My cat is 4. the past 6 mos or so, he keeps urinating in FRONT of his box on a mat. Poops inside the box. why?

Question

He never urinates on the carpet, just on the plastic mat (same kind as used under office chairs). I keep cleaning it! Just bought all new stuff thinking it was his smell. But I'll have to get rid of him if he doesn't stop. I have had him for 4 years and he has never done this before. It runs off the mat, onto the carpet, and makes the house smell! Help me understand :(

That was frustration talking. I couldn't get rid of my Addy :( He was in fact blocked once. I paid $600 at emergency! Plus $150 monitoring at Humane Society. Not getting rid of him..he's an investment :)

Answer 1

My cat used to have the same problem. Is his litter box clean (or do you clean it regularly)? Some cats are so sensitive to the smell of their own feces / urine that they try to do it somewhere else. The reason why your cat still poops inside the box is that cats are creatures of habit that it is unnatural for them not to cover their poop.

Another thing you can do is remove the plastic mat (to break his habit) or scold your cat whenever he tries to approach that area. Be sure to rid the area he frequently relieves himself of any smell of urine. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

This is a typical symptom of a urinary tract infection or bladder crystals. Don't get rid of the poor thing, he needs a vet. He must have a urine analysis (you can collect urine by putting a sterile cup under his tail as he urinates) or the doctor can do it. he must get antibiotics and/or a change in diet (try special food for urinary problems). If he is neutered, chances are I am right. Also, be very careful, because this situation may cause blockage (inability to urinate) and then it is fatal unless taken to the vet within few hours. (If you see him straining or vomiting, it is urgent).

Answer 3

My male likes to have one litter box for the wet and one for the big stuff.
Some plastic, like the clear beads for Christmas tree decorations smell like they ARE cat pee. Maybe the mat makes him do it. I assume he's neutered, so that wouldn't be the cause.
Try a second litter box across the room, but keep em clean.
Carpet is replaceable, vinegar will take up the smell. apply to spot , blot, repeat. Cats are not giveaways, they are family.
So are dogs. Would you give away your parents someday if they started to have urinary control problems.???hmm

Answer 4

I have had cats all my life, and I have run into problems like this with some of them as they got older. All of a sudden they would start to urinate other places in the house (inside a closet, or on a throw rug, or worst, on the pillow on my bed!). I'm not sure why this happens, but I had to get rid of two cats because of this. Both times, I think it was because I had moved and changed their environment, and it seemed to upset them. I could not get them to stop, and their behaviour in general seemed to get noticeably more bizarre.

Answer 5

At that age he is probably showing signs of pre alzheimer disease. Short term memory loss. When this started with my Dad we put him in a home. Still can't get the urine smell out of the house.....especially where we kept his litter box.

Answer 6

Maybe you could try moving the matt and the box somwhere else and see if the whole shock of the move will make him do both in the box. Otherwise I don't know why he would do that "all of the sudden". Good luck!

Answer 7

He needs attention. I had a friend whose cat started going right next to the box shortly after he started working a lot more hours.

Answer 8

Your cat may be suffering from a bladder infection. Male cats tend to get them alot. Take you kitty to the vet, they may have to put him on some antibiotics for about 10 days or so.

Answer 9

Maybe his box is too small
my cat use to use it on the side of her box because it was to small
it should be big enough for two cats to fit at once
and he's old his aim isn't the same...lol

Answer 10

is it possible that he has a urinary tract infection? or is he lonely? has he had a recent major change in his life (i.e. moved, added a new pet, gotten a new roommate)? any of these things could be a factor. good luck.