inappropriate urination

[emily_the_spoiled]

Hi, I need some help...

I got Emily last September from an animal rescue house and we think that she is now about 2 years old. She has a "little" problem ... she keeps urinating outside of her litter box.

I have spent hundreds of dollars at the vet, including having her fixed, urinalysis, blood work, x-rays and having her tested for diabetes inspidus. I have had her on a couple of rounds of anti-biotics yet she still has the problem. I use an enzyme (Nature's Remedy) to clean up the areas where she does urinate and I have had the areas steam cleaned, but nothing seems to make any difference.

The only "redeeming" thing is that she does this only in one area of the house (the couch in the spare room next to her litter box).

The only thing left at this point is to put her on drugs (probably Buspar), but if possible I would like to avoid that option. I have polled all the other cat owners I know in the area and we have all run out of suggestions. So I am looking for any and all suggestions.

Help...

[lizbud]

Hi and welcome to Pet Talk.

If Emily has been checked out by the vet and is
o.k. physicaly as you say, and if she only goes
in that one area(on the couch?)next to her box;
then I think I would get rid of that couch.Just
pitch it. She might smell odors in the couch
fabric from long ago that she's trying to cover
or add to.

[emily_the_spoiled]

I have thought about getting rid of the couch. I guess that even though I have used the ultra violet light and the enzyme remover I might not have gotten rid of everything. I just hate to throw out a good piece of furniture, but I suppose it is a better option that then alternative.

[sasvermont]

I had a kitty that would use the bathtub as the litter box. He would poop right over the drain. I put "Comet" cleanser there a few times...and he would not like the smell of it. Then I would think all was fine...and sure enough....he would use the spot again....he would even do this at other homes we visited. He was probably a good kitty to toilet train...but I never thought of it then. He continued with this habit until he expired, 18 years later. Cleaning a tub is much easier than cleaning a sofa.

I too would either get rid of the sofa or cover it with foil for awhile...but I think getting rid of it might work better. Could it be that another animal urinated there some time ago?

Good luck with your kitty!

[wolflady]

Hello and welcome to Pet Talk!! I know what a frustrating circumstance that this is and can totally relate. My cat Scooter has this very same problem. We've spent hundreds of dollars on countless vet visits. He has had serious UTI, but even when he's completely healthy, we can't trust him to have free run of the house without supervision. He has a behavioral problem, and our vet said there is basically nothing we can do to 'fix' it. We can only 'prevent' it.
We did try the valium for awhile, and there was another drug that we were offered (ovaban), but we refused as the repurcussions could be very serious. Currently, we have a 'kitty playpen' that Scooter is in when we are away from the house or sleeping. It's a two level enclosure that's big enough to fit his large covered litter box, food, water and sleeping spaces. I got it from Drs Foster and Smith. You may want to give this a try if all else fails...such was the case with our Scooter.

Out of curiosity, is your cat declawed?
Good luck and let us know if you find a solution!

[emily_the_spoiled]

Hello everyone,

I have tried to cover the spots (being treated with the enzyme remover) with tin foil. It worked for the first little while, but lately she has started to pee on the tin foil. So I guess that option has been worn out.

She is not declawed and I would hesitate to do that (it is amputating their toes and I think that would be painful). But she doesn't usually claw the furniture. She was extremely easy to train to the scratching post (a little catnip can be a wonderful thing ).

The strange thing is that she usually does this when I am at home. (For awhile she was peeing in my shoes if I got home too late.) So I have no problem leaving her during the day (i.e. when I am at work/school). I have even put up a bird feeder to keep her occupied while I am gone.

But I am starting to reach the conclusion that I don't have many options left if I want to avoid the drugs. Valium and Elavil only provide temporary relief for the problem (approximately 50% of cats will start up again once the medication is stopped). While products like Ovaban and the such are hormones, so I want to avoid those. But the Buspar is supposed to have quite a good success rate (only a 20% relapse rate according to the literature).

[Randi]

First, welcome to Pet Talk! This must be so frustrating for you! I'm not sure this will be any help, but I've heard that if cats scratch the wallpaper, they will stop if you spray it with winegar or lemon. Perhaps it will also work with other problems, like peeing on the couch. It's worth a try at least.

Good luck!!

[Nomilynn]

This sounds more like your cat is trying to tell you not to leave her at home. My cat was doing the same thing.. my grandmother died (I lived with her) and so we painted the place, moved all the furniture, and I even left her for a week while we travelled to Saskatchewan for the funeral. She started peeing in my laundry baskets and any pile of clothing (if it had been worn) that was on the floor. She had also done this in my grandma's laundry baskets. I took her to the vet and they said that Bassett was upset with the changes in the house and was likely lonely during the day (she was used to having granny around). She gave me an antidepressant that was also supposed to stop wierd urination called Apo-Amitriptyline (10mg/pill). All it did was make her sleepy the first two days. I also made sure to make extra time for her and pay close attention to when she was alone. Also, I ended up getting another cat for her to play with during the day. She only took the pills every day for a week, then every second day for a week, then once a week for three weeks and she was totally fine. She hasn't needed one for a while now and is using the litter box normally. I know that drugs are a last resort but this seemed to work really well for her, and my vet said it's a very mild pill and dosage. It's always the first one they try and have like a 90% sucess rate. You might want to look into it. Is that couch a place where you like to sit? Or a place where you would keep your work/school bag? She may just be trying to tell you something.. especially if she is peeing in your shoes.. Anyway, good luck and I hope everything works out.