Cat peeing on clothes on floor.

bex__

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Louie Bob is (according to his old home) 9 months. We had the issue previously at about 6 months where he would pee on the bathroom rug. We went to the vet because he also had diarrhea at that time, had peed on the rug at the front door, and seemed like it was hurting that that time. the vet said it was a possibility of crystals but he was not 100% sure as the cat acted perfectly fine when left over the weekend with him. We changed both of our boys diets to 90% wet.

We ended up removing the bathroom rug and had no issues. Now, sometimes, after a shower, we will leave our dirty clothes on the floor to finish up whatever, come back to the bathroom shortly (like, 10-15 minutes) to get them and they will smell of cat pee.

He has not been neutered yet, he was supposed to of been on the 1st and the appointment had to be changed. He is now scheduled for February 2 as that is the earliest the vet could get him in for it.

We adopted a 3rd cat right before Christmas and I was worried it would make him spray, but he has come around wonderfully to this little guy (who will also be neutered february 2).

We also got them a much larger litterbox the other day and I have not noticed anymore peeing but we also have been very careful about picking up our clothes the last few days, so it could be just a coincidence.

I know some of you are probably wondering how I know it is Louie - I have only ever seen him pee when he was back and forth with the vets, but Keebler has never ever pottied outside of the box, was neutered at 6 months, and is usually with us (he's a follower) when we go back to get the clothes...

My question is, does this seem hormone related or simply a bad litter habit? I have stressed and stressed over his hormones kicking in. I am scared to death he is going to start spraying and I know that is very hard to stop once it starts.

Also, what can I safely use to get the smell out of the clothes/possibly carpet? Thanks & I am sorry for the long post!
 

catsallaround

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Was the urine tested at vets? I would lean more toward hormones if hes been ok before then. I have a kitty who cant be neutered just yet and is about 6 1/2 months hes yet to do anything bad(THANKFULLY!!!) I have had kittens start up around 6 months and add stress into mix you may see it sooner. Can you try cat attract litter/additive?

I would call vet and just make sure if any cancellations you are priority cause of the age. Far as urine removing if its the male cat smell only thing I have found was peroxide or bleach. I used to bleach carpet that was beige and used it very dilute I really would say if he starts spraying keep him out of carpet rooms cause its so much easier to prevent then remove. If its not to bad smelling yet soaking in regular detergent and fabric softner in washer may help. Get it washed as fast as you notice it and dont dry till no hint of smell or you bake the dryer with urine smell
 

strange_wings

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Did the vet not do a urinalysis or even suggest it? If not, this needs to be done ASAP as crystals are very serious in boy cats (girls, too, just that boys block up easier). In fact, even if one was done then I'd have another one done tomorrow.

What food brands? Some foods, even wet foods, can help cause crystals in certain cats.


Never leave clothes or any fabric down. That's the simplest way to prevent them from getting peed on. I have one who will pee on anything fabric left down in certain areas out of stress. She's tested clean time and time again, the only thing I can narrow it down to is if one of the other cats in the house has upset her recently.
Many cats do stress pee and the only solution is to try to avoid the triggers, feliway diffusers, and keeping stuff put away.


Yes, he really does need to be neutered soon. Are there no other decent vets available for this in your area? Leaving him intact can cause problems in the household which can lead to stress amongst the cats and scent marking (both spraying and directly squatting on stuff to pee on it).

Nature's Miracle is available in stores and there are a couple of other cleaners that you can get online that work. Be careful what household cleaners you use because you have the potential of toxicity, chlorine bleach mixing with the ammonia in urine if a spot is soaked in urine and the fact that some cats will actually pee on things that smell like bleach.

(And if anyone tries to say that there's not enough ammonia in cat urine, that is complete BS! I made the mistake of not rinsing out one of my bottom urine catch boxes before spraying some bleach in one night when I was washing them out in a hurry. It couldn't have been but a tablespoon of urine left in the one corner of the box but UGH the fumes where terrible.)
 
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bex__

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I honestly really do not trust any other vets in our area - the only other one close by that I can get him to once refused to see a puppy we had adopted who had parvo when we adopted her several years ago (we did treatment with our current vet, and she lived, and I therefore refuse to see the other vet).

The vet never suggested testing his urine. We had been there once, he gave him medicine, and then we went back when he was not getting better and he stayed over the weekend and the vet said he acted perfect, used the litterbox, ate, etc.

We use Taste of the Wild as our dry brand (one scoop a day), and friskies either the turkey & giblets or the direct bladder health can food... We also avoid seafood.

He is not in pain or straining and doing tiny drips like he had been when he was sick, this is just all out peeing on the clothes.

How safe are feliway difusers? We have a 15 month old daughter and we try to avoid chemicals and things like that, of course. Louie Bob is also "her" kitty, she has claimed him since day 1 (dubbing him "bob bob" when we could not decide on a name
)

I don't know what would stress him either. This was going on before the new kitten and he is a very laid back cat, anyway. No one knew has been in the home, we moved immediately after adopting him, but that was over 4 months ago and he's well settled.

