Stubborn urinating cat

[NameThatMama]

Up until this evening, Quid (9.5-year-old neutered male) never peed outside his litter box. Several years ago, he used pooping outside his box as a way of expressing his displeasure, but it was infrequent--typically related to small children visiting. Then my pregnancy with my 3.5-year-old. Not much else.

Last summer, there was a great deal of upheaval, and after that, especially combined with my son's arrival last October, he started pooping outside the box 1-10 times/week. Little in the way of patterns.

In the last couple of weeks, it's been daily. I added another litter box (Quid has an 8-year-old brother cat), up to three, even though there's not much room. Tonight, there was no poop, but we four humans came home from an errand out to find urine in a puddle outside one of the boxes.

I know that the basic choices include living with it, rehoming him, etc., but I don't really know what there is in terms of helping him get a grip and stop doing this. We've done Rescue Remedy in their water bowl. What else is there?

[Oubliette8]

Since the urinating is new behavior, the first thing I'd do is have him checked by the vet. It could be a physical problem- UTI is a possibility, and bladder stones are actually very common in older, neutered, male cats. If its medical, you can treat it and hopefully the issue will resolve. Since you don't know WHICH cat did it, its best to have them both checked.

If its non-medical, you can look into changing your litter. Have you changed brands lately? Some cats are extremely picky about their litter- texture, scent, weight etc. There is a litter on the market called "Cat Attract" that helps with getting cats to use the box, they also make additives that you mix into your current litter that help with this behavior.

Also, be sure that you are cleaning the area with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle, or Simple Solution. Cats noses are better than ours, even if we can't smell it anymore, they can still be attracted back to the site by lingering scents. Enzymatic cleaners prevent that.

Also think about ANY changes that may have happened in your household, you know small children are a trigger, he may be expressing displeasure about something else- maybe you changed his food, bought a new litterbox, moved some furniture around, changed your work schedule, etc. If that is the case, you can try to give him back whatever changed, or wait it out until he gets used to the change (which may or may not work)

So far its only been one incident, I think its a bit early to be considering rehoming. Definitely have him checked medically and think about what could be causing the issue, and wait to see if it repeats. It may have been a one time occurrence (you never know, maybe he really had to go, and the box was occupied for instance)

ETA- I reread it and see the pooping has been a constant issue, you might try putting his box someplace more quiet, giving them a room to escape to (maybe a cat door in the laundry room or something, so they can have a quiet, kid free haven). there is also a product on the market called Feliway that is supposed to be a calming cat pheromone. Its pricey, but I've heard good reviews of it.

[lucy_v]

I know of this problem all too well (spraying & urinating, in my cat's case). Aside from Oubliette8's great advice, I would add that you must thoroughly clean the areas where the cat eliminates, or else the smell will make them go there again. Cats have a much stronger sense of smell than we do, so even if you think it's clean, he might not. You need to use the right cleaning products. I strongly recommend Anti Icky Poo by Mister Max. Three years of cleaning led me to this product, which removed even the oldest odors. It was a little pricey, but it goes a long way and really works.

I also agree about keeping the litter boxes in quiet, undisturbed areas. We had some mysterious pooping incidents when my husband set up his drum set in the room next to a litter box!

Another therapy that was suggested by a vet was to isolate the cat in a small room (like a powder room) with just his food, water, & litter box. They suggested doing this for a week. I could never bring myself to do that, but I did eventually keep him in a larger room with the essentials (plus toys and a bed and window), and he always eliminated properly & didn't spray in that room.

Feliway didn't work for me.

Best of luck.. I know how difficult it can be to figure out a solution.

[NameThatMama]

He was just at the vet over Labor Day (Sept 5), and upon further investigation, I’m not convinced it was Quid, nor am I convinced it was intentional. It was outside the new litter box, and the next day, I found evidence that someone may have tried to urinate in the box and just missed.

Their litter box area is in a gated off front hall , about 4ft x 4ft plus two closets, so there are two boxes in one closet (kept open with a coat hanger hooked over the inside knob) and a third now just in the hallway. It’s gated to keep out my 11-month-old. It is right next to the living room, but most of his eliminating there happens when we’re gone, not when we’re all in the living room. Plus he’s pooping in the closet, just not in the box.

No material changes—litter, food, work schedule—other than adding the box… but it’s a box they used to have—the very same one. We have been under additional stress, since we’re trying to buy a house, and there’s more than the usual drama with that.
Cleaning with something else is a good idea. Where would I find one of those types of cleaners? I looked for Nature’s Miracle at Target the last time I was there and didn’t see it.

Since Monday, I’ve been scooping daily, which, I’m a little embarrassed to say, I hadn’t been good about. I don’t know if it’s helping on a long term level (it’s only Thursday), but there’s only been one extra-litter box poop since then.

If the house thing works out, they’ll have three boxes hidden away in the basement, and they’ll have lots of room to lounge about.

[Oubliette8]

You can buy Nature's miracle or a similar product at any pet supply store. I think Walmart carries their own version called "Out" or something similar, but I'd trust Nature's miracle or Simple solution more. Nature's miracle even makes a cat-specific formula. Some cats are very picky about the cleanliness of there box actually, so it may be that the extra scooping is exactly what you need to do. If they continue to have trouble urinating in the new box, you might get one that is the same model as your others that they use with no problem. Or maybe a covered one would help. I would also add that unless the doctor knew about urinary issues, he probably wouldn't have checked for UTI or stones. If it continues to be an issue, you might bring them back for that specific issue.