Does our cat have a problem?

Question

My wide and I have two cats who seem very healthy and happy. They are constantly spoiled with love and affection. They eat good (or high) quality cat food and are very well taken care of. They are strictly indoor cats. If they are outside its only in the yard and under supervision.

One is an 8 year old male, and lately he has been urinating in places where he did not used to urinate, like in the foyer (near the front door) and even in our bedroom, and with no clear reason. This has only rarely been an issue in the past, but recently it seems to be happening a lot and we can't figure out why. A friend suggested it could be an infection of the urinary tract, or something like that. I thought maybe it was psychological, but there would seem to be no reason for that. There has been no real change in his life style or surroundings.

What could this be? We are taking him to the vet tomorrow, but I still thought I would see if anyone here had any ideas.

Answer 1

it could be the cat doesn't like the litter box for some reason.or the cat is marking its territory.but it is a good idea to take the cat to the vet just in case.

Answer 2

Is he only urinating on horizontal surfaces (such as the floor)? If so, then it is one of two things: a urinary tract infection or a litterbox aversion.

The first step is having the vet check a urine sample to rule out an infection. If they find bacteria or struvite crystals in the urine, that indicates an infection, and a course of antibiotics should do the trick.

If the vet checks the urine sample and it is normal, then it is probably a litterbox aversion. You should have at least two litterboxes in your house, use an unscented litter, scoop it daily, and possibly even put an extra litterbox in the center of a room that he likes to hang out in (just for now... eventually when the behavior stops you'll be able to move it out of the way). Even try switching brands of cat litter. Also watch to make sure that your other cat isn't chasing him away from the litterbox.

Now, if your cat is urinating on vertical surfaces as well (walls, furniture, etc.), that is territory marking behavior, which is psychological. There are a couple of things you can try for that--there is a product called "Feliway" that you can get which is a calming pheromone that can sometimes stop urine marking. If that does not work, your vet may recommend a prescription drug to stop the marking.

Answer 3

I know this sounds gross, but does his urine smell grosser than normal? Is there blood or is the urine dark? Those are all telltale signs of infection. Male cats are more seseptible to urinary tract infection. It's probably a good idea to have him checked out by your vet.

Another possible reason for this behavior may be that a new tom has started prowling your neighborhood and has marked near your house. Even though he does not go outside, your cat will be able to smell this. If you have seen a new cat out and about, chances are your cat is marking "his" territory, and telling the other kitty to vamoose.

Answer 4

Sometimes things outside can get a cat stirred up enough to start peeing inappropriately to mark territory. My neighbor across the street had a cat (he's since passed on of old age) who would pee in the lifing room whenever he saw a stray cat walking past on the driveway. For him it was a territory thing.

Sometimes there's noises we don't hear (or tune out) that bother cats a LOT. The street sweeper in our city freaks out all our cats, it's too high pitched and they can't tell which direction it's coming from. Slamming car doors bother two of our cats, I have no idea why.

Thing is, any noise, smell or sight could be triggering this in your cat, causing a shift in behavior. Without knowing what it is, it's going to be a guess as to how to stop it.

That's provided it's not a urinary infection that is.

Answer 5

Hon I think its' VERY likely that your cat has a urinary tract infection. Your vet can easily determine this with a urine sample.
UTI's are common in cats, and painful. The cat associates this pain with the litter box, and they will often "go" elsewhere, especially on a hard tile floor.
If your cat has not had serious litterbox issues in the past, I'd almost bet my life that it's a UTI. Your vet will give an oral antibiotic like Clavamox; but watch your kitty carefully, as sometimes one course of treatment isn't enough. Best of luck to you.

Answer 6

Please do take your cat to the vet ASAP!

This is exactly what happened with my indoor male cat a few years ago, and yes, it was a urinary tract problem. I waited a few days, thinking it would work itself out, and when I finally took him to the vet they told me that he would have died if I had waited just a few more hours. If there is no blood in his urine, and/or if he's still actually urinating, not just trying to, it may be okay to wait until morning, but this could be very serious!

Answer 7

Are you using the same litter in his cat box or have you change to a new kind? If you are using a new type of kitty litter go back to the litter you were using before.