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My 5 yr. old male cat has been recently peeing on the baseboard and I don't know why. He is neutered. He has peed about 3 or 4 times right across from the litter box on the baseboard. I can't figure it out. His litter box is clean and I have not changed anything.
My first thought would be that he could have a UTI and you should make an appointment with your vet to have him checked out. Cats that have this find it very painful to pee and they will pee in inappropriate places.
If he checks out fine then it must be behavioral. Maybe a animal in the past has peed there and he now smells the scent or maybe he's been stressed out lately. Maybe another cat isn't allowing him to use the litter box. There could be many things going on that you're unaware of.
Do you have any feliway spray or plugins? If not I'd buy some of these but you don't want to spray or use it near the litter box. It'll help calm him down and hopefully this will stop. You also need to clean the baseboards with an enzyme cleaner to get rid of the urine smell so none of your animals will keep peeing there. I've also used Cat Attract Litter by Dr. Elsey which you can buy at Petsmart or online. It attracts cats to use the litter and it works immediately. Yes, it does cost more but it helped solve my problem several years ago. Now I'm able to use Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra Clumping Litter which is unscented and it clumps very well. Here's a great link that will hopefully answer any of your questions: http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm. Good luck.:)
From a human viewpoint, nothing has changed. From a feline view, SOMETHING IS WRONG! :D The tough part is figuring out WHAT.
As already mentioned, first step would be to rule out a UTI. Although usually, they don't "go" in the same place over and over with a UTI. Still, see if you can take in a sample for testing.
Things that may have changed, run from the obvious to the "you have GOT to be kidding!" :)
- litter: brand, type, scent
- box: placement, frequency of cleaning
- food or water bowl placement (yes, if kitty decides it it soo close to the litter box, he won't use the box!)
- started running central a/c -- you'd be surprised how the smells flow around the room differently!
- new family member; room mate; guests for the holiday INCLUDING any pets which may have arrived
- painted, varnished, etc. near the box but not across the room
You did not mention which room his box is in. Any changes in that room may have disrupted him.
Is he an only cat? Has another cat decided not to allow him in the box?
When all else fails, to keep your sanity add a second box where he is now going and see if he takes to it. Yes, this means "cat wins," but really, do you want to struggle if all he wants is a new bathroom in a new location?
Good luck! I've been through it when it was not a physical problem, makes me nutty!
The previous posters are right-on with their suggestions and advice.
I always say rule out medical issues first. Would be awful to treat it as behavioral and then find out the cat is sick.
Males can block pretty easily from UTI's that get advanced to crystals.
After the vet check, DO clean the areas with the appropriate enzymatic cleaners such as Nature's Miracle, made specificly for cleaning cat urine odors. I'd also second the Feliway. I used both the plug-ins and the spray to stop a cat who was marking because of behavioral issues.
I've also been through the heartbreaking problem of a cat who had sterile cystitis due to stress of living in a multi-cat household. We did everything we could from the medical end and the behavioral and environmental end but had to ultimately re-home her so she would be completely happy and healthy in an only cat home. It was the hardest thing to do but it was the right thing and she is quite healthy and happy now, for which I am very thankful.
The posters who mention that what could stress the cat into inappropriate urination may seem very insignificant to you are quite correct. My vet has a cat who stresses each and every time she removes the litter box to clean it and if she doesn't put it back in the exact same spot, the cat will urinate on the floor where the box should be.
But, it really is very important to have a vet check and a spin test of the urine done. Ask for a copy of the urinalysis and research it. UTI issues are not always an easy cure unfortunately.
I hope your kitty will be fine and if it is a UTI that it's a simple one that will respond well to antibiotics. Good luck.