Levi has begun to cause some trouble...

[tricollie4me]

Our one male cat (we have three cats, one torti and a sibling pair of orange & whites) has begun to urinate and mark on everything. A few months ago he had begun to pee in the kitty beds and it made us crazy -- we took him to the vet first, of course, to rule out any infection. After a hefty bill (but loving care ) from the vet, we were told no infection, but that there was the presence of crystals -- and that his peeing was likely behavioral. We then turned to all measures of deterring his "out-of-litter-box" urinating and sprayed Feliway in the affected rooms and on the affected objects, removed the kitty beds altogether, washed them thoroughly in Nature's Miracle and purchased several more litter boxes. It was much better for a few weeks' time without any evidence that Levi was urinating outside of the litter boxes. This past week, however, he has begun to pee (he squats and pees, then brushes his paw over the area as though he were in a litter box) on the throw pillows we keep on the sofa -- the sofa that the kids cuddle and nap on and the sofa that our collie snuggles on in the evenings.

I'm out of ideas -- we absolutely adore this cat yet my husband states he refuses to have a cat that pees indiscriminately. I would absolutely be crushed to have to rehome this boy -- besides loving him like mad, we adopted him only this past June with his sister and I feel responsible for keeping them together.

What else can I try? Is Levi trying to show he's the alpha of the house by peeing where our dog hangs out? How can I deter him? If I somehow get him to stop peeing on the sofa and the sofa pillows, will he find something else he likes to pee on?

I'm open to anything -- it seems hard to believe that we can't find some answer -- so many of you own male cats, what are your experiences? Is this something "normal" for a male cat that has only female cats and a female dog in the household? Is this something I can curb enough to satisfy my husband's concerns or am I doomed to have an otherwise perfect, yummy kitty with a frustratingly strong desire to pee wherever he likes?!

BTW, I fully understand that Levi is likely acting as his genetics and his species dictate; however, because he is our beloved, domestic pet, we do need him to abide by certain "house rules." He's a smart, healthy cat -- what can I do?

Thanks for any insight!

[Laura's Babies]

I would suggest if all else fails to shut him in a bathroom, laundry room or somewhere small with a litter box, toys, Bed/blanket, his food and water and only let him out SUPERVISED.. If he squats or pees then, scold him and return him back to the "naughty" room. If it is behavioral, then being scolded and put in there by himself and only let out supervised.... Soon, he will get the idea...

I had to do that to Samantha when she kept attacking Amy... It only took her THREE days to make the connection and STOP that behavior... They HATE being in a room alone with the door closed and will fuss to high heaven, but be strong and don't give in! Can't hurt to try it and I would do that for as long as needed before I would give one of mine up.

[catmandu]

I put Sam,in the basement,and kept him there for a day,making sure that I put him on the litter box,to make sure that he knew what was going on.
And he has been a lot better,as he missed his Cat Friends when he was alone!

[AbbyMom]

I don't have any further suggestions except to read the articles at the CatsInternational web site:

http://www.catsinternational.org/

They have a terrific, in-depth article about litterbox problems.

GOOD LUCK!

[jenluckenbach]

If he has crystals what are you doing to correct this? (medication, special food?) Crystals in the urine is 1 of the 2 main reasons for inappropriate peeing (infection being the other). It is irritating to the bladder and painful AND the longer they have them the more likely they will form bladder stones and blockage. As a matter of fact, an xray to rule out bladder stones right now is a very good idea. Most cats that form crystals need to be on a special diet.......for ever.

[tricollie4me]

Thanks for all the feedback -- the experiences, links and support were greatly appreciated and helpful. Jen, when Levi's urinalysis showed the presence of crystals but the absence of an infection, the vet told us that his peeing was likely behavioral and to pursue that avenue in regard to helping him stop inappropriate urination. We were not given any treatment options for the crystals themselves and certainly not advised he required medication and/or a special diet as a result of his u/a.

We'll be calling our vet today for more info, and we'll bring Levi back in if necessary for further testing. I would be more than happy to try medication as long as the benefits outweigh the risks -- Levi is such a cool little cat (think "James Dean" in feline form!) and we love him so very much.

Thanks again -- I'll post back on what the vet thinks of all this -- I'm crossing fingers, toes and all the paws in the house we get this resolved soon.

[Randi]

I totally agree with with Jenluckenback said.

Fister had crystals in his bladder a few years ago, and he peed in various spots outside his litterbox, one time he peed in our bed right in front of us while he was looking at us. So yes, he was definately trying to tell us something was wrong!

He was flushed through 3 times (a few months in between) and put on a diet - Hills S/D, which is supposed to dissolve the crystals. Eventually we had him operated, as the problem continued. He's been fine since.

Good luck with the solving it!

[tricollie4me]

Thanks for the additional feedback

Called our vet today and will bring Levi in tomorrow for another u/a. It may sound odd, but I hope it's something medical as it seems that might be more readily treatable than a behavioral problem.

If he gets the all-clear from his u/a, we'll continue to clean the affected fabrics in the house, get a Feliway diffuser (we have the spray, but have heard the diffuser works much better) and consider amitriptyline.

We really want to do everything possible to have a happy household!

I'll follow-up as things progress...

BTW, Jen & Randi -- I talked to the vet about the crystal presence -- was advised that because our cat is so young (8 months), crystals are not likely causing him the urinary symptoms we are seeing; evidently, crystals take years to build into stones, which are the culprit of pain/spontaneous urination/etc. If you have different info or studies I can read indicating otherwise, please let me know!

[barncat]

I would call another vet for some general info. While crystals do take time, each cat is unique and the size of a tom's ureathra (spelling may be off) varies. Think of sand in your eye... Stanley, a friend's cat, developed problems at about a year and was eventually cured but still must be careful of his diet as his ureathra is very narrow.

Your vet may be 100% accurate, but I would still call for a second opinion.