We are at our wits end. Our 8 year old cat has started peeing and its 'not' in the cat box. Its not always in the same place or same room but has done it on my husbands leather chair a couple times & under it. Then 2 days ago he pooped right on the chair. We have to leave him locked in the laundry room when we are at work & at night when we are sleeping. I hate having to do that but we can't have him peeing & pooping like that. Nothing has changed in our house, no new food or litter. He has been the BEST cat we have ever had. He has an awesome personality & we enjoy him.
Any suggestions?
I did forget to mention that we have been to the vet muultiple times for urine tests & an xray that ruled out anything medical. I put a call into the vet today to call me about what else i can do. Meanwhile tomorrow we start pulling up the floor thats warped from the pee that was under the recliner.
My cat was doing the same thing a year or so ago. Turns out she had a raging bladder infection that was making her miserable. Try the vet first. If it isn't an infection or something medically wrong, they can also talk to you about behavioral meds.
Since your cat is peeing AND pooping out of the box, this sounds very behavioral and not medical. An eight year old cat is considered geriatric but I doubt that it a senile issue though there is small chance it could be. Confinement is the best answer here. The more chances he is allowed to go anywhere the harder it is to break. Confinement will keep you stuff clean and hopefully retrain him to the box again. I would keep him confined for a least a week after he is using the box every time he goes. And then I wouldn't offer the whole house but larger areas at a time if possible. If not keep the box where it is and then very slowly move the box where you want it to be. Maybe try two boxes as well. If he goes out of the box, back in confinement again. Some cats never stop this behavior and some cats do. Prozac can sometimes help while retraining them. And it is always wise to take a trip to the vet just to rule out anything medical.
Best Regards,
C.
First check with your veterinarian as medical problems often start such issues and if that is not resolved the problem will continue no matter what you do. It is very likely a medical cause if he makes it real obvious instead of hiding it such as going in a chair where you are sure to see it. A cat may also think of any pain when pooping or peeing as pain anytime it uses the litter box so it will go outside of the box for both until the cause of the pain is gone. Cats are also excellent at not letting on they have a medical problem at all so I would not dismiss the idea of a medical problem just based on his behavior. I know some people would rather save the cost of a vet visit but if you nip the problem in the bud that way or at least know you have no medical reason to be worried you can get o the right track. Some cats too do not like certain pieces of furniture because it absorbs odors that we may not even notice but they sure so. Mostly I have heard of that being the case with futons and bean bags but cats don't read books so it could be any piece of furniture that gets some cats going. I would also check www.ddfl.org for their free hands out on animal behavior. They are great sources of info on this matter. Hang in there, many of these problems can be fixed quickly
Has this cat been "fixed" ? Does this cat have any medical issues going on? Often behaivor changes like this warrant a trip to the vet's office.
I SO feel for you... my 13 yr old cat starting doing this awhile back. If I do not let her go outside she pees and poops on the kitchen counters! I am always bleaching the dang things now! OH and don't leave any grocery bags on the floor when she is in the house she will pee on them just cause!
Take him to the vet... may be a medical issue.
If it is behavioral - something that may not seem like a change or difference to you - may be to the cat.
When my cat did that, she went to heaven.
The last straw was when she peed in my husband's shoe and his suitcase...
We called the vet and in less than an hour after her last faux pas, it was bye bye, kitty...
I can put up with almost anything, but not that.
LBC
