Keeping cat contained due to peeing - Update Post #15

[Schune]

I’ll try to keep it concise.

Cat is 2.5 years old, got him at 4 months from reputed rescue. Had one issue of peeing on bed when I got him due to location of litterbox and him being a timid cat by nature. His litterbox is kept in bathroom, he still pees and poops in it regularly; it’s cleaned every day or every other day. No other location in apartment to put second litter box. Fed 1 can wet a day (split AM/PM), and few pieces of dry kibble AM. Good water drinker.

Timeline
Cat spent 10 weeks of summer at my parents’ house with other cat due to apartment renovations/happenings; cats get along fine, had 2 litter boxes (one in laundry room, one in parents’ bathroom); My cat started peeing on bath mats and anything on floor like clothes or towels. Checked by parents’ vet, came out clean.

Brought cat home to apartment he is familiar with. Kept bath mats rolled up just in case. Cat was fine.

3 weeks ago cat peed on rolled up bath mat. Then caught him about to pee on his bed that he has in the living room. Took him to home vet, urine came back no bacteria, no blood, no crystals. Attributed peeing to behavioral/me being out of house a lot due to work and school. Made sure to spend as much extra time with him as I could, playing and cuddling. Seemed to work, but still had bare floor in bathroom just in case.

Yesterday rode in early AM, came back to find HUGE pee spot on my bed. Large amount of pee, soaked through comforter, sheets, all the way down to the mattress. Cat was kept in bathroom with his water and litterbox due to me having classes. Got home at 9pm with Feliway Diffuser, Feliway Spray, plastic mattress cover, and enzyme cleaner.

Talked to vet yesterday, said to try the Feliway to see if it made a difference. If not, will try anti-anxiety medication/kitty Prozac. Vet thinks infection is unlikely due to amount of pee and previous clean checks.

I work all day today and Fridays, in addition to a heavy class load, so cat is spending day in bathroom because I can’t trust him. I can’t leave a bed or blanket in bathroom with him because he will likely pee on it. I feel awful because what kind of life is that if I have to lock him in bathroom every time I leave apartment? But I CANNOT have him continuing to pee, bottom line. I feel if I close him out of the bedroom during the day and night, he will start to pee on furniture in living room. I am trying to find places locally where I can pick up a plastic couch protector, to try and let him have the run of the kitchen, living, and dining room.

I’m at a loss. I’m stressed. I don’t know what I can do to make this cat happy.

:no:

[chism]

I just want you to know you’re not alone. I have a 16 year old senile siamese that’s spent the last month in my bathroom. He will be outside all day long, then come inside, hop up on my counter and urinate, that’s not the only place…but that’s the most disgusting. He goes out in the daytime, then in the BR at night. I’m not sure what I’m going to do when winter comes.

[Kadenz]

OP, you are definitely not alone. I re-homed my cat for this exact reason. Adult neutered male cat, multiple vet checks came back clean. DH is home during the day, so cat doesn’t spend much time isolated; cat gets along well with our 2 dogs. This all began when the cat started urinating on the dogs’ beds, then it became my and DH’s laundry on the floor, then laundry in baskets, then our bed. And we’re talking BIG pee spots, not spraying. More like emptying the tank. He continued to use his litter box throughout.

My bed was my line. I love this cat, but I’m not living like that. :no: I don’t believe the cat can POSSIBLY be happy if he’s emptying his bladder all around his environment like that.

So, my cat went to live for the summer at my parents’ farm. He’s lived there before, when I lived at home, and he does enjoy being an inside/outside cat at his choosing, and he can do that there safely. He seems to be doing fine, and has had no incidents in their house. If he handles the cold weather okay, he’ll stay there permanently.

[cnvh]

If a vet check rules out physical causes and you’ve covered the bases of adding multiple litter boxes, I’m sorry, but I draw the line at inappropriate peeing. Cat would either be re-homed as a barn cat, or he would be PTS. I just can’t afford to be replacing furniture and mattresses because Kitty has MH issues. (And I have yet to find a product or technique that can remove the smell of cat urine 100%.)

[ken]

A few suggestions: put box where cat wants it - not where you want it. Leave box in the same place - so cat always knows where it is. Don’t put a lid on the box. Remove what you think cat “might” pee on. Always use a neutralizer. I had this problem & these suggestions came from a behaviorist. Good luck - hopefully you won’t have to make a difficult decision.

[Schune]

Ugh, I wrote out a huge response and it got lost in cyberspace :mad:

But thanks everyone, it’s nice to know I’m not alone in the struggle. He seems to be handling being in the bathroom all day fine, and I give him lots of loving when I get home. If this is what needs to happen for the time being, I’m willing to give it a shot.

As frustrating as this is, when he tucks himself under my arm to sleep at night and hogs 3/4 of the bed, it makes this tolerable (at least for now) :sadsmile:

I am also looking into a behaviorist, as there are 2 at the OSU vet hospital (one specializes in indoor cat behavior).

[oliverreed]

Tough issue, I feel for you. I think your plan is sound. I agree that this (peeing on the bed) is not something I would tolerate.

I had one who would poop on the bed when very unhappy - to make a statement. Usually when I went away on business. She was a cat I adopted from the pound as an adult and I really wanted to make it work. So every time I went away I’d put a sheet on the bed and pay the cat sitter extra to clean up the bed poops. She eventually stopped when (anthromorphize much? but I think I’m right) she realized that I always would come back. Never done it again. Except now, she’s senile, poops on the floor instead of in the box. But not on the bed.

[lilitiger2]

I would not consider euth’ing a 2.5 year old cat who was not physically ill, although the peeing issue is really frustrating.

An old kitty of mine used to spray on things-whatever was on the ground, the dog bed, the couch, but I will say it got better over time. I agree with putting the box where HE wants it, trying the pheromone collar, and even, if you are going to leave him in the bathroom until you can protect your other furniture, putting an old towel down or something you can easily wash.

Actually, at a car parts store like NAPA or car quest, ask for the oil/water absorbant pads, you could put those down (they work very well for odors also) in the bathroom.

All behavior has meaning, it would be great to figure out what this is about and what he is trying to communicate. Maybe the other cat at your parents intimidated him in some way and he felt he needed to mark his territory? Maybe he IS really stressed about not having you around as much and is trying to mark things with your scent (like the bed?)

I sure wish you luck, and really hope you find a way to hang in there with him, cats with behavioral issues can have a hard time finding stable homes willing to hang in there-I have a vey aggressive kitty who requires a lot of extra TLC.

Also, watching My Cat from Hell on the animal planet is really informative! Jackson whatshisname has GREAT training ideas for stuff like this, and other issues. I have learned a lot about handling my kitty, and mistakes I was making (I used my hands too much for one thing). He did recommend prozac for several kitties and it seemed to help!

[CdnRider]

My now 7 year old cat did this as a young cat although his places to pee where the bed and the front entrance on bags or shoes. I did lock him in the bathroom during the day and the night. It was a big bathroom with access to the laundry room. We were diligent with this routine for over a year I would guess. He NEVER peed anywhere inappropriate when I was home. Then I started trial runs, maybe a couple hours out by himself. Everything went well, so I gradually increased his time out of the bathroom.

I’d say that by the time he was 3 we stopped locking him up altogether, and there hasn’t been a problem since. We also fed him in the bathroom (and he is a food MOTIVATED cat) so that helped with him enjoying being in the bathroom.

IMO, there is nothing wrong with behaviour modifying drugs, especially for this reason. Sometimes I think we need to use them more since so many cats are PTS/abandoned for this reason. If it works great! - and you can reduce the amount given to the lowest effective dose.

[Marshfield]

Bladder ultrasound can tell a lot. If there is thickening, then some cats benefit from atopica.

[Schune]

Update:

First off, why is it impossible to find plastic furniture protectors anymore?? The only place I can find them is Ebay.

Second, Kitty spent the weekend in the bathroom whenever I was gone. Today I have shut the bedroom door, covered the couch cusions with items to dissuade him, and we will see what the result is in when I get home.

I have the Feliway diffuser plugged into the living/dining room, so hopefully he will be mellowed out when I get back. But I’m hoping he made a connection between peeing on the bed and a steaming mad mommy

[ken]

Be careful with plastic covers - when my boy was having problems (his problems were related to crystals) he chose to pee on plastic. I had some x-mas wreaths in the basement wrapped in plastic bags. My behaviorist lady said some cats are attracted to peeing on plastic.

[lilitiger2]

I’m so glad you are hanging in there,e ven with the plastic covers! Hard to know what his first four mos were like prior to the rescue, but he may have gotten a bit “discombobulated” with the moving and your parents house and all that. And now, he is worried that you might not come back (totally making that up but I certainly know anxious kitties who worry about being left). I hope the prozac helps calm him.

Only speaking from my own experience with my “trouble boy” who can just be a total attack cat-both to me and other cats-full-on, bloody attacks-that when I was getting very angry with him, going after him with the water bottle and yelling, it made things a lot worse. His best friend had just died, he was hauled across the country, and he was not happy. He is still aggressive (but much better, as long as we keep cats separate, still plan on reunification at some point but there is peace in the valley for now and the cats seem pleased). Just saying that he really has been trying to let me know things- I AM NOT HAPPY- maybe not in the best or acceptable way, but I have been very pleased with how things have gone.

Sure wish you a lot of luck with your boy.

