Q: Neutered Male suddenly peeing on me & everwhere but the litter box!

Answered by jrkitten on 4/12/2005, 10:16 am

A: Neutered Male suddenly peeing on me & everwhere but the litter box!

> His litter brother is fine but ''Buddy'' is peeing on me, my
> bed, my recliner chair etc.
>
> Just had his flea shot the week before this began.
>
> Advice Needed Pronto!
>

Hello.

It is possible that Buddy has a urinary tract infection or possibly kidney and/or liver problems as well as diabetes, or some other underlying medical condition. I recommend that you take him to the veterinarian as soon as possible to rule out any medical reason for him doing this.

He may be inappropriately urinating because he is upset. His recent trip to the veterinarians office could have caused him some stress. Have there been any changes in the home lately? Moving to a new house or changes in the home like renovations, new people or new pets would be good examples. Even moving the litter box or litter type to fast can upset a cat.

It is also possible that he may be in pain and at times associates this pain with the litter box; also, he may be trying to get to the litter box and cannot make it in time. Has he displayed a change in appetite, difficulty or painful elimination, lethargy, abdominal distension, aggression or other unusual behaviours, changes in respiration? Then it would appear that he is in some kind of medical disstress.

How often do you change the litter? Cat litter should be cleaned every day with a scooper, as some cats insist on a clean pan, or they won't use it at all, and the entire contents should be replaced at least once or twice a week. Cleanliness and accessibility are important, and as a rule of thumb, 1 litter box per cat plus 1 extra.

Some cats require an additional litter box, as they sometimes like to urinate in one box and deficate in another. Also do not place all the litter boxes in one room and do not place them in areas of heavy traffic as this can stress them.

You may want to experiment with different litter types, such as the clay type (which has a lot of dust), Feline Pine which is all natural with no dust or odor, or even shredded paper. I personally recommend purchasing Cat Attract, which is a safe “scoopable” litter. It has a good texture, is extremely absorbent, and has a natural herbal scent that attracts cats. It would be a good idea to gradually add more and more of any new litter to the old litter type with every litter change to reduce stress.
http://www.preciouscat.com/WebPages/catattract.html
http://www.felinepine.com/felinepine.html


Clean the areas where he has urinated with a good enzymatic cleaner as this will completely remove all stains and odours, so that he cannot smell where he has gone before to return and do it again. One of the cleaners that I recommend is called Nature's Miracle, and it is available at major pet supply stores and online.

Feliway is a synthetic feline facial pheromone that I also recommend, to help calm stressed cats and can be used when there is an inappropriate elimination problem. If it's not a medical problem then this may be useful for him. It comes in spray form for smaller areas like where he has inappropriately urinated. It also comes in an electric diffuser for entire rooms that will help cats to adjust to new or changed environments or to re-adjust. Feliway is available through your veterinarian, major pet supply stores, and also online.
http://felineway.com