Cat Peeing Problem

Hey, noticed in a few threads you guys seemed pretty helpful, so figured I might as well ask...

My cat is 10 years old, no health problems (just did a vet visit less than a month ago), male and not neutered. We have a litter box for him, a litter box for my roommate's cat and a neutral one in the living room.

His problem? Peeing on stuff. Now... I can deal with him peeing on stuff - just wash it, it's better. We've tried spraying him with water when he does it but he continues to do it. But less than 40 minutes ago he peed on me while I was asleep. He's never done this before and when I awoke he jumped off me. This is pretty much the last straw and I'm keeping the latest news from my roommates (who hate him as is). Honestly, at this age, I don't think fixing him will help much. Any input on this matter?

If he's peeing on you it might be an indication that he's sick. Even though you just saw a vet, I'd make a trip immediatly. If it's a UTI they can fatal and they quickly become so.

If it isn't medical and is behavioral, you have to realize that unneutered males spray to mark their territory, particularly when another cat is present. In essence, he's doing his job being a male cat. Neutering has many benefits besides cutting down on spraying and you should consider having him neutered as a possible first step to stopping urination.

As you mentioned, neutering him this late won't unlearn any behaviors. You'll need to do other steps as well such as cleaning your house thoroughly with an enzematic cleaner. Use a black light to find the places he's sprayed (it's got to be really dark in the room to work) and clean them all. His sense of smell is better than yours so you may need to go room by room and give it a good soaking.

Someone suggested in another thread I was reading that a cat may need to be retrained to a box. You do this by putting them in a dog kennel so they have room for a box, food, water and a bed. The idea is they won't pee on their food, etc and by necessity will use the box. I've not tried it personally and see that it might work unless it just stressed them out a lot.

Other things you can try are Feliway diffusers and Cat Attract litter but I stress they will not work on their own without neutering your cat.

My advice is pretty much the same as above.... Get him to the vet to make sure he doesn't have an UTI, get him neutered, and use cat attract litter and feliway diffuser. Because you are neutering him late, it will take a little while for things to get better.... Meanwhile make sure to wash and clean the spots with an enzymatic cleaner...
Good Luck!

Just FYI, a vet visit a month ago doesn't mean there's not a problem now, so it really is best to get him to the vet. Also let them know in advance what the problem is - you may have to leave him there for the day until he pees for them. It may not only be a UTI, it may be crystals in his urine. These are painful when a cat pees and causes them to avoid the litterbox because they associate it with the pain. The vet can collect the pee with a needle if he's got urine in his bladder, but that works ONLY if they're looking for crystals. Because of the little bit of blood that will turn up, there will be proteins in his urine, so no way to tell if he's developing a kidney problem. He's old enough you need to be careful.

He should be neutered, definitely, but as the others have pointed out, it will take time to change those behaviors.

As Carolinalima pointed out, using the additive "Cat Attract" to the litter you're currently using will really help. Also, I would get the Feliway spray. It is a synthetic hormone that mimics the "friendly" markers in cats' cheeks. Spray it all around the house/apartment at cat head height - only do NOT spray anywhere near the litter boxes. It doesn't always work, but it often does. Something that smells like "friendly" scent is not a place to pee.

However, as Jennifer pointed out - none of this will solve the problem until you COMPLETELY remove the smell of urine - and not from your perspective, from his. His nose is FAR more sensitive than yours. The black light is a MUST. Any place he's peed will show up as orange. Then an enzyme cleaner is another MUST. Because this has been going on for some time, if I were you, I'd probably order a couple of gallons of this stuff: http://www.nokout.com/odorelim/pets/

Any place he's gone MUST be totally and completely doused with the stuff. Soak up the excess after 10 minutes, then let it air dry. We just set a piece of aluminum foil over it while it dries - this also discourages kitty from using the same spot.

Any blankets, clothes, etc. that have been peed on must be washed with the enzyme cleaner as well. Add it like you would fabric softener to your laundry.

If he's peed on the sofa or mattress - you MUST soak the area down to wherever the pee may have reached. Instead of putting aluminum foil over a mattress area, cover it with a towel and make the bed like usual. Make sure you then wash that towel with the enzyme cleaner.

Sofas, beds, and chairs with cushions may take more than one application.

The Nok Out is the best product we've used. It leaves a clean scent and hasn't damaged anything we have.

Good luck,

Laurie