Cat People I need your advice!!

[Beer Snob-50]

Last year I got a seventeen year old cat from a co-worker who could not keep him (we have one already same age). He had occasionally peed in the cellar on a bean bag chair and an old pillow we kept for him. It is now getting to where we have found he peed in other rooms in the cellar (my work area) and on the wall just a foot from the kitty litter box down there.

Has anyone else had this problem and what did you do.

Thanks

[AirmensMom]

1. First, take him to the vet.

Make sure he doesn't have a blockage or infection. If that checks out OK, change the litter to Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract or Precious Cat. They're both very good. Whatever you do, DON'T use scented litter and make sure you scoop it every day. Has he had any diarrhea? If so, that could cause litter box aversion (if it was painful) and you'll need to get to the bottom of that. Last, while you're getting it all figured out, confine him to a small room or bathroom while you can't watch him. Put the box in there and a little bed or towel for him to sleep on across the room. And, of course, water.

Yes, we have had this problem before. It got solved when we changed the litter and the food. Good luck!

[Beer Snob-50]

2. thanks

taking him to the vet this am. see what he says.

[AirmensMom]

3. Keep us updated.

With ours, it was a food allergy that caused a painful diarrhea. The vet was clueless, but at least we ruled out other things. We've had no problems for well over a year now.

[catmandu57]

4. It could be a anxiety territory marking thing

He might be trying to claim an area, they make a pheremone base repellent, I think it's named felinaway, or something like it. You can get this at pet supply places and spray it on places you don't want your cat marking, this will take care of the marking, as for the territorial claims, I can't tell you what to do there.

[Beer Snob-50]

5. thanks

I will look into it. I hoped it would be something that simply!

[AirmensMom]

7. Have you seen him do it?

I mean, does he back up to the thing he's peeing on, or just pee like he was in the box? Is he neutered? When boys mark territory, they usually back up to the thing and spray standing up.

[Beer Snob-50]

9. He backs up to the wall

and lets it rip. Because he is a big cat, he pees a ton.

[Haole Girl]

10. Yup, that sounds like marking territory

From what I've read, you might need an extra litter box...cats can be very finicky about their litter boxes. They say 1 litter box for every two cats, but we had to get another (now we have 2) just for our two! Good luck...and please tell us what you find out so we might learn from it as well. :hi:

[AirmensMom]

11. That's spraying.

:( It's very hard to break, especially at an older age. Is he neutered?

[Beer Snob-50]

12. yes he is.

the vet gave us a prescription for some valium for the cat. he says there seems to be no physcial problem.

[AirmensMom]

6. I've seen a lot of recommendations for that.

We tried it and it didn't do anything. It's quite expensive, so we just left it plugged in until it ran out. (They make a plug-in as well as the spray.) But it was a health problem in our case.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. I agree that a vet visit is in order, and I'd also try Feliway,

which has also been mentioned. It's a synthetic cat pheromone which helps deter cats from urinating and spraying, especially in new surroundings. I got it for my cat, who I rescued from outside, just to make her feel more comfortable in her new environment, but it's supposed to really help with cats urinating in areas outside of the litterbox. I actually called their helpline and they were extremely nice, gave me all sorts of advice. Kudos to you for taking this kitty. My friend adopted a 17-year-old Maltese dog whose owners were going to have him euthanized because they were moving to a retirement community and there was nothing wrong with the dog. He lived to 21. Let us know how your kitty is doing...:-)

http://www.catfaeries.com/feliwayfaq.html

[calico1]

13. I agree on the vet visit.

Let us know how it goes.

[Beer Snob-50]

14. Vet can find nothing physcial

he gave us valium for the cat. He thinks it might be all upstairs.

[BigMcLargehuge]

15. thanks for the update

I'd have to go with the suggestion to use unscented cat litter. We use cedar chips, which smell like cedar, but that doesn't freak Zuki and Topaz (AKA Stupidcat and Shithead) like the scented stuff did. They both used to pee near the box but not in it until we changed litters.

[jobycom]

16. Any trouble getting into his box?

My older female cat started peeing on my couch (anyone want a couch?) because, i eventually realized, she could no longer get into the covered litter box and turn around. I gave her an uncovered box and she used it. I also locked her in the bathroom for a few days (I let her out when I was home, I just kept her there when I couldn't watch her) with the box, so she'd get used to it. There was no other place for her to go.

I had an older male cat once who used to pee on several things, marking. He ruined a lot of books and made a few doorjambs smell bad. He used the litter box, this was in addition to his normal bathroom habits. Never broke him of it. He died of sudden kidney failure, though, and he had had a couple of urinary blocks by then, so I've always wondered if there was a problem there the vets didn't catch.

Not sure any of that helps. But I'm trying. :)

[Beer Snob-50]

17. he has no trouble getting into the box.

two of our boxes are uncovered and one is covered but I have seen him get in and out.

[Rhiannon12866]

18. What the Feliway does, is work on his "upstairs."

It's a synthetic cat pheromone which reacts to the cat like those on his cheeks do, like when they rub on you. They leave this behind when they're happy. It lets him knows that it's safe. I'd try this first and am surprised that your vet didn't suggest this. :shrug: Let us know how he does, Cats can be tough to figure out, I know, but I'm very lucky that I have a good vet, too. :-)

[Beer Snob-50]

19. He did not suggest it at all

My wife said he also told her to watch him and see what triggers his doing this. I suggested the feliway and we will try it after we finish up with the valium.

[Rhiannon12866]

20. I only tried Feliway to get my cat comfortable in a new environment,

but that's also one of the reasons for spraying/urinating outside the litterbox. I read about it in an article that I sent for from Alley Cat Allies, a great organization. And I once read an article in my ASPCA newsletter called "Litterbox as Letterbox," which I gave to my friend whose sister had the same problem with her cat. The point of it was that the cat is trying to send you a message and the solution comes from determining what he/she's trying to tell you, so you're wife's exactly right. I got a video with my Feliway and they claim a 90-some percent success rate. Good luck with this and let us know how it goes. And kudos for taking this cat. Mine was 12 when I managed to rescue her from outside and it took me almost four months and a have-a-heart trap to do it. But she was fine, once she was safe, became almost a lap cat after I took her to my vet and she had needed dental surgery.:-)

Rhiannon:hi:

[AtomicKitten]

21. My little monster, Renfield, has some issues at first

not using his litter box, instead pee'ing on my son's and my dog's beds. I tried Feliway and it didn't work. It was Cat Attract litter that did the trick and he has NEVER had an "accident" since.

http://cats.about.com/cs/litterbox/fr/catattract.htm

Renfield enjoying his CLEAN Cat Attract litter: