cats peeing outside of box

[azrael2000]

Hi All.

i have a situation going on that has me to the point of giving my cats up to the humane society, as I am at a loss for what to do. Hopefully someone here can help.

I had one cat who started peeing outside of the box, any and EVERYWHERE. I took him into the vet, who I trust, and the diagnosis was UTI. He was given a two week antibiotic shot for the issue, and I brought him home.

Recently, another cat (a female) has decided to start spraying all over the place. i wake up in the morning to cat pee, which I clean up with a product "Simply Solutions". But it seems if I clean up one place, they pee in another.

I take them out into my yard, clean the litter box regularly, use a pine, not clay based litter.

I have been told if a cat gets "angry" or "annoyed" they will start doing this.

And these cats have been together for at least 3 years, so it isn't like they are getting used to a new cat. i have been at my new home, which is 50 meters away from my old place (seriously) for about a year and a half...


Any help is appreciated. I'm running out of options and patience!

Regards

[sugarcatmom]

Hi azrael2000, welcome to pets.ca.

How old are your kitties? Are they both neutered?

Originally Posted by azrael2000

I had one cat who started peeing outside of the box,

When did that start?

Originally Posted by azrael2000

I took him into the vet, who I trust, and the diagnosis was UTI.

How was the UTI diagnosed? Was urine (obtained via cystocentisis) sent out to a lab for a culture and sensitivity test?

A true urinary tract infection is actually quite rare in cats under the age of 10, which is why I'm wondering how old he is. Urinary tract inflammation without the presence of bacteria is much more common, and can be the result of things like stress or diet.

Originally Posted by azrael2000

He was given a two week antibiotic shot for the issue, and I brought him home.

Did he stop peeing?

Originally Posted by azrael2000

I clean up with a product "Simply Solutions".

Not familiar with this product.....is it an enzymatic cleaner? Is it scented?

Originally Posted by azrael2000

I take them out into my yard, clean the litter box regularly,

How often is "regularly"? Once a week could be considered regular, but certainly not sufficient. Should be AT LEAST once a day, if not twice or more. How many boxes do you have? Ideally multi-cat households have a box per cat, plus an extra. So that would mean 3 boxes if you have 2 cats. Where they're located is also an important consideration.

Originally Posted by azrael2000

I have been told if a cat gets "angry" or "annoyed" they will start doing this.

It's possible, in so far as that "anger" is due to stress and stress can impact urinary tract health. But inappropriate elimination is NOT an act of vengeance. It's a symptom of something not being right with the cat or in the cat's environment. Our job is to figure out what that is.

Some links for you to read:
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=litterbox
http://catexpert.blogspot.ca/2012/04...box-blues.html
http://www.hdw-inc.com/litterbox.htm

[azrael2000]

Thanks for the response sugarcatmom...

I have had cats my entire life.... always rescues or walk-ins... :-D I have NEVER had any kind of issue with a cat / cats in my life... <blink>

Now, hopefully to answer your questions (in no particular order):

My cats are older - one 16 years old, 3 around 3... they were cats people threw away. I found one as a kitten in a snowbank, the other (which had the initial peeing issue) had frost bite and lost both ears and 1/2 tail. The female that is spraying is around 3 years old... wandered in one day... you know the story...

The UTI diagnosis was done by the vet by collecting a sample (while he was there) of urine, and whatever test they do. The vet said he saw crystals.

Did he stop peeing.... for the most part, he did. I found he has peed once or twice since...

Simply Soutions is an enzymatic cleaner. It dissolves the pee crystals, and kills the odour. i had a spot on a bed I used this on, and it disappeared completely. You can't tell anything happened.

Cleaning the box ... I do that twice a day, or whenever I happen to go down into the basement where it is kept.

Thanks for the links... I will read them as well....

Regards

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by azrael2000

they were cats people threw away.

Ya, people sure suck sometimes. But then there are people like you that right the wrongs and make the world a better place.

Originally Posted by azrael2000

The UTI diagnosis was done by the vet by collecting a sample (while he was there) of urine, and whatever test they do. The vet said he saw crystals.

Probably just in-house lab work, which isn't the most accurate for diagnosing urinary tract infections. I suspect the crystals were probably the main issue, and those are quite common in cats fed kibble. What do your kitties eat?

Originally Posted by azrael2000

Cleaning the box ... I do that twice a day, or whenever I happen to go down into the basement where it is kept.

Great! Except that if you only have 1 litter box for 4 cats, even 2x/day may not be enough. Definitely add more boxes if that's the case, perhaps in a different area of the house if you can.

Do all your cats get along? Even if there isn't any actually fighting, there could be subtle territorial issues that involve the litter box (thus, the reason for putting another one in another location). How much vertical space do they have? Any cat trees or shelves they can use, which would increase the amount of available territory?

[azrael2000]

Hi SugarCatMom.

Yes people can be evil. One of my cats was a kitten of about 3 months old that some .... insert your favorite explitive here... threw into a snowbank by my home. I went, picked her up after hearing her scream for 15 minutes, and the rest is history. (Mind you now that she is a cat teenager, she doesn't want daddie picking her up, kissing her... <grin>)

I will be getting my cats another litter box.. I have a fairly large one ... next size up is kiddie pool! <grin> It is Canada Day here , so it will have to wait until the pet stores open up after for the litter box.

As to the food they eat, I give them the Blue Buffalo Weight Control. They do like Whiskas and eat that too. I have to admit, however, I do spoil them with treats of various kinds. I take them out (4 cats) and they pretty much stay where I can keep an eye on them, so when they come in, they get treats for a job well done.

They get along, for the most part well. Every now and then there is that paw swatting and chasing, but it isn't like one specific one is picking on another (unless they keep that for when I am at work. But I doubt it).

Regards

[BenMax]

Can I relate. One of my cats did the same. He had a UTI as well, put on Baytril for 14 days and then all was well.
Last night however I had an 'incident'. I removed a litter box from a room and wouldn't you know it...he pee'd where the litter box 'was'. Just a few feet away, there are ALL 5 litter boxes. So, I put the litter box back where it was and we will see what happens.

I buy new litter boxes twice a year. Having 3 males and one female I feel that keeping things as fresh as possible helped.

Good luck with your cats and I hope that all goes well. I know how unpleasant this is!