of perseverance and trials, but every case has been successful.

I wish you and your menagerie luck,

Dave.

Hi Sparky

I had a similar problem with my mature-age (18 y.o.) female cat recently.

What worked for me was making sure that faeces in her litter-tray were quickly removed and swapping from a clay-based to a sawdust-based product.

I am not sure which of these made the difference but, as a bonus, sawdust with urine is a great mulch for my garden.

Thought I tried to watch that show once - something about the host grated on me. Maybe it was a difference show. I definitely need to deodorize. Dave, and mrsD have both had success with extra litter boxes; I will try that. Oh, and he's not marking/spraying the wall, just likes to face forward while relieving himself.

Okay, so I'll order some enzyme-based urine remover today. (I just Googled "anti-urine deodorizer") Or maybe Monday (cyber Monday!!). I also just learned that a blacklight will show the urine. Did you all know that a blacklight will also highlight ringworm? LOL, I used to work for a vet.


Think my kitties are okay with the litter. Alexander does use it, and Tigger would rather use the box than go outside. I use Fresh Step scoopable. Kiwi, my thoughts went all over when you said you use your litter for mulch! I went from YUCK to hhmmm....after all, I've used cow poop! Why not cat poop? Problem there is, with my garden, my dog eats cat feces. Now, that's a big YUCK and whole 'nother problem!

Thanks Everyone for your suggestions! Keep the ideas coming! If one doesn't work, I'll need more ideas!

Hopefully I was wrong! Fingers are crossed, but so far after adding a third litter box (near where he often peed on the floor), Alexander hasn't messed up that I know of.

Thanks, everyone!

That is great news, glad it seems to be a simple fix.

Dave.

Good to read that it worked :).