At wit's (wits'?) end with my cat

[Anonymous]

We have two cats, and a 7 month old baby. Since shortly after I became pregnant, our male cat (13 years old) has been urinating outside the litter box. When I was pregnant it happened sporadically, but is has been getting worse since the baby's birth and he does it all.the.time. now. Almost daily on average, I'd say. We can't leave ANYTHING on the floor without him peeing on it. A laundry basket full of clean folded clothes. The towel I kneel on when giving the baby a bath. The sheet my husband kicks off the bed during the night. A plastic freaking bag my husband had on the floor while he was taking out the trash. It is driving me insane. I am always, always cleaning up cat urine and trying to get the smell out so he doesn't use the same item again as a litter box. Today he peed on 1) the sheet my husband kicked off the bed while sleeping, 2) two pillows on the sofa in the basement, and 3) the actual sofa in the basement. All in the same day!!!! My husband actually caught him in the act peeling on the sofa.

To make matters worse, our other cat (female, 11 years old) seems to be sick. She twice defecated outside the litter box this week (not typical behavior). Once was IN the guest room bed (under the comforter, on the sheets). The sheets were totally not salvageable, the mattress pad could be washed and the comforter can be dry-cleaned, but I had to spray the pillow top mattress repeatedly with pet stain and odor remover to get the stench out. On Friday morning she left a bloody smear where she had been sitting, so obviously I called the bet at that point. Soonest they could get her in given that it wasn't an emergency is Mon afternoon.

I feel like I am drowning in cat piss and shit. I want to throttle the cat that is peeing on everything. I try try try to give him lots of attention and love, but obviously it's nowhere near what he got pre-baby. He was a very needy cat before, and I'm sure he's miserable now. I know he should probably be checked by the vet too, so I'll make that appt on Monday when I take the other one in.

Argh. Any advice on how to get the cat to stop peeing on everything would be appreciated. I didn't mention it, but yes, the two litter boxes are cleaned regularly (we use plastic liners and put a fresh one in each time).

[Anonymous]

Try Feliway?

http://www.amazon.com/Feliway-Plug-In-Diffuser-bottle-Milliliters/dp/B000WHUOEI/ref=pd_bxgy_petsupplies_text_y

My cats did this occasionally when they were disturbed (we took a trip) or we had visitors that they didn't know.

Put in a diffuser in almost every room and they were much better behaved during/afterwards.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Try one or two on each level and see if you notice any difference first. Some cats don't respond to the scent apparently.

You could try talking to the vet about feline anti-depressants as well.

More likely the cat is feeling neglected and acting territorial towards the baby. I hate to say it, but don't leave the baby alone with the cat until he changes behaviour.

[jsteele]

Male cats are prone to urinary tract inceptions, one symptom of which is peeing outside the litter box. They associate the litter box with pain and try other places. You might want to take him to the vet.

[Anonymous]

I agree with having the cat checked for a uti or early renal failure. However, from the scenario you describe my guess is stress, particularly if the cat us needy. He really doesn't have any other way to let you know he is feeling replaced and sad. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the feedback and suggestions, all. He did it again this morning, right in front of me on our bed while I was rocking the baby back to sleep. Another load of sheets and blankets to wash, another mattress to spray down. I am so, so frustrated, and am thinking about calling the vet hospital to try to have him seen today in case this is a medical and not behavioral issue. And thinking about putting him the bathroom with food, water and a towel in the meantime so that he doesn't pee on anything else. I really, really hope this is medical, because I can't imagine how I'll be able to continue with things like this.

Regarding leaving him alone with the baby, I'm honestly really not concerned by that. I appreciate where the concern comes from, but he is not now and has never been an aggressive animal in any way. Not even a hint of aggression. When we leave the door to our bedroom open when the baby is sleeping, he sometimes will sleep on our bed watching over the baby. He has never gotten in the bassinet/PnP with the baby, and won't even really approach the baby when the baby is awake. He sometimes sleeps on the baby's changing tables and in the stroller when it's in the house, and I've found him sleeping in the baby's crib in the nursery a few times (baby isn't in there yet, still in our room), but he has never peed on any of the baby's things. Not the playmat, not in the crib or stroller or on the changing table, not on the baby's blanket folded on his dresser, nothing. He just pees on my and my husband's things.

[Anonymous]

Just called the vet hospital, and they said it could be either behavioral (due to the baby) or medical. Recommended taking him to the regular vet this week, and also suggested trying the Feliway that a PP recommended. So I'll head to Petsmart today to get that (and will let the cat roam the house and probably pee on more stuff ). Thanks again to everyone.

[Anonymous]

My cat was pooping everywhere for a while.
I got Cat Attract, a special litter for this very issue.
I also got him a few extra litter boxes (4 total...we were desperate!!) and set them up next to each other...I made sure to keep them clean. This worked for us.

[Anonymous]

OP, if there's nothing medical, I suggest you call in a behaviorist. I have used Pamela Uncles three times over 12 years and she's a life saver. I used her twice for urination issues, several years apart. Then I brought her in again because the new cat I had adopted was aggressive toward my resident cat. Also google a little on inappropriate urination -- you will get some tips that you can try now, but if they don't work, call Pamela.

She's not cheap -- about $300-400, but totally worth it. I have followed her advice, and with some time, it has worked.

http://petbehaviorist.com/about-us/pamela-uncles/

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much, PPs! We saw the vet yesterday, and through we're still waiting on urinalysis results, the vet is 95% sure it's behavioral, not medical. Glad my cat isn't sick, but ugh!! Vet recommended something like the litter you mentioned, PP, and adding a litter box. But we're also going to put the cat on Prozac. Better living through chemistry, even for cats. . Seriously, I think it will be good for him. He's gotten increasingly needy over the years, and this may calm him some.

If that doesn't seem to solve the problem, I would definitely consider a behavioralist! I'm not willing to rehome our cat, but this situation cannot continue as is.

[Anonymous]

Any improvement OP?

[Anonymous]

Don't get Feliway from PetSmart. Amazon's cheaper.