Cat Behavioral Prob Urination?!? She is 1 of 4 Cats in the house, and she has started peeing randomly, help!?

Question

Cat is 8 years old, in good health with no known allergies, or issues... She has in the past marked or squated only when she had issues like cystits or something. Lately, (like 6 times in 3 days) she is full on peeing in random locations. This is over a 3 day period, but the problem is cronic, at least 3 times a week. I can't take it anymore. Suggestions would be appreciated, as I don't want to take drastic measures up to and including making her absent. Haven't tried anti-depressants yet, but I think that's the next step. Yes there are 4 cats in the house, and multiple litter boxes, changed regularly. Anyone have any history with the drug side of the "fixing it"?

Answer 1

Are you sure she isn't sick again? She may have a bladder infection.
Some cats don't tollerate, or quit tollerating, a multicat house. You may need to find her a new home.

Answer 2

Sounds like she just might have a kidney problem. As old as she is it is possible. When is the last time you took her to the vet? If it's been awhile you might want to take her for a checkup. Anytime a cats behavior changes fast like that it usually means some kind of problem. Since you have other cats, have you tried showing her special attention? Maybe she's needing a little extra or maybe you could try giving her a "private" litter box. Good luck! I love Cats and I hope you're able to hang in there and be patient with her.

Answer 3

The other answers seem pretty correct. The 2 most likely causes are territorial behavior or a bladder infection.
With 4 cats in the house, she could definitely be engaging in territorial urination. Trying her own separate litter box may help, but doesn't get to the root of her problem---that she doesn't feel she has enough territory and wants to mark everything as hers.
Also, a trip to the vet to check for a bladder infection should be the 1st thing you do.

Answer 4

Problems like this are the most common reason put their pets down, but don't worry!! It's fixable, so kitty won't go absent unless she needs to stay with the vet for observation.

I have 5 indoor cats, and we also have multiple litter boxes that are changed every day and one of my cats had a similar problem. Once I got a urine sample, I found our he had some crystals in his urine. He had to take some pills (I'm sorry, but I don't recall the name of them) and now he's all better.

When cats do this sort of thing and it's not normal for them, they're trying to get your attention. They can't say "I'm hurting" so they start urinating on stuff to tell you something's wrong with them.

You should have your vet look at her and see if she's having problems again or if it's going to need something else (anti-depressants, special food). Good luck with your kitty!

Answer 5

I have three cats and one of them pees when she's upset with me. We just a new puppy and she has started peeing on my bathroom floor. If it were up to her she would be the only cat in the household. Cat Attract cat litter helped re-train her to use the litter box also. Taking the top off the litter box too. I read that some cats don't like lids on their litter boxes. Good luck.

Answer 6

DONT DRUG UR CAT YOU PHSYCO!!! both my cats went throu this just block off the carpeted rooms- youve got to have some tile in your house dont you? but if the tiled room is too small dont leave her there all day. she may have to be a mostly outdoor cat. dont forget its way hot out there- well i dont know where you live- you may live in alaska. but ne way most places are burning hot so just leave her plently of water and shade and i hope you get thru it. you may want to have her fixed if shes not already

Answer 7

Keep the box away from food/water. Cats are motivated to eat/drink and use the potty by scent. They usually won't go potty in a place that smells like their food/water.
Keep the box in a quiet open area; don't enclose your cat (igloo-type boxes aren't ideal).

Isolate your cat in the bathroom with food, water, blanket and litter box. Check on him twice a day for routine box cleaning. Leave him there for several days, until the behavior is corrected.

Take your cat to the vet to rule out a medical problem. Talk to the vet about the need for Clomicalm: kitty prozac. This may be a major step, but if the cat is overly anxious, it works and will allow them to return to previous behavior. Start on 1/4 tab and increase to 1/2 tab depending on size.

Is the cat using the litter box for either peeing/pooping, but not both? Do you have only one box? If so, try providing a second litter box. Some cats are very picky and won't pee and poop in the same box.

