hard decision  

Is this something new? I can't imagine you've been putting up with this for 14years. I know you said they're in perfect health, but seriously you have no way of knowing if that's true unless you get them checked by a vet, the sooner the better.
Please don't let your Mom, or you for that matter, make a final decision without exploring all the possibilities.
Good luck, sweetie.

I just don't think cats who had not been doing this would start it with no reason. Has another animal been added to the household? If not, then something else has traumatized them or they have some health issues. I hope you can get some solution other than putting them to sleep. I could put them outside better than I could put them to sleep after they had been my pets for so long.

Hydrox, the Old Coot, was a sprayer and pee-er from the time he was a kitten. And, believe me, we tried everything: different litters, immaculate litter boxes, two litter boxes, etc. He would poop in the litter box, but he peed everywhere (including in my large planters!). He sprayed everywhere, except on the furniture (although there was that time that I had freshly washed jeans on the kitchen table and he peed on them.....that peed me off! No pun intended). We often thought about putting him down, but we didn't have the heart. Darn it, he was a great cat, other than that peeing thing, and we adored that boy. We just decided no new carpet, no new anything, until he passed away. And I cleaned and cleaned and then cleaned some more. He died of cancer at 20 years of age.

We had the other cats during the last 5 or 6 years of his life and he continued to pee and spray pretty much to the end. We are so thankful that the other cats never got into that habit!

I would euthanize two 14 year old cats who had spent their lives together rather than "rehome", force them to live outside, or risk them being separated.

There ARE very special people out there who will take on cats with these kinds of problems, and keep the cats together. Not many, but some. I'll pray you find someone like that, but please don't dump the cats at a shelter or allow them to be separated or give them away to strangers. How terrible for them.

They would be better off going to sleep in their person's arms, than the alternatives. In my opinion. I've seen the way cats grieve after losing a life long feline companion. Imagine them losing not only their homes, but each other. It's unthinkable.

Great post. I agree.

My heart goes out to you. Esp with a baby, there will continue to be changes in your cats' lives. I understand where you're coming from; believe me, we were there and it was so frustrating. Honestly, I don't think there was a time for about 10 years or so that we didn't think about putting Hydrox to sleep. In the end, though, we just couldn't. (We had no small children and as I said before, he really didn't pee on the furniture, beds, or anything like that.)

What would bother me, even if you could rehome them, is that how would the new people act? Even if you could find somebody. Would they end up putting them in a shelter in time anyway? Sooner or later, it wears on people. It just does. The constant cleaning....omg, it's frustrating. I used to just sit and cry because, no matter what we did, no matter how many vet visits, it flat-out didn't matter. He would pee. Everywhere.

I still agree with Otto's post.....sometimes it is better to put a cat to sleep than it is to put them in a shelter. Or to separate them; they're way too old to have to go through that. I simply cannot imagine either of those two options. That's my opinion.

And I really do know where you're coming from.

M, I will stand by what I said earlier.....it would be best for them to go together and be PTS.
Your sons health is at jeopardy over this.The ammonia smell alone, causes respiratory issues in kids.
Have you ever been in a store and smelled someone who smelled sooooo strongly of cat pee?I have,and it is nasty! What if your clothes are next? What if they mess on the babys car seat,and you put him in it--not realizing it's there?
I KNOW you love these cats!! I know that you DID NOT enter into this "thought process" without ALOT of thought!
Back your Mom up on this,and let her do it.If they were to get rehomed,even the MOST cat lover that there is--would eventually get sick and tired of the constant cleaning....and then what?They would be PTS.
Let them go together,by those that loved them enough to let them go.This may be there way of saying "it's time".
I love ya M!! I am and will ALWAYS be here for you!!!

Is there some way they can live in an enclosure outdoors?

Letting them live outdoors may or may not be a death sentence, but my guess is that the cats would rather be alive than dead and they wouldn't even get that chance if you took them to be lethally injected. I also think they would be happier living in a single room than not living at all.

She lives in an apartment, so that is not an option for her.

I'm glad the original poster added more info. 14 years is a long time to put up with something like this. I know, because we did it, too--for over 20 years. When we had multiple males, even tho' they were all neutered, it was (quite literally) a contest to see which one could mark the most items in the house. I don't think a day went by that I wasn't cleaning up a puddle somewhere, from the kitchen table to the bathtub to the bed pillows and everywhere in between. My dear Clancey actually walked up behind me one night while I was sitting on the edge of the sofa and peed on my back. I can't begin to tell how many times DH heard me exclaim, "We can't have anything nice around here because of the cats!"

So what did we do? (ok, what did I do?) I cleaned, and cleaned, and put things that didn't need to be peed on away or on high shelves. And, eventually, we lost all the boys that were causing the problems. And I cleaned some more. We didn't have our DD for most of this time frame, thankfully, but she did have to learn to put her things away if she didn't want them peed on. The fact that you have a baby makes this situation a lot harder, obviously.

I honestly don't know what to tell you. We put up with it; maybe we shouldn't have, but we really didn't see any other options. I know how hard this has to be for you. All I can say is weigh all the pros and cons, check every possibility then check it again, and in the end make the choice you can live with, whatever that choice might be. I don't envy you this decision at all.

Very tough decision and no clear cut solution. I would say if they were less then 10 yrs old, an outside enclosure that was fixed up to protect them would be the best solution. But at their age, it would be more cruel to put them outside.

Like others said - no guarantee someone would adopt both of them and certainly would be even more difficult to find new people that would tolerate all that spraying.

I really think at their age (you've given them a lot of love and tried your best), to gently let them go to sleep together.

I agree. They were brought into the World together,they should go out together also.
M, if you can find a shelter--that's good.But if you can't, do what YOUR heart tells you!!
I love my animals as much as the next person.....but can honestly say......I WOULD NOT put up with my child's health being in question.

M, glad I could ease it some hon!! Know that I am there with you BOTH in thought.

It sounds as if you've tried almost everything, but have you asked your vet about the possibility of medication?

I have not dealt with this exact situation, but I've read about treating behavioral elimination problems with anti-anxiety meds.

Have you tried that Feliway diffuser? I have not had to use it but from what others say here, it works great.

Did you actually TRY medication? Sometimes you really have to insist or the vet won't take you seriously. I wouldn't be able to have the cats put down in good conscience without trying meds first. If that fails, after a decent trial period, then yes, I do agree that it's best for them to be pts by your vet, with you holding them while they pass.

if memory serves me right, she asked about meds...and was told it would NOT help.
And to be honest, we are not all the same.If my cat were 14 years old,and still spraying after I had tried all I could---they would go to the Bridge.
She has spent THOUSANDS of dollars on cleaners.She has a child now.What if her child should get sprayed on?How safe and sanitary can that be?
She has LITTERALLY exhausted ALL means on these cats.And does not WANT to give up.But, how much can they handle with their home being destroyed from urine?

awww hun i do not envy your decision, but like others have said, with you exhausting everything possible maybe going to the bridge together is the best option all round

Oh Michele How heartbreaking.

I have no advice for you because I have no experience with this yet. I can't imagine the frustration/guilt you are going through.

I hope you get the answer you need to help you make a good decision

I'll be thinking of you and your mom, and them, next Thursday. I think she has made the right choice in this heartbreaking circumstance. I would do the same.

hugs to you and your mom

I'll keep your furkids in my thoughts for a peaceful passing to the Bridge. (((hugs))) Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.