Urinating outside of the box

[lv4dogs]

Over the last few months we have noticed that every once in a while there will be cat urine outside of the litter box. Sometimes it would happen a few times a day for a couple days in row, other times it was only once a week or so. Every single puddle we found was either in the laundry basket, in a basket we keep our shoes in or on my bag that I keep my fabric for sewing in.

We originally had 4 cats,
Pickles, neutered male about 2 years old
Handsome, neutered male, about 3-4 years old
Both of which are my b/f's cats that moved in right before this started. Pickles he has had since he was a kitten, Handsome was adopted from a shelter at approx 1 year of age. Both of his cats are extremely sensitive to change and do not like to be handled too often or the like. Both cats are not too fond of other animals. Both of his cats were neutered late, after 1 year of age. Both cats have been known to occasionally urinate or defecate outside of the box but only if the box was dirty.

Tiki, just over 1 year of age
Meko almost 3 years of age
Both are my cats whom I have had since they were both tiny babies. Both were spayed or neutered before 6 months of age. Both do extremely well with change, love attention, like to be handled, love other pets of other species. I have NEVER had any type of accident outside of the litter box, no matter what the circumstances were. In fact my cats hardly ever use the box they usually go outside.

Handsome was given away about a month ago because we are not allowed to have more 3 cats in my park. It was hard but Joe (my b/f) choose him to be the one to go. He is in a loving forever home & we can visit when ever we want. Part of the reason was back when he was still living with us we would also find urine on top of a table, a table that Handsome was seen on many times over again yet no other cats were ever found on that table. Another part was that Joe didn't have a connection to him like he did his other cat (he got this cat for his ex g/f) and the kids were not as attached to him as much either.

I will put up with everything & anything EXCEPT cat pee.

We have been trying EVERYTHING the last few months. There are litter boxes around the house, different shapes & sizes filled with different litter types. We've tried separating them and we thought we found the culprit, because once Handsome was gone we went a month with no accidents. We've tried the feliway and rescue remedy. We've tried separating them, allowing only one cat in at a time, or separating them into separate rooms and the issue went away each time Handsome was outside.

Tiki was caught yesterday by my friend, using her laundry basket as a litter box. He was squatting NOT spraying. We are painting the room that the main litterboxes are in and the door was closed. Tiki did meow quite a bit right before he urinated in the basket, and he did it right in front of her. So he could of done it because he could not get to the litter box. Maybe he was trying to tell her something? There was another box he could of used though, in a different room. Tiki did go to the vets this morning and he does NOT have a UTI and is completely healthy.

But when we found the other puddles of urine, they were fresh & Tiki was NOT even in the house before they happened, sometimes it was days at a time before he came inside (his own decision). So some of those puddles could not of been his, could they? Is it common for cats to use laundry baskets as litter boxes? Could it be more than one cat that's peeing outside of the litter box?

Tiki is the most laid back in my house, in fact every single person that has ever met him says that he is the most laid back cat that they know of. Everyone thinks that he must think he is a dog, because he acts just like one. He is the last cat anyone would ever expect to do anything wrong what so ever. No body can believe that he was caught urinating outside of the box. Tiki is everyones friend, including the dogs, the ferrets, the children and even strangers. Everyone loves him & he loves everyone & everything.

I've been searching old posts and the net for info, and all I can find is info & products that I already know of & have already tried.

Everyone is saying that I should give him another chance. But I HATE cat pee, it's the ONLY thing I will not tolerate. And the fact that he was caught peeing in the laundry and almost every puddle we find is on clothes or cloths I suspect it was mainly him. (then again like I said above there was a couple/few incidents were it was 99.9999999% not him because he was outside for days at a time).

I don't know what to do. EVERYONE, including me absolutely LOVES Tiki but I HATE cat pee. I've tried everything.

[Catty1]

And they have been to the vet to be checked for a UTI?

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm very sorry to hear this. Tiki may be rebelling because the room where he usually goes to use the litterboxes is now closed off. Since he was checked out and is fine, it's has to be a behavioral problem. When I was painting my cat Starr started pooping outside of the litterbox because he was very unhappy about being cooped up in my bedroom with all of his siblings. Starr will still do this occassionally and I know that once they start it's a hard habit to break. I hope that you'll be able to find a solution to your problem. Tiki may not be the only one that is doing this. Good luck.

[Lizzie]

I believe it is highly likely that you have more than one pee'er. I also believe that Tiki felt forced to use to use a container to urinate in since you had locked him out of his litter area, even though he could have walked around to find another box.

