Help before w get rid of cats.?

Question

My family and I have 2 cats one is about 15 and the other is around 13....they have recently been urinating on the carpet and other random places in the house..Any advice on how to resolve this problem? We love the cats but it is grounds for getting rid of them.

Answer 1

Spraying is not a litter box problem; it is an important part of nonverbal communication among cats to establish and define boundaries. Cats spray either to mark territory or to express
unhappiness about changes going on around them. Cats mark their territory in several different ways: by scratching, rubbing against an object, or spraying. Urine marking (spraying) is different from a housetraining problem. The cat backs up to an
object, points its tail straight up in the air, and sprays a nasty, smelly shot of urine. Both males and females spray, though most often a male cat is the offender. There are several
approaches to solving this problem, and you may have to try them all. If your cats are not spayed or neutered, get it done immediately. Sexual excitement often triggers marking behavior. A passing cat outside is enough to start it. Altering by six months of age prevents the habit from developing. An unneutered male or a female in heat can be especially obnoxious howling, trying to get outdoors, and spraying the door because of frustration. Spayed or neutered cats can still spray, although they typically do not. Changes of any kind in your cat's environment can also trigger a bout of spraying, as he expresses his frustration, confusion, and stress. Some situations that can cause a cat to begin spraying:

Moving to a new home
Getting a new cat or dog
A new baby or family member
New furniture or rearranging
Moving the litter box
Dirty litter box
Changing brands of litter

Punishment only will upset him more, so there is not much you can do unless you can stop him in the act. If you see your cat lining up to spray, a squirt from a water pistol from across
the room will interrupt him. Don't say a word. If you're lucky, he won't associate the correction with you, and it will prevent future spraying in that spot. You can then distract him with some
attention or playtime.

things i would recommend you to get would be
Odor remover
Pet repellent spray
Carpet shampoo
Cleaning Dry Powders
Cleaning Mineral Rock Products
Cleaning Enzymal Products
Cleaning Enzyme/Bacteria Kits

all of these things can be purchased at your nearest petco store.. i had the same problem with my dog, i got it fixed and he stopped claiming his territory, i also got help from people that worked at petco and now its a lot better and we didnt have to get rid of it.

To discourage repeat spraying, apply a pet repellent and cover the spot with aluminum foil. Cats are very annoyed by the sound of urine hitting foil and usually will leave it alone. Sometimes confining your pet to a private room for a few days will break the cycle of spraying and give him a chance to get over what is bothering him. Medical intervention is often needed to cure spraying. Your veterinarian may prescribe hormones or a mild tranquilizer. There are products available that may help relieve stress and sometimes helps to cure furniture scratching too. Spray the spot, not the cat. Consider a consultation with a behavior specialist in your home. An expert can assess your situation unemotionally and may suggest some practical solutions you have not thought of. Contact your vet, local veterinary specialty hospital for a referral.

Answer 2

If this is sudden behavior for them, something is wrong.
Do you notice any urine in the litter box at all? If not, they both could have a urinary infection, and if they are large male cats, they could be blocked. This is very painful to cats, it's like having to urinate but it's too painful. They associate the pain with the litter box because to a cat that's where it started being painful, therefore, they won't use the litter box.
Keep the box clean, in fact you should have at least two or three boxes scattered around the house. Has anything changed in their lives? new house, new carpet, new pet, new baby, new boyfriend?
Before getting "rid" of them have them examined by a vet to rule out any health problems. If you really love them, try to solve the problem first before getting "rid" of them. Don't give them to someone else to make your problem their problem. They may just decide to dump the cats somewhere to fend for themselves. Most shelters will not keep cats that don't use the litter box. Besides, placing these older cats in a new home would certainly only add to their problem. Can you imagine being left by your parents in a home you didn't know? How terrifying for the cats. Dumping them on the road is not only cruel, it's criminal. How will they find food? a safe place to sleep? fresh water? vulnerable to traffic and crazies that hurt animals.
If you decide not keep them, just humanely have them euthanized.

Answer 3

from their ages I'd guess they need a trip to the vet within the next day. It could be anything from age related senility (see-nil-a-tea) to a bladder infection/urine crystals. A sign of it being a medical issue is if they tend to use cool smooth surfaces alot like bathtubs and such.
Think if there's been any changes like new litter, new pets or people in or around their home. A tension between the humans in the house can trigger problems also.
Litter boxes need to be kept absolutely clean!
I've had some luck with 'retraining'. They got shut in a tiled floor bathroom with a perfectly clean box, their food and water bowls, and a small bed to sleep on. After at least 5 days I slowly increased the times they were allowed out in the rest of the house. Any 'oops' they had meant back to the bathroom for another few days. Keep the litter box meticulously clean for them while they are confined.
Where ever they've urinated outside the box needs to be cleaned well enough to remeove the scent. I've tried water and vinegar poured over the carpet spots and some commercial stuff from the pet shop. I'm guessing one started this behavior and the other is just following the leader.

Answer 4

This happened to me. My kitty was 13 and he started urinating all over the house and not going in his litter box. The vet said it's a behavioural problem and because of that is very hard to stop. We tried a bunch of medications to help this but none of them worked...and they were expensive so I don't recommend it. He had a tumour in his side that the vet said could have made his mind go a little luney. As much as we loved him we put him down because his personality just wasn't the same. Hopefully you can find a solution other than that, but since the cats are that age, giving them away might stress them out even more and it's not really fair to them. Good luck.

Answer 5

Have you changed anything around the house lately? Changed your habits? Cats are very sensitve and don't like change. They will react by peeing on carpets, bed spreads etc. On the other side, it might be old age. A trip to the vet might be called for. Sometimes a change in diet can help promote urinary health and stop the peeing.

Answer 6

If it is spraying/marking rather than incontinence the maybe you should try Feliway? It is an artificial pheromone and it can work like a charm. 8 years ago we made the mistake of adding another cat to our household and the other cats got, well, pissed off. We tried everything and it was horrible. What finally worked was the Feliway. That and putting little feeding stations everywhere they had soiled or was in danger of getting peed on. Cats generally won't pee near their food.

I wanted to add that neither of your cats are extremely old so I wouldn't write them off just yet though a trip to the vet is definitely in order.

Answer 7

is this a new home? Are they both males? It sounds like they are spraying, or urinating because maybe the cat box is not clean enough for them. With 2 cats you must clean it almost daily. Cats get very picky as they get older its worse. Before they go, they might need to go outside.
Just a few suggestions?

Answer 8

im not trying to be rude but i think your cats are old and i think that need to be put to sleep i think it is best for them they sound like they are getting old and they might be in pain thats why they urinating all over the place thats all i can say sorry there isnt anything else i can say

Answer 9

The cats might have bladder problems. You should take them to the vet

Answer 10

I had that problem with my older cat, you should take them to the vet to rule out physical causes for the problem.