cat peeing, boyfriend says he will take him to the pound :(

[Tania]

Hi over the past 4 months or so our male desexed cat has been peeing in the bathroom on tiled floor and on the tiles in the corner of our toilet room also. Before this he used to pee behind the couch and now that we have shut the doors so he can't get in he is peeing just outside the door on the carpet now My boyfriend can't stand the smell anymore and our other two cats don't do this. We have two cat litters on the tiled laundry floor. Our cat Slinky with the wee problem sometimes even pees just outside of this on the floor I am tempted to take him to the vet but it isn't a continuous thing, he may go for a week or two and then do it then three weeks, but today he has peed twice. The other time he peed in his plastic play tent???? Any ideas on how to stop him peeing outside the litter box. I use clay based clumping litter and he uses it most of the time but as I've said not always. I don't want to get rid of him or my boyfriend LOL what can I do???

Thanks

Regards Tania (Australia)

[D~]

Hi Tania and welcome and thank you for posting here before bf wrongly hauls kitty off to pound.

First, your kitty is crying for help - the answer is not the pound!!!
Second, tiles can be cleaned, pets are a responsibility and that entails some extra work sometime... they come for better or worse and they depend on you to take care of them when they are sick or something is wrong...and when this sort of thing happens it's a big red flag to get your kitty to a Vet and pronto!!

Your instincts are right to see a Vet, your bf's are wrong, very wrong.

Sadly, your kitty was not taken to the Vet sooner because your kitty could very well be suffering from an underlying medical problem (ie anything for bladder infection which if involves crystals or blockage could at some point kill him... to idiopathc bladder problems - all of which are extremely upsetting and painful and discomforting to the cat) or perhaps something else going on entirely but w/o a Vet visit you will not know the answer and be doing a huge disservice to kitty. And the sooner you get help in these situations the better, even if they turn out to be behavioral.

Don't let the fact that you don't see him doing this all the time stop you from thinking this kitty needs a Vet check and pronto. These things can be cyclical or you may be missing more than you know and I don't mean just pee on the floor. (Also, cat's love smooth surfaces, cool ones like tubs and tiles are favorites for kitties with urinary tract problems).

Urinary behavioral problems are often rooted in present or past medical conditions, esp. with in appropriate urination. They may also be stress related and if all physical problems turn to be ruled out you will need to look a his environment including his interatciton and life with the other cats, you and your bf as well as outside stimuli, etc.


With all this in mind I strongly urge you to call your Vet and make an appointment to have him seen ASAP, have a urine sample at minimum done, have Vet take a look at kitty, etc. etc...then go from there.

Please let us know how you make out....several of us have been through this first hand and once we know more what you are dealing with specifically can perhaps help more.

Hope your kitty will be ok!
D~

[Tina B and crew]

Tania...I agree with D....your cat definitely needs to go the the vet. The only time my male has ever urinated outside the litter box he had a UTI...and he chose to use the bathroom sink. As soon as we had him treated and his UTI was cleared up, he quit. I can't add much more to that than D did.

As far as the smell goes, however, get yourself some Nature's Miracle and clean the areas that he uses. My house is never without Nature's Miracle. You can find it at many petstores (I buy it at PetSmart). I know the smell is awful, I've had to deal with it before...but it can be cleaned if you stay on top of the task. Good luck...do keep us posted...and I'll second what D said Don't allow your cat to be taken to the pound

[kk]

Get your baby to the vet ASAP. I'll bet you that it's a urinary tract infection and/or urinary crystals. Your baby is relying on you to take care of him. Let us know what you find out at the vet...kk

[Traci]

Tania, I fourth the motion, please get your kitty examined by your vet ASAP, the most common problems associated with inappropriate urination are usually urinary tract infections, or stress in the environment.

If your vet pronounces him in excellent health, your next step is investigating causes of stress in the home. Be sure to tell your BF that any actions or displays of a reprimanding attitude can really put added stress on a kitty. In other words, do not scold him, but work toward the solution. Kitty is trying to get your attention to another matter. As an example, if you have a hectic schedule or lifestyle, kitty will pick up on your stress and will exhibit unusual behaviors, such as inappropriate urination, marking, etc. Your body tone, language and how you deal with this situation will all be factors in whether or not kitty continues to leave you surprises. Be gentle, patient, and forgiving with your kitty, he is depending on you to investigate other causes to the behavior and find solutions.