I can't count the number of times I have been totally sure that I've known who the pee'er or sprayer is only to find out that it is one or two cats that were barely on my "might be" list. Only a few days ago, I found out that cat spraying problems I've been having for weeks now were not caused by the two cats that I had decided it had to be - both because they had backed up to furniture and because I'd found it had cat pee on it as I rushed over. They were actually reacting to what Thumper had already done and I hadn't seen, as I understood after I'd isolated them. I was stunned when I saw Thumper in the act since he's highly sociable with other cats and didn't appear to be territorial.

Have you tried isolating individual cats for a week or more?

I should add that I find cat pee to be the hardest thing to deal with in a multiple-cat household, Lisa (K&L) have commiserated with each other on the issue. While my disabled kitten was learning to use special litter areas recently, I found cleaning up the pee from carpets far harder to cope with than the poop.

[catnapper]

Allen's peeing right now, and I KNOW its behavioral since he's been checked out. He is ticked off the room he used to call his own is now being occupied by my son who's home from college. He pees on blankets and in laundry baskets right now to show his disapproval of HIS room being taken over. I know this because it doesn't happen when my son is out of the house, only when he's here, especially when he's in "Allen's" room.

They could also be upset that one of them is gone. Cats are very sensitive to change and each one handles change differently.

[lv4dogs]

I was afraid it would be more than one pee'er. I've always been leary about having cats for this very reason, and this reason alone. I hate cat pee more than anything in the world.

So, do those of you with cats with potty issues caused by behavioral problems, what do you do when you can not change what you think it is that is bothering them? (like me and getting the other cat back or not being able to finish re-decorating my house, or kicking my friends out on the streets, or like catnapper with her son or the like) Just deal with it or what?

[catnapper]

Unfortunately, hubby thinks Allen should just deal with it! Seriously, typically, what they are upset about evens out and they go back to normal. Some take longer to normal out than others, and some might be fine one day but the next test positive for crystals in their urine since they got themselves so worked up about being upset.

My Pouncer is the one who works himself up. I've taken him for testing and he came back 100% healthy. A week later he was loaded with infection.

I just sit back and trust my instincts with both my pee-ers. There are drugs to help destress them. I wanted to try the treats that have drugs in them, but it says for 7 days. So, what I'll do is start Allen on them next week as Tony heads back to college, and then a few days after he leaves. In the meantime I'll clean Tony's room and make it all perfect for the big brat. Then when Tony comes home for Christmas break, so the same, where he'll get the stress treats a few days before he comes home and a few days after he's home.

I watch closely who does what in which litterbox. I never have ot worry about Harry or the girls... I keep an eagle eye on Pouncer and Allen though, and make mental notes of any changes. Allen's still peeing, like he has all summer, but instead of twice a day, it is down ot every other day.... in other words the brat is slowly coming terms with Tony usurping his room. Now I know to watch what happens after Tony returns to school, because in Allen's feline brain, he'll be UPSET since its one more change. Allen will be hugely upset by Tony being gone... despite that we humans would think its GOOD since now Allen has his room back.

[Lizzie]

Those of us that deal with this type of behavorial problem almost on a routine basis deal with it because we love the cats more than we abominate the behavior, which means we love the cats with an almost insane passion. I've wept, I've screamed, I've thrown things, I've cursed the cats, I tried to pour a saucepan of tepid water over one extreme sprayer (then spent hours getting it out of the carpet), I've holed myself up in a bedroom alone with chips and a movie ignoring the pounding on the door, I've even sworn to have only one cat. However, I now have more than ever before and I keep dealing with it.

In the practical sense, we go to extreme lengths to protect our furniture and other belongings. I've skirted sofas and chairs with taped on plastic, and done the same to all walls - not easy since I have a 5-bedroom house. I routinely shut up in closets anything that a cat might like to pee in/on - such as the laundry basket, my shoe rack, ironing board, boxes of financial papers, stacks of towels. I spend hours every weekend checking carpets and soft furniture to make sure I didn't miss anything during the week. See what I mean by an insane passion for cats?! It's a lot of hard work and they always find a way to circumvent the defences you have put in place. Don't feel bad that you are not in the ranks of the cat-insane.

I think you may need to reduce your cat population to 2 or 1. If you continue to be unhappy with them, the behavior will get worse because they will be unhappy.

[catmandu]

I know what you meen as Cat Pee stinks, and can ruin your floors.
I have a floor in the living room that needs sanding as the previous owner had Dogs, and they peed and left a permanant mark.
Thank God the Found Cats use thier 8 litter boxes, although it gets to be expensive, having litter delivered.