I have a male cat and a female cat that are both around 7 years old. Ever since my daughter was born my male cat (who is nutered) will pee outside of the litter box. It is not all the time but it somethings are left out he will pee on it. Recently he will go on my daughter's disney couch. We threw the first one away and then my in-laws bought her another one. Everynight I have to remember to move the couch off the floor. I have only forgot to move it twice and both times I forgot he peed on it. I take the whole thing apart and clean everything with vinigar and water and the cover I put in the wash. Now I am pregnant with my second child and I am afraid that the arival of the new baby is going to spark some more bad behavior of our male cat. I am at the point where I really just want to get rid of him. I think he is acting out because of the changes in the house. My husband and I have gotten into way too many fights about the cats and at this point I just don't know if it is worth having him anymore. Does anyone have any ideas or maybe somewhere I can bring him?
Thanks for all the advise. I went to the pet store and bought a spray that is suposed to get rid of cat urine smell so they won't pee on that object anymore. I am almost positive that it is not a medical issue. I worked at a vet office for a long time and i remember that when cats are blocked or have uti's they pee just a little bit pretty much EVERYWHERE. My cat only does it on my daughter's couch and he empties his entire bladder on it, it is not just a little bit. I also know that if untreated a uti or a blocked cat becomes very lathargic and sick. They won't eat or drink or anything. That is not the case with my cat. His behavior is the same and he has no problems going to the bathroom. the only change that I have noticed is that he lets us know everytime he goes to the bathroom in his litter box like he is telling us that he wants it cleaned right away. I am 99% sure that this is a behavioral thing due to all the changes going on in the house. I can tell that he is stressed out and can sense all the changes. Thank you for all the advise.
Feliway is good. I've gotten it from Amazon for $11 a month. Another thing you can do is get "kitty prozac" from the vet. We got a prescription for fluoxetine and it was a $4 prescription at the pharmacy.
good luck! It's a tough one.
Cats will behave this way because of changes in the household (new baby, new pet, moving, etc.) but it's more out of stress than seeking revenge (animals really don't have the higher mental capacity to "get back at you"). You might get slammed by some for wanting to get rid of the cat but I don't blame you - unfortunately it's the most common reason people give up their cats and dealing with cat pee where it does not belong is not fun.
There are some things you can try before resorting to giving up the cat. Make sure you have 3 litter boxes for the 2 cats (ideally there should be 1 more box than there are cats). Try different litters (clay, clumping, etc.) to see if there is one he seems to prefer. I tend to avoid heavily scented litters since some cats don't like them. There is a product called Cat Attract that you can add to the litter that sometimes makes it more appealing. Some cats like covered boxes, some don't. Make sure the boxes are clean, clean, clean. Scoop the waste once to twice a day and dump out the litter and clean the boxes once a week. Place boxes in different locations, avoiding places where the cat may get startled (like by the furnace, for example, when it suddenly turns on and may spook the cat).
You can also talk to your veterinarian about anti-anxiety medication that might help your cat. Some people thinks that's crazy, but some cats respond really well to meds like amitryptiline or Prozac. A medical problem like urinary tract disease or bladder infection or bladder stones needs to be ruled out. Your vet can also recommend a behavior specialist who can help you too. There is also a product called Feliway that you can spray around the spots where the cat is going or get as a plug-in diffuser that mimics feline phermones and can help kitty feel calmer and less stressed out. Please discuss your options with your veterinarian before getting rid of the cat. If you take him to a shelter, he may be difficult to adopt out because of the peeing issue, or he may end up being put to sleep if he's not adopted quickly. If he does go to a new home, he could start peeing outside the box all over again and the new owners might not treat him so kindly.
I agree, it's sounds like a behavioral issue and not a physical problem.
