Peeing outside the litterbox

[Loveday]

I'm not sure if this problem has been discussed here before, but I did a search and didn't find anything. My cat, who in all respects is perfectly healthy (she's had all the requisite checkups and the vet can find nothing physically wrong), sometimes pees outside the litterbox. Not JUST outside, as if she's missed it by a couple inches, but outside the door of the room wherein said box is kept. In the hallway, up against the edge of the wall so that the pee seeps not only through the  carpet but down between the carpet edge and the baseboard. Impossible to completely  clean. 

I'm at home all the time, with occasional forays to the store or elsewhere for an hour or two here and there. So I am able to keep her box immaculate. She does her business, I'm right there to scoop it. I'm very well-trained. LOL. So it's not a case of dirty litter. And we changed litter brands awhile back (this has been an intermittent problem for a couple of years now), to an unscented, rather expensive and very good quality litter that she doesn't seem to mind at all. So I don't think that's the problem (I didn't really think the other litter was the problem, either, but we decided to change it anyway). 

She hadn't done it in awhile, so I thought it was safe to go out of town for a few days, leaving her in the care of husband and son. Of course, they're NOT home all day, so the box didn't always get scooped instantly. They did scoop it every day, though, so it's not like her business piled up for days or anything. But that's when she started peeing on the carpet again. The guys didn't notice it, but I did as soon as I walked in the house when I got back. There followed several days of shampooing and treating and shampooing again, and she seemed to have gotten over the problem again--until I came home today from being gone TWO HOURS. I knew she hadn't gone in awhile, and her box was completely clean, so I thought...hmm, let's touch the carpet and see if there's a wet spot. Sure enough. A huge one, as she'd been saving it since last night. 

We have an appointment tomorrow to get her claws clipped. They need it, and I wonder sometimes if the litter bothers her paws when her claws are long. I've tried just about every different cleaning solution out there,  from Jackson Galaxy's products to Nature's Miracle to a homemade vinegar solution (which smells almost as  bad as the pee!), but nothing seems to work in getting the smell completely out and discouraging her from going on the carpet again. 

I know this is a ridiculously long post already, but I have to add that we rescued her at the age of around 4, and she'd been at the SPCA for over a year before that. So we have no idea what her life was like before she came to us; no idea if she'd been abused, or neglected, or in any way mistreated. She's about 8 now, and she's very shy, she basically lives upstairs, she almost never comes downstairs. I even feed her upstairs, she'd go for days without eating if I tried feeding her in the kitchen like I always did our other cats when we still had them. And of course her box is upstairs, totally accessible, and as I said, always clean. She's spoiled rotten, which is as it should be. 

I'm at a total loss now. But I know there are many experienced cat people here. Does anyone have a fresh idea for me to try? I'm getting desperate, and my house is starting to reek. Help! 

[Maggie Mae]

Is she an only cat? 

Is there a litter box cover? Some cats don't like going in a cave to pee. Her food is far away from the litter box, I assume? 

 

[Tjay]

Does she pee on the floor only when you're away? It could be a separation anxiety thing and have nothing to do with her litter at all. Have you tried feliway diffusers? Also if possible move her litter box to the place where she pees, have it there for a while and slowly move it to a more convent space. Hopefully this helps.

[Loveday]

4 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

Is she an only cat? 

Is there a litter box cover? Some cats don't like going in a cave to pee. Her food is far away from the litter box, I assume? 

 

She is now; we lost our other two cats a couple of years ago. She's never been a big fan of other cats, though, so I don't think she's missing them or anything.

And there's no cover on the box. The box is in one upstairs room, while her food is in another, so that isn't an issue, either. 

I wish I could just rip out the carpet and start over, but until we solve the peeing problem, I'm afraid to do that--she'll probably pee on the new stuff! 

3 hours ago, Tjay said:

Does she pee on the floor only when you're away? It could be a separation anxiety thing and have nothing to do with her litter at all. Have you tried feliway diffusers? Also if possible move her litter box to the place where she pees, have it there for a while and slowly move it to a more convent space. Hopefully this helps.

Well, lately she IS peeing on the floor when I'm away. But that's pretty new; before this current bout, she would just pee on the floor when I wasn't looking. LOL. 

I'm not sure how the Feliway diffuser would work; it needs to be near where she pees, right? And there is not one single outlet in the hallway. I guess I could get a power strip with a longish cord, though, that's something I hadn't thought to do til just this minute!

