cat peeing everywhere- HELP

I have a co worker who have 2 cats for about one or two years now and for about a year, one of their cats have been peeing/pooping on and off on carpet, clothes, etc.

They have taken that cat to the vet, had him tested twice for infections (once was kidney infection, second time found out his bladder was swollen), and given medicine to help. Later on, the vet said itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s because heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s depressed and not due to health issues.

Unfortunately, it has been one year now and the cat is still peeing/pooping. They've kept him in their unfinished basement with a litter box, a cat condo and he is still peeing. They've sprayed pheromones all over