Pee Problems

[JessK]

I know this is common but maybe someone can help with my specific problems. First, my four-month-old male kitten Neo seems to be peeing outside the box. I caught him squating in the laundry basket one morning and was able to intervene in time and take him to his box. But for the next several days when I would come home from work, there would be no pee in his litter boxes. Could he really not have to go for 8-10 hours? He knows where his water bowls are and they're always fresh, so I don't think he'd be dehydrated. Then today I realized one of my shoes wreaked of urine so I'm sure he peed on that. I'm worried that he may be developing outside-the-box habits. I really need to break him of that, but as I say, I fear he's doing it when I am not around. What should I do?

I'm aware of separation anxiety but he has many many toys, so I HOPE he's not too sad during the day. We have decided not to get another cat, so I'm not sure how else I could alleviate loneliness..

Also, as far as the peed-on shoe, I can't be sure if he just peed or if he's beginning to spray. At what age do un-neutered kitties start to spray? (I will get him neutered but the vet said to wait till he's six months old.)

My other issue is, he currently has three litter boxes, one on each house level (and I do keep them clean), but I really want to ween him down to two boxes. But I'm worried that since he's doing so-so as it is, that might not be realistic. Is four months too immature to reduce the litter box count? If so, at what age would I be able to do it?

Thanks tons for any advice you can offer! (Sorry this is so long!)
Jess

[Cleo]

More common is perhaps a physical problem to cats urinating outside of the litter box. Please have him checked as soon as possible to rule out a urinary tract infection, bladder infection, kidney infection ... all of which can be fatal if not checked right away.

Please let us know what the vet says.
Good luck!
Cleo

[JessK]

Thanks--I am going to take him to the vet but I will be surprised if there's anything physically wrong. He's a robust little guy! I guess if the vet says he's clear heath-wise, then I'll worry about correcting his behavior then.

[Cleo]

Jess,

I realized I didn't really answer your full post. My first instinct with this kind of problem is to always tell suggest a vet visit to rule out anything phyisically wrong before it's dubbed "behavioral".

With that said, make sure you clean the areas that were urinated in with something like Nature's Miracle. You don't want your guy picking up his scent from the last accident and thinking that is his dumping ground.

Another post indicated that Siamese cats were neutered early. What breed is yours? Check out the Spay & Neuter Page here.

I wouldn't take away any of his litterboxes right now until the problem is solved. You mentioned living on a 3 level house and the boxes need to be easily accessible. What kind of litter are you using? Perhaps a change in brand might help; non-scented very little dust is my suggestion. I use Tidy Cats for multiple cats. Not the greatest but does the trick for my girls.

From what I was told, cats are able to hold it in for a while but no pee in the litterbox for a considerable amount of time indicates a serious problem, one that can be fatal if not addressed right away. There's too much of a risk with urinary tract infections, kidney infections, bladder infections to go untreated.

Let us know how it's going with your guy!
Good luck!
Cleo