I'd move the box to where she pees, but it's literally right around the corner as it is--about three or four feet away inside the room. It's like she's just too darned lazy to walk those few feet sometimes. As she's a tortie, and they can be temperamental, that wouldn't surprise me in the least! 

Thank you both for your suggestions. 

[Nikedagain?]

Oh dear! Tortitude!!

My calico requires an absolute immaculate litterbox, so I know how frustrating it is. But when my daughter's cat started peeing on her bed several years ago, the vet did labs and she had a thyroid issue. So she went on meds and it improved until she was around 19 and it started again. But I have heard that if all the labs check out ok, the vet can prescribe a low dose of kitty prozac to help with anxiety. 

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this!

[Loveday]

39 minutes ago, Nikedagain? said:

Oh dear! Tortitude!!

My calico requires an absolute immaculate litterbox, so I know how frustrating it is. But when my daughter's cat started peeing on her bed several years ago, the vet did labs and she had a thyroid issue. So she went on meds and it improved until she was around 19 and it started again. But I have heard that if all the labs check out ok, the vet can prescribe a low dose of kitty prozac to help with anxiety. 

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this!

YES! She's got it in spades!  

I think I figured out why she peed on the floor this afternoon--there was one--ONE!--tiny little poop nugget in the box. I must have missed it when I scooped this morning. It was way in the back of the box, covered with litter, but I'm guessing she found it and was most displeased. 

She's been checked out for any medical problems, but if trying the Feliway doesn't work, back we'll go to the vet, something may have developed since her last visit (which was only a couple of months ago, come to think of it. I wonder if my vet offers shares of stock in the practice...  ).

At the rate things are going, I may need Prozac!

[front hugs > duggs]

We've been having some issues with one of our cats as well. At first, if my husband came home and didn't give him attention immediately, he would go and pee on my husband (who was usually on the couch). He peed on that (leather) couch so much we got rid of it, and a friend gave us a worn futon. Occasionally during this time he would also pee on the carpet. Cat never had a problem with the futon and hadn't peed on it. We recently got a new couch and I've definitely smelt the pee on it, but the couch isn't stained. We aren't sure if he's just trying to spray the new couch to mark territory?

But has also begun peeing on the carpet sometimes again. I read that alcohol (that you find in a drug store) + dish soap helps clean it, with some baking soda after to get rid of the smell, so we keep trying that and seems to work a bit. We don't think he has had any more accidents, but sometimes we see him pawing the carpet and we put him in the litter box and he pees immediately, almost like he's warning us? Has anyone ever heard of anything like this?

[Nikedagain?]

@front hugs > duggs He's neutered, right? If so, has he been checked for any type of UTI?

(ps, I guess you know Joel Berry broke his hand?? UGHHH)

[front hugs > duggs]

@Nikedagain? Yes he is! We haven't checked - it seemed pretty  behavioral, but I guess it wouldn't hurt at all to get him to the vet. 

(and yes, and how he did it is the most ridiculous thing ever!)

[Loveday]

Update on the situation: Took her to the vet yesterday to get her claws clipped. The vet tech and I had a long chat about the litterbox issue, and she recommended the Feliway plug-in as well as a product called 'Urine Off' that of course isn't available in stores around here, I'd have to order it from Amazon. And it comes in a big one gallon jug, so I can't buy a smaller size to try it out. But she swears by it, having multiple cats in her home, and there are a lot of good reviews about its odor removal abilities. So I may go ahead and order some.

The tech also agreed that it's most likely behavioral rather than medical. She checked the last labs, done in July, and there was nothing there to indicate a problem, but of course something may have developed since then, so if the Feliway and the Urine Off don't solve the problem (  ), I'm to bring her back in for more detective work. 

And since I started this thread, my little feline angel has not peed once outside the box, thankfully. 

[Tjay]

@Loveday I hope it works for you! Have you also tried having two litter boxes? It sounds like she really doesn't like peeing where she poops. 

@front hugs > duggs Always good to have a vet check him. Boy cats especially can develop crystals in their urine, which is really painful, so he may be looking for some comfort when he pees, like your husband or the couch where he gets cuddles etc. 

[Loveday]

1 hour ago, Tjay said:

@Loveday I hope it works for you! Have you also tried having two litter boxes? It sounds like she really doesn't like peeing where she poops.  

@Tjay, yes, I have tried two boxes. She consistently went in just the one box, though, so I finally put the other one away. I think she's just hopelessly ornery. 

The Feliway diffuser is plugged in and hopefully will do the trick. 