I am a firm believer in neutering ASAP. We had Keebler neutered right at 6 months. Our new little guy will be about 5 months. It has just seemed like we could not get worked in quickly enough with Louie. I am constantly bugging spouse about if he thinks Louie is going to spray. He has really beefed up in size lately and is becoming quite the hunk but he still seems like such a baby!
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Bex__

I honestly really do not trust any other vets in our area - the only other one close by that I can get him to once refused to see a puppy we had adopted who had parvo when we adopted her several years ago (we did treatment with our current vet, and she lived, and I therefore refuse to see the other vet).
Well, there could be a very good reason why that vet would not take on a parvo puppy. It's very easily spread and not all clinics are built with top of the line isolation/ICU sections that have different air ventilation from the rest of the building. Anything regarding heating, air, and ventilation can be very expensive to do - sometimes costing several thousands of dollars. (I heard someone getting the bad news that the building they had just bought would need between $20-25k worth of work one day. That sort of stuff just doesn't come cheap if you want it to actually work properly)
Lacking that specialized section and taking on a contagious animal that could possibly result in several other puppies or dogs dying would be a hard choice to make.

If you know of another vet that can at least perform decent neuters and spays, and do ask what they use as anesthesia on for cats, then give them a chance.
Or better yet, find a vet that knows to do a dang urinalysis on a cat showing signs of a UTI/crystals.
The latter needs a special diet that just off the self wet can't always fix.
 
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bex__

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He had the facilities, he simply felt that because she was so young it was a waste of his time & he didn't want to bother.

I am taking the little guy for a check up tomorrow so I think I am going to take Louie along and ask him to do one while we are there, if that's how that works? He seems fine otherwise, but I just want to be sure.

I really appreciate the help!
 

strange_wings

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They should be able to see another cat, do call and warn them ahead of time as that is always appreciated. A urinalysis can be done right there, provided that the cat needing to have it done has some urine in their bladder.
What time is the appointment for?

Another thing, rereading you said you changed their litter box. As in singular, only one box? Is there really three cats sharing one box in your home? You need 3 or 4 for that many cats. That alone can set off peeing elsewhere, it can also make some cats hold urine longer between pees and develop urinary problems from that.

That's odd that the other vet wouldn't accept taking on the puppy. Hard to say if he was just being negative or if there was another reason, though, as few people ever explain themselves.
I just know my vet, and many others around where I live, aren't equipped for parvo dogs even if they have bigger clinics. I've seen the back section of my vet's clinic, excluding the large animal area (horses, cattle, etc) so I know what's back there.
 
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bex__

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Oh, absolutely not! We have 4 boxes. I meant we changed the "main" box in the bathroom to a larger one where we were noticing the issues, This is also the box Louie & Keebs have always preferred. We had 3 boxes prior to the 3rd cat. It became 4 boxes once we moved the smaller one from the bathroom, put it in the other room, and "replaced" it with the larger one. I bet I would have a lot more problems than this if we only had 1 box, LOL!
 

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That's good! You'd be surprised what you'd read of people trying if you stick around here long enough. I have seen some try to force one litter box on two and even four cats.


Maybe an extra box wouldn't hurt if, though.
You know you have too many if the cats end up completely ignoring a box, but you don't know if you have too few until someone starts peeing where they shouldn't.
 
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bex__

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Is the feliway difuser 100% natural? I think I'm going to pick one up tomorrow after the vets and give that a go if it is. I just hate to use chemicals of any sort...


Thanks!
 

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Before you do anything, you need to rule out anything medical. A vet that says the cat "acted fine" and did not do a check for crystals is a huge red flag! That is just unprofessional to the inth degree!

I hope you can rule out health issues asap. My cat Beeba is a crystal kitty. He was inappropriatly peeing and sure enough, crystals.

Special food is then needed, nothing otc. Look at the food as medicine as that is what it is.

Good luck with Louie. Let us know when you can!
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Bex__

Is the feliway difuser 100% natural? I think I'm going to pick one up tomorrow after the vets and give that a go if it is. I just hate to use chemicals of any sort...
Technically, no. They use chemicals synthetically make a cat pheromone product. It is, however, safe. You have more to worry about the plug-in being in the outlet (always have working smoke detectors in the home).

Good luck at the vet. While I don't wish crystals or a UTI on your kitty, a definite answer to his peeing would be nice.
 

crazycatlady8

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This sounds exactly like my cat. I definitely think your cat needs a urinalysis to rule out bladder infections or crystals. My cat has had both of these issues several times and her peeing on the bath rug and clothes on the floor is what tipped us off to her issues.

Unfortunately though it can also just be behavioral and like someone mentioned, the Feliway may be able to help. My peeing cat has had bladder infections and crystals but even when she is completely healthy she still pees on bath rugs, clothes, purses, belts, paper or almost anything left on the floor. If a piece of wrapping paper falls on the floor in the basement she will pee on it. We've had her at many vets many times and they've basically said it is a behavioral issue and we just have to live with it. I know two other people who have this same problem and we just make sure to pick up things from the floor and get them checked regularly to make sure they don't have bladder infections or crystals. Certain diets also contribute to the crystals so you may want to research that.

One vet told me cats pee on the items of the people they really like in the house. Maybe your kitty just loves you!

I think the most important step is to take them to the vet and do blood work and a urinalysis. Peeing outside the box can also indicate diabetes or kidney issues. Bloodwork can indicate infection. Good luck!
 
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