Has anything changed in the home recently? Such as a new schedule, company in the home, change of kittys' food, rearranging furniture, or are you and BF facing stressful situations yourselves? The slightest changes in the environment can trigger stress in a kitty, no matter how slight it may seem to you, it can be four times as stressful to cats, they do not adapt to change as easily as we humans do.

The pound is not the answer. You adopted kitty for life, and he is depending on you to help him through this situation and to find solutions. Cats cannot tell us what is wrong, we need to be investigators and provide the best we can for them, they will show us unusual changes when they are trying to get our attention to something that is distasteful to them, or something that is causing them added stress. It's up to us to find out what that is and to resolve it with understanding and patience.

Make an appointment with your vet ASAP, and let us know what he says......

[Susan and the girls]

I have only scanned the other responses at this point, but seeing who has posted a response thus far, I am quite certain whatever I say will be similar to theirs. I'm in such a rush, this may be quick, but I still have to say something....

Please get to the vet with kitty. Just because it's infrequent doesn't mean it can't be medically explained.

And, if it's not medically explained there could be some stress going on that you're not fully aware of.

If boyfriend dislikes the cat's actions so much that he wants to send him away, then it could be the cat is sensing that. That could be the stress that makes it happen.

Please don't give up on kitty.

I had a kitty that was inappropriately urinating, and it was stress-related. It wasn't a medical problem. Once the stress was relieved, she was fine.

Take kitty to the vet.

Sorry for the short sentences....I'll try to check back later to see how things are going. Please let us know.

[davet]

nm

[Guest]

Think it was just a heat of the moment thing, we are talking about ways to stop this and I will take him to the vet. Nothing has changed in our lifestyle and my boyfriend is very loving to the cat and gives him heaps of cuddles. Even when he does a wee, he doesn't seek out the cat and reprimand him. The only one time he did reprimand him and just put him outside was when he crouched in the bathroom right in front of my boyfriend and wee'd over the bathroom drain in the floor we haven't changed their food either as it has been going on for more than four months but lately it has been increasing but still on and off.

I thank you for all that you said, it was great advice. We both love cats and have three of them and don't mind too much about the cleanup (except on the carpets ) but hate that smell when you walk in the door, you feel you can never have visitors or have a house that smells inviting etc. I know they are yours for life and I will try to work through it, is just hard when they do it and you can't see them and you don't know where they have urinated sometimes you can only smell it. I'll have to take him to the vet soon.

Also he is the only cat we have with what one vet told me is called Tummies. He has floppy skin dangling down in jowl like bits under his tummy towards his groin area. I hope that has nothing to do with UTI or I'd feel even worse. Anyone know why some cats have this?????

Will let you all know what happens......

Thanks Tania.

[Tina B and crew]

Tania...some cats just develop that sagging belly...three of ours have it, both males and females. I asked my vet about it many years ago and she said it's nothing to worry about. Glad you are going to work things out. I know how frustrating it is to have to deal with the cat smells...I have a total of 16 cats in my house right now and believe me, I'm dealing with some smells See if you can find the Nature's Miracle...it should help.

[D~]

Tania,

Thank you!! And yes, please go soon.

My cat with urinary problems pees over the drain when either he has a full blown Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) or severe inflammation going on...I really think the sooner the better you have your kitty seen by the Vet to see what is going on. Look at it this way, of all the places your cat could be peeing outside the box (they pee outside the box because they associate pain or stress with the box and they seek a more comforting surface)....how more convenient than a drain can you get! He just had to go and when you have to go (and if you've ever had urinary problems you know you have to go) - he was not doing it in front of your bf to spite him, truly he was not - they don't think like that.

In general like Tina said, a hanging belly is nothing to worry about, though over-weight cats, particularly males the extra weight sometimes contributes to UTI presense but it is not necessarily an indicator....yet, most neutered males tend to have these tummies even when they are not overweight too. If he is over-weight you can discuss that with your Vet.

One caveat is this: feel his belly, what you want to look for is a hardened, distended bladder (your Vet can show you how and where to feel)..do this gently on a regular basis to get him used to it...if it feels like a ball, or is rigid, painful to cat, etc...you could be dealing with a very serious life threatening blockage situation...this is something you need to learn to do if your cat is prone to urinary problems that are physical in nature.

Please let us know how you make out at the Vet, ok.
Sending lots of good wishes for your kitty!
D~