 

[zygote373]

@Loveday I know she has peed in this spot on and off, but the sudden recurrence makes me think it could be a UTI. If it hurts to pee, she associates the box with the pain and will go elsewhere. I'm surprised the vet didn't do a culture on her urine just in case.

If it's not that, and the feliway/urine off doesn't help, I'd almost suggest a second box that is covered. If she's peeing against the wall, maybe she likes to have a "side" surface to pee against. This is more common in males than females, but cats can certainly always have strange (and strong...) opinions. If you do that, I'd put the second box right where she's peeing now even if it feels silly to have two so close together. Otherwise, you've already tried everything I'd suggest. Good luck!!

@front hugs > duggs Agree that a vet is always a good idea for inappropriate peeing, especially for males. It sounds like you have multiple cats? How many litter boxes do you have? Any chance that added one or two would help him feel more secure in having his own space to pee? And/or putting one in the living room where he seems to pee a lot?

[Loveday]

23 minutes ago, zygote373 said:

@Loveday I know she has peed in this spot on and off, but the sudden recurrence makes me think it could be a UTI. If it hurts to pee, she associates the box with the pain and will go elsewhere. I'm surprised the vet didn't do a culture on her urine just in case.

If it's not that, and the feliway/urine off doesn't help, I'd almost suggest a second box that is covered. If she's peeing against the wall, maybe she likes to have a "side" surface to pee against. This is more common in males than females, but cats can certainly always have strange (and strong...) opinions. If you do that, I'd put the second box right where she's peeing now even if it feels silly to have two so close together. Otherwise, you've already tried everything I'd suggest. Good luck!!

I will definitely get her back to the vet if she keeps doing this. So far, I really don't think it's an infection, though, because I often observe her doing her business (it seems to have become a weird new hobby of mine! ) and she never seems to be in any distress. She just gets in there, does her thing, and hops back out again after fussing around 'covering' her stuff ( she never quite manages it!). First sign things aren't quite right off we'll go again! 

I still have the other litterbox, and it came with a lid, so I may go with your suggestion for awhile, just to see what happens. The hoops we go through for our furbabies! 

[front hugs > duggs]

@zygote373 yes we have two males and two litter boxes. We could try to add a third, and maybe a covered one like you suggested to the OP. One is a traditional box, and one is the Tidy Cats Breeze, with the pellets. Usually this cat actually prefers peeing in the breeze and doing his other business in the traditional box. Other cat does both in he traditional. 

And since "problem" cat is being so darn cute right now, I have added a picture !

 

[Markie]

I saw this thread title and thought it was about Steven Anderson, the Pissing Preacher! 

Sorry. I don't have a cat. 

[Alisamer]

Aww! Kitties! I don't currently have one sadly, but peeing in odd places combined with drinking a larger amount of water than usual were the first signs mine was diabetic, so that may be something to watch for. I also made sure she had two boxes and cleaned them both frequently, but once we switched her diet to help the diabetes she quit going outside the box. 

[Loveday]

12 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

Aww! Kitties! I don't currently have one sadly, but peeing in odd places combined with drinking a larger amount of water than usual were the first signs mine was diabetic, so that may be something to watch for. I also made sure she had two boxes and cleaned them both frequently, but once we switched her diet to help the diabetes she quit going outside the box. 

 Unfortunately, I had a cat with diabetes, too, so I've been keeping watch for those symptoms with this one. Luckily, she hasn't been drinking any more than usual, and she only pees a couple of times a day, generally in the mid-morning and late in the evening. 

Okay, is it weird that I know so much about my cat's bathroom habits?   LOL

[zygote373]

4 hours ago, front hugs > duggs said:

yes we have two males and two litter boxes. We could try to add a third, and maybe a covered one like you suggested to the OP.

I would definitely add a third and see if that helps. The general rule is that you should have a litter box for every cat, plus one. The extra room to spread out should minimize any territorial issues. 

Also he is such an adorable yet distinguished kitty! No wonder he feels he should have the run of the house. 

@Loveday My cat was diagnosed with kidney disease (among other things) a year ago. She’s stable/doing well right now, but BOY DO I KNOW about following her every move...

[Loveday]

7 hours ago, zygote373 said:

 

@Loveday My cat was diagnosed with kidney disease (among other things) a year ago. She’s stable/doing well right now, but BOY DO I KNOW about following her every move...

I'm so glad to know that!  

And thank you everyone for your words of wisdom and advice. I will let you all know what worked and what didn't. So far, everything's going inside the box, but that's probably because I'm right here watching her every move. The true test will come the next time I have to leave the house for longer than it takes to run a couple of errands.