Consider if you have recently changed the brand or type of cat litter that you use. Cats can be very sensitive to scent and may refuse to use a new type of litter if they do not like the scent.
Do you have more than one cat? If so, do you have enough potty boxes for all the divas? There should be one potty box per cat plus one. And they should be scooped at least once a day. Again, cats are very sensitive to scent.

If you have more than one cat, is the cat in question intimidated or chased by one of your other cats? If so, the scared cat might feel too vulnerable to use the litter boxes where they currently are located. If this is the case, additional pee spots may be cleverly hidden behind or underneath furniture, on top of kitchen cabinets, under the bed, in a closet, in your shoes, etc.

Is your cat not peeing at all for more than one day, or not pooping at all for more than two or three days? If so, take your cat to the vet immediately. The cat could have a blockage of either the intestinal tract or the urinary tract. This is very painful (cat might be hiding and/or crying) and is potentially deadly if not treated quickly.

Is your cat peeing right next to the litter box? Try cleaning the box more frequently and see if that helps. Also, if your cat is especially large, she might get in the litter box but overshoot the end of it. Try watching him/her pee to see if this is the case, or place newspaper or peepee pads in the spot where the cat pees next to the litter box to see if this helps. Perhaps a longer litter box might help.

Is your cat peeing, just somewhere other than the litter box? If your cat backs up against a vertical surface, like a wall or a piece of furniture, wiggles his tail and releases a spray of urine, and sometimes shifts its weight from one rear paw to the other and vocalizes, your cat is spraying. The telltale sign of spraying (if you don't see him/her do it) is a roundish area of urine a little higher up than the height of your cat's rear end, with streak marks running down to the baseboard or floor. This is territorial behavior, and is more common in male cats, especially if they are not neutered. This behavior might have been prompted by the presence of another cat outside or in a neighboring apartment (especially if it is not neutered or spayed). If this is the case, the cat might focus their spraying around the front or back door or a window, or near an air vent that is shared with the other cat's apartment. Territory or being the cat in charge can be an issue for your cat also if a new cat has recently been added to your household. Ask your vet for advice in handling this behavioral problem. Neutering/spaying would probably help.
If your cat pees away from the litter box, but squats and does not seem to be spraying -- especially if there is blood in the urine -- this is a medical problem requiring a trip to the vet.

If your cat pees outside of the litter box, especially against a vertical surface, but does not seem to be spraying, perhaps your cat is having an orthopedic or neurological problem that makes it difficult for him/her to squat. Does your cat limp, need help jumping up to a chair or bed, have episodes of shaking legs, or seem painful around its spine or tail? If so, take the cat to the vet.

Has your cat recently been declawed? Sometimes after a cat is declawed it develops litter box problems. Cats depend upon the sensations in their toes and pads for information about their environment, including their litter boxes. Cats may feel pain or disturbing/phantom sensations in their toes for a while after declawing, which makes it painful or unpleasant to stand or dig in cat litter. Using strips of newspaper instead of litter for a while can help. Some cats will not tolerate the smell of newsprint; in this situation, experiment with other types of shredded paper or cat litter from sources other than clay. Perhaps a peepee pad would work instead of litter.

If your vet determines the peeing problem is behavioral and not medical, and if there are one or two main accident spots, try cleaning the pee spots; then place a litter box on each main spot and move the boxes a couple of inches or so each day toward the location of the litter box where you want the cat to pee.
If your cat is a senior citizen and your vet determines there is no medical cause for the extracurricular peeing, your elderly cat might just be leaky. If the accident spots are in locations where you could tolerate it, try using peepee pads to protect the floor and try to think of yourself as blessed for having had such a good feline friend for so long.

Answer 8

your cat needs to go to the vet for a check up and some attention.

Answer 9

sounds more like urinary track problem or premonition to internal problems related to spleen or kidneys.see vet.