Cat peeing outside box

[cat182]

I have a 14 year old male cat that pees outside the litter box every few
days. I have three boxes and I keep them cleaned often. I think he's
having neurological issues, but perhaps it's something else.
I plan on taking him to the Vet in a few days.
I thought I'd get some feedback from others here first before the visit.
This way I can enter the Vet office armed with proper questions.

What have others experienced in this situation?




--
cat182

[Bill Graham]

We have this problem from time to time with one or the other of our cats,
especially whan they get old. We have tried putting their cat box in the
garage, where it doesn't matter so much. Also, you can put a garage-type
drip pan under the litter box inside your house to protect the floor. (these
are usually aluminum and can be purchased in an auto supply store.) Or, put
the litter box in either the kitchen or a bathroom where the floor is
designed for water damage. A friend of mine, who had inside cats, built a
"cateo" next to his garage, and his cats could go out there through a cat
door at their pleasure.

[Jesse]

There are several other medical conditions which can cause a cat to
urinate outside the box, but the most likely suspect is a urinary tract
infection. Some of the most common causes include:

Urinary tract infection
Unclean litter box (or not clean enough for the cat's standards)
Disruption in normal routine or some added stressor in the environment

Since there are several other underlying medical conditions which can
cause this behavior it is best to consult your vet. There are routine
tests that vets will perform when owners report this problem, and
generally the first test is for UTIs.

Keep us posted!

Cheers,
Jesse

[Jesse]

Oh I forgot one thing… have you changed the brand or type of litter you
use recently? Some cats can be very peculiar about what kind of litter
they are willing to put up with on a daily basis.

-Jesse

[cat182]

Jesse;802653 Wrote:
>
> Oh I forgot one thing have you changed the brand or type of litter you
> use recently? Some cats can be very peculiar about what kind of litter
> they are willing to put up with on a daily basis.
>
> -Jesse

We haven't seen him do it in action, but it's clearly not a mistake of
"hanging" over the box. He picks a perimeter wall and does his thing.
He's hit about 4 or 5 different spots along the wall. We thought he
might be seeing cats outside and he is marking his territory, so we
closed ALL of the blinds so he can't see out. We've done this for about
4 days, but this morning we woke up to pee on the floor near one of the
perimeter walls. I think he's just losing his marbles. He's been pooping
outside the box for almost a year. The Vets never figured out why he is
doing that. We've been living with it. But, cat pee is a different
story.

I have to get him to the Vet, but it's so expensive. Probably do the UTI
tests, but might consider a blood test too if it's not expensive. If
they can't figure it out, then it's time to weigh the pro/cons of
euthanasia. So sad.




--
cat182

[Bill Graham]

You might try putting a, "wall" on one side of his litter box.....

[Bill Graham]

Or, try all three sides... (but not the entrance)

[cat182]

Test results were all negative.
Blood results were normal.
UTI results were normal.
Vet suggested we take him to a Neurologist. That route is too
expensive.
Instead, we are going to try a few cheap alternatives.
The first thing we are going to do is change the litter to "Cat
Attract".
The next step is to try a cat calming collar. "Good Behavior Calming
Collar for Cats" by Sentry seems like a logical choice since it's only
$12 and theoretically lasts for 30 days.
After this, we will try steroids (assuming he has brain issues). However
the possible side effects of loose/runny stools doesn't appeal to us.
Wish us luck!




--
cat182

[rjschw...@wi.rr.com]

On Monday, February 18, 2013 11:18:15 PM UTC-6, cat182 wrote:
> Test results were all negative.
>
> Blood results were normal.
>
> UTI results were normal.
>
> Vet suggested we take him to a Neurologist. That route is too
>
> expensive.
>
> Instead, we are going to try a few cheap alternatives.
>
> The first thing we are going to do is change the litter to "Cat
>
> Attract".

When I've used the Cat Attract litter, we've had good results.

You might consider using a Spirit Essence. We used an anxiety one for our middle cat and it did help: http://www.spiritessences.com

Lastly, ask your vet about putting him on a low-dose antidepressant. When my childhood cat got elderly (she lived to age 19), she urinated outside of the box regularly, among other cognitive symptoms like staring in the corner and meowing loudly for no apparent reason. My parents' vet prescribed an antidepressant and while it wasn't 100% effective it helped a lot--she lives two more years. Here is a good article about feline cognitive disorder: http://www.fabcats.org/owners/elderly/senility.html (see the section about management).

[cat182]

Not sure what to think. He goes in the box. Digs around for a second or
two. Then leaves the box. He'll walk around a bit, then return to the
box, goes in and digs around and then walks out again. Eventually the
3rd time or so, he'll go back to the box and pee.
Yesterday, he pee'd on his favorite cat toy. Suffice to say, that toy
went straight to the dumpster.
Poor guy... his days are numbered.




--
cat182

[Bill Graham]

We have one who is about 17 or more, and has had FIV for the last 5 years or
more, but is still eating, sleeping, drinking and seems to be enjoying life,
much to the surprise of our roving vet, who doesn't know from where he is
getting his strength. He lives on roast chicken and he also likes deli meat,
so he gets his share of that whenever I make myself a sandwich. So, don't
count them out just because they get old!

[Jesse]

This sounds more like there is a real medical issue going on than
behavioral, but it could be neurologic, I suppose, but I don't think
that is likely. However, I am not a vet, so I certainly don't know
everything.