[candyappy]

I am going to be the minority here( and get hate mail) and ask why everyone puts up with animals messing in the house? My mom does the same thing and I can’t fathom it? Our cat of 7 years started this ( peeing on dogs bed) and she had 2 options. Live outside 24/7 or end her time on earth . We tried to make her a barn cat, but spent all our time fighting her at the back door. If your cat can’t make it to one litter box having another won’t make any difference. There are so many cats needing homes that don’t use carpets, furniture etc as their personal bathroom, give them a nice home instead.

[Schune]

Sooooo…

Yesterday kitty was displaying classic UTI litterbox behavior - in and out, repeat repeat with little urine.

Took him into the vet this morning, and in the three weeks from his last urinalysis (which was clean except for a pH of 8), he now has struvite crystals, a minor UTI, and a pH of 9.

Gah. So we have a pill once a day and anti-inflammatory liquid once a day. The vet has now labeled him a ‘uti-prone individual’ and wants him on the Science Diet C/D food. I’m not convinced that he will eat it or like it, but ok.

And please, I know the majority of COTH cat lovers think SD is the work of the devil and I’m not entirely convinced that it isn’t, but it’s what the vets recommend and it isn’t that much more expensive.

:no:

[MistyBlue]

SD works wonders on cats with chronic urinary tract issues.

Never feel bad for going with what works.

Now as for palatability…many cats will turn their noses up at it at first. It’s a completely different taste. It does come in chicken or fish, so get each kind to see what he’ll eat.

If he eats it at first, no problem! If not, here are a couple tips to get him used to it:

Only put out a couple of tablespoons at a time at first. Give it to him in a small-ish area so he doesn’t just walk away. Give him 20 minutes to decide if he’ll eat it or not. If not, remove it and cover it for later. Don’t put it back out until 10-12 hours later. (he won’t starve) Try again for 20 minutes. Repeat if he doesn’t eat it. He’ll learn quick this is his only choice AND he better eat it quick or he goes hungry for a while again.

Always make sure wet food is room temp or even very slightly warm. Smell is as important as taste to cats.

Try adding a little clam juice to it at first. Even cats who don’t like seafood catfood seem to go bananas over clam juice. You can either buy cans of clams and use the liquid in there…or near the canned clams in the grocery stores are small bottles of clam juice you can use. Just a small amount of food and a tsp or so of clam juice poured on top. You can wean out the juice over time as he gets used to the flavor. Don’t go overboard with the clam juice as some brands have a high salt content.

Look at getting either a drinking fountain for pets or even a little decorative water fountain you can put where her can drink out of it. Cats have issues with this stuff often because they require a LOT more liquid than most kitties drink. And lots of cats prefer moving water…because cats are really weird. :winkgrin: Orrr…when feeding kitty his wet food…mix it with a combo of clam juice and water, mix well so it’s like a Slurpy. Lotta cats love lapping it up instead of eating it and it gets a lot more liquid into them.

Good luck…hope this helps a little for you. Cats and UTIs/stones are quite common. More especially in males. Although my late female was prone to stones and kidney disease. The CD and adding a lot more liquid to her diet to keep those kidneys flushed made her go from really bad to 100% regular kidneys again. She stayed happy and healthy as heck for ages. :yes:

[betsyk]

Offering this by way of encouragement – we have a totally awesome cat with a history of UTI’s and crystals when we got him (did we forget to ask about health problems or did they forget to mention it? who knows, it was a LONG time ago…). He gets a pill every day mashed into a spoonful of wet food and we have him checked at whatever intervals the vet recommends. Once we got his urinary issues under control, his whole personality changed and the sweet lovey cat inside came out to stay. He’s 16, hasn’t had problems in years, we get that pill mixed into his food religiously, and he’s had a good long life. Hope your kitty responds as well!

[wendy]

well, hey, at least you know what’s wrong and how to fix it.
Feeding him the S/D for a few months to dissolve the crystals is a good plan, but it’s not healthy to feed it long-term, which hopefully your vet is aware of and told you. After that, well, struvites in cats are caused primarily by a dry diet, so you can just go back to feeding your normal canned food, and are also strongly linked to stress- so probably this little episode was set off by the stress from the apartment renovation and it won’t be an ongoing saga in your life.

[Schune]

@wendy;6600670

well, hey, at least you know what’s wrong and how to fix it.
Feeding him the S/D for a few months to dissolve the crystals is a good plan, but it’s not healthy to feed it long-term, which hopefully your vet is aware of and told you. After that, well, struvites in cats are caused primarily by a dry diet, so you can just go back to feeding your normal canned food, and are also strongly linked to stress- so probably this little episode was set off by the stress from the apartment renovation and it won’t be an ongoing saga in your life.

Nope, it’s for the long-term.

The C/D is available in canned version, however, so if he doesn’t like the dry kibble C/D I will see if he will eat the wet version.

[ken]

I’m glad it’s physical & you caught it. Same thing happened with my boy. I’ve been able to get off the rx feed & just increase his wet food intake & knock on wood! Vet said to encourage more fluid, even if it’s chicken broth. Good luck!