Have you heard of a great product called Feliway? It comes in two forms. One being a spray and another is a plug in. I also have used a collar one that I got from Pet smart. I have a 15 year old male cat. Before moving this past summer I used both the spray and the plug in for helping to eliminate the stress. Worked great :) I am now using the plug in and the collar bringing in two new puppies. It's pheromones and it really can help in a situation like yours. I would get some spray and spray the areas that he is marking and also use the plug in the help relax him. The collar seemed to really work well too and the great thing is that it goes with him everywhere and not just in the places the plug ins are located. He is the link to it on Amazon but you can also get it at Petsmart as well. http://www.amazon.com/Feliway-Plug--Diffuser-Refill-Milli...
Best Regards,
C.
Several things to try:
One, get him checked for a urinary tract infection.
Two, Make sure there are an appropriate number of litter boxes: one for each cat plus one (therefore, one cat = 2 litter boxes. two cats = 3 litter boxes, etc.)
Some cats do not have an infection but a painful bladder none-the-less. Medication can help that. I think they give amitriptyline (Elavil) for that.
Other things possible to change are time spent playing and exercising him, and food - you may want to ask the vet about that.
Also, there are now even calming pheromones or scents for cats, and even antidepressants to calm anxiety.
I had a similar issue with my female cat after my son was born, she started going on the rug in the dining room (EWWWW) What I had to do, was move her litter box near where she was going, then slowly move it down to where I wanted her to go. As long as the litter box was in the dining room, she stopped going on the rug. Then when I was ready to move the box, I made sure she watched me do it and put her in the box after I moved it. She hasn't had any "accidents" since. We also have a self cleaning litterbox which I love. My husband also said that we have to get rid of her, but once I was allowed to do what I knew I needed to do, everything was fine.
I second DVMMOM's advice. See if your vet can prescribe anti-anxiety meds. It worked for us. You need to make sure there are no other medical reasons why this could be happening, for example he could have a uti, or be blocked. Sometimes that happens to male cats and he might just be trying to tell you.
My female cat did that after my son was born all the way through the time he was 1.5 years old. Get some spray that gets rid of the odor and the phermones. I would not get rid of him just because of that. You can also buy a thing to plug into the wall which lets off some scent which helps the cat feel less stressed. Bring him to a shelter if you do not want to keep him.Spend more time with him and play with him. May be he needs more attention from you.Sometimes,they feel left out when they baby comes.
It has been my experience that when a child( another pet) is introduced into the household that already has pets, the pet will act out in jealousy. He's peeing on the baby's stuff because he is jealous of the attention he's not getting.
The litter box issue could be because he doesn't like to share it with the other cat or he doesn't like the litter. My male cat does the same thing since we moved 3 years ago. He will go right beside it. My female cat pees right beside her food dish, which is not normal, since we got the puppy. I have to take her to the vet because I don't think it's just a behavioral issue.
Talk to the Vet and watch Cats 101 on Animal Planet. I have learned so much about my pets watching the shows on there.
This happened with my youngest male cat - I have a household of 13 cats, 3 adult males, 5 male juveniles and the rest are female. All males are neutered and all but the youngest 2 females are spayed.
My youngest male will spray anything that is vertical. It got so bad that I went to the vet for advice, followed and had no change. So he's now an outside cat who stays close to home. I'd never have considered getting rid of him, because who knows what the next owner would do to him if he peed/sprayed. Some people have kicked, maimed or killed an animal for less.
He comes in to eat on occasion when he asks - but I never leave him unattended and he goes right back out after eating and a good hug/scratching. He has a cat tree outside the back door he uses and a place to get out of the rain and windy weather. He's doing well and it's been going well for 3.5 years now.
Yes def call your vet and see what they say. I had the same problem but it did go away. I did notice that if we didn't clean the box right away he would go under my computer desk. He almost set the house on fire cause he peed on the cords. We bought a serge protector and mounted it on the desk instead of on the floor. Some cats don't take well to changes. But call the vet and he will put you in the right direction. I was also told that if they have a urinary tract infection they will pee anywhere. Good Luck!