Usually when I see that behavior I think UTI, but it sounds like you've
ruled that out already. Could there be some other bladder irritation
going on? The going in the box, scratching, and repeating until
finally peeing really seems like a medical problem where the cat is
trying to go but is unable to.

[MaryL]

"cat182" wrote in message news:cat182....@catbanter.com...

cat182

~~~~~~~~~
Please take him to a vet ASAP, not "in a few days." My first thought would
be UTI, but there could also be other medical issues. If it is UTI, it is
easily treated but can be fatal if left untreated. Your cost and your cat's
discomfort will be much less if it is diagnosed early.

I think you said he is 14 years old. Many of us have cats considerably
older than that (and Tweed had one that was almost twice as old!), so age
should not be a reason to consider euthanasia. He first needs a complete
medical evaluation before you even begin to consider that extreme option--a
decision that many of us have been forced to make, but it is not an option
to consider before a vet has even looked at your cat.

Please see a vet and keep us updated. We will all hope for good results.

MaryL

[MaryL]

"MaryL" wrote in message news:apej4d...@mid.individual.net...

~~~~~~~~~~~
I sent this message a few minutes ago and only then noticed that I am
replying to an old thread! I hope things are much better now. I did go on
and read that you have been to a vet and UTI apparently is not the problem.
If the problem still persists, it might be worth trying Feliway (the plug-in
type). Feliway is often used for behavior modification. It is not a
cure-all, but many people have had good results with it.

MaryL

[Bill Graham]

I would check another vet and get a second opinion. Vets vary greatly in
their consern and ability. When I was a kid, about 10 years old, we had a
cat that got pregnant and had a bunch of kittens that we had to give away,
and my mother, who didn't know any better, took her to a vet and asked him
to put her to sleep. The stupid vet didn't even bother to tell her that he
could spay her so she wouldn't have any more kittens. He just put her down.
Years later, she told me what happened to "Thumper". But she was not a farm
girl, and just didn't know any better.

[Craft loving granny]

SORRY I AM A LURKER BUT I HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEM. MY OLDER FEMALE CAT HAS
STARTED A HABIT OF NOT PEEING OUTSIDE BOX BUT -- DOING BOWL MOVEMENT
ONLY RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER LITTER BOX. SHE URINMATES INSIDE THE BOX AS
USUAL. I TOOK HER TO THE VET--HE SAID SHES PHYSICALLY--HEALTHY
SOOO I AM CLEANING UP ONCE A DAY OR SO--AT LEAST ITS IN THE SAME SPOT
BUT---YUK
SHIRLEY IN IOWA

[MaryL]

"Craft loving granny" wrote in message
news:16229-513...@storefull-3172.bay.webtv.net...

~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you have more than one litter box? Some cats "specialize" and will use
one box for urine and another for feces. The general "rule of thumb" is to
have one box for each cat plus one extra, although I have always found two
litter boxes (for my two cats) to be adequate.

MaryL

[rjschw...@wi.rr.com]

> ~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Do you have more than one litter box? Some cats "specialize" and will use
>
> one box for urine and another for feces. The general "rule of thumb" is to
>
> have one box for each cat plus one extra, although I have always found two
>
> litter boxes (for my two cats) to be adequate.
>
>
>
> MaryL

I second what Mary says about adding another box. Also, since you mentioned that she's an older cat, have you considered getting a box or container with low, low sides? Perhaps it's painful or uncomfortable for her to squat in a large box.

Rene S

[Bill Graham]

Put newspapers on that, "spot". Put another litter box on that spot. Move
her litter box so there is a wall where that spot would be. Put a garage oil
drip pan (from an auto supply store) under her litter box and the area she
is using. Move her litter box into the shower stall.

[Jesse]

You may want to replace the litter box with a new one. The smells can
permeate the plastics used in litter boxes and no matter how well you
clean this will not come out. Since she is doing it right by the
litter box I would suspect it to be more of a problem with the litter
used (have you changed it recently?), or the litter box itself.

Cheers,
Jesse

[IBen Getiner]

Have you tried moving the box slightly....?

[Bill Graham]

I have all outside cats. But they are getting old, and they stay inside most
of the time, and never leave the property even when they do go outside. they
like to use the cqat box. I moved the ct box gradually outside, so the cats
would have to go through the cat door to the back porch in order to use it.
This geatly improved the smell inside the house, as well as making the
occasional "miss" much less important.

[dgk]

On Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:04:45 -0700, "Bill Graham" <we...@comcast.net>
wrote:

That's funny and a good idea, but won't work in my area. I can't let
them roam outside, even in my fenced-in yard, without me being around
to keep an eye on things. Too bad because when Nipsy poops it does
tend to stink up the room for a bit.

[Bill Graham]

I had a friend who built a, "cateo" for his cats, which he screened in so
they could go outside without getting away. You could build a small one out
of 1 x 2's and screening, and put it right outside a cat door cut into one
of your outside doors. That way, the cats could go outside without getting
away. Cat doors come with a sliding barrier that seals them off when you
don't want the cats to use them, so when the door is not in use, it can
still be a normal people door with the barrier in place. My cats love being
outside, een if they are only a few feet from the front door, and sometimes
sleep on the front doormat, or in the garage.