At wit's end with cat that pees on EVERYTHING!

[sheshistory]

I need some serious help with my cat Buddy.

If you recall, I posted a previous thread about Buddy, my 15 year old cat who was losing weight despite eating. I took him to the vet and he tested negative for diabetes, thyroid problems, renal failure - all the usual suspects.

I have changed his food and he seems to be doing better. I feed him with the dogs instead of letting him graze and he has put on a bit of weight and is not showing any signs of illness or distress.

I am having a HUGE problem with him peeing on anything absorbent around the house now. He has NEVER done this before! His favorite targets are the dog beds, bathroom rugs, and area rugs but he has peed on piles of laundry, carpeting, anything really. If you have a cat, you know how bad their urine can damage things and I am so tired of washing and washing and washing rugs and beds and towels.

I have been extra careful making sure the litter box is clean, I've purchased and filled a second litter box so there's lots of room to go, I have scolded him when I actually catch him peeing - but I'm at wit's end with this and he is ruining the house.

Does anyone have any ideas? I am desperate since this appears to be some kind of behavioral issues as opposed to a physical one.

Any insights are appreciated!

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

me again..the cat lady! I had an old (20 years) cat that also peed on anything absorbent in her waning years. As you know..you can't discipline or really teach a cat..which I guess is why so many people don't care for them. I remember just having to pretty much keep her in a couple rooms where there wasn't anything interesting to pee on. Is your cats sight ok? The reason I ask is the loss of her eyesight is what coincided with her starting this peeing thing. I wish I had the magic answer..but I have found cats behavioral problems are often tied to something physical..especially when it begins so late in life. One of my daughters was notorious for leaving her clean clothes on the floor..(because..you know dressers are SO inconvenient)..well as long as I have a memory I will never forget this! She took a "clean"pair of white pants off the floor and wore them to school..high school..I got a call towards the end of her day and she was beside herself because ALL day she had been smelling a horrible smell..guess what?? Yup..Kizzy cat had peed on those nice white pants and my daughter had just discovered this! Lol..she actually thought I would bring her some clean pants.... Let's just say..from then on there were no clothes on her floor! I know this doesn't help you at all..but just wanted you to know I feel your pain!

 

[Alice Kable]

Could it be cat dementia, overactive bladder syndrome, and the desire to leave his "mark" everywhere? While I was cleaning the house today I discovered my Mother-in-law has been doing the same thing! She has some serious leakage problems!

 

[GatorRay]

I had a cat that did this. Turns out he had a UTI. You might want to have him checked out. Also, if there is another cat in the house, he might not want to use the same box anymore. This was a problem my same cat with the UTI. I had another cat that did that but he had cancer.

One of the reasons we no longer have cats....though I love them!

 

[sheshistory]

One of the reasons we no longer have cats....though I love them!

Tell me about it...all the craziness with Buddy has scared me off cats forever, I think.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Tell me about it...all the craziness with Buddy has scared me off cats forever, I think.

Awwww! you will remember him for the "normal" Buddy...I really think something is stressing him..and it's just sooo hard to figure out with cats. I've been through the ringer with my last 2 and I am down to 1 and she is 14 years old..a survivor of cancer..that 98% of cats die of...so I'm sure she has some "interesting" things for me in the future. On the other hand..my old dogs were very difficult too..I think it comes with age..for ALL of us!

 

[anatess]

I don't really have much advice on cats. They're habitually attuned to the litterbox so the only thing I know of that causes them to eliminate outside of the box is if there is a medical problem that causes them to fear the box = like, the most common is the feline uterinary tract disease, which causes them pain when they pee which they associate with the box. But since you said she's been vet checked I don't know what else could cause them to go "off".

Long time ago, our babysitter's daughter ran a cat rescue and she had an old cat that she ended up keeping because his tail got cut off (from abuse, really sad!) which caused him to lose muscle control of his pee and poop parts. Anyway, she put him in diapers and they lived happily ever after! Literally. Anyway, the cat diapers at the pet store were so expensive so she just makes one out of preemie baby diapers by cutting a hole for what's left of his tail.

I think the first step is to figure out what changed that caused your cat to stop using the litterbox. But, in the meantime, maybe the diaper will help just to give you some piece of mind.

Disclaimer - this may not be a good idea at all!

 

[laurendoodler]

I haven't read the responses as I'm in a hurry, but this just screams UTI to me.

I worked with a vet for 5 years. About 95% of the cases that came in with cats peeing everywhere were due to a urinary tract infection.

My two cats get them a few times a year. Once the cat pees on something, we know they need to go to the vet.

A lot of times, it hurts for them to pee when they have a UTI. So, they pee on something soft (like your bed comforter) thinking it will help make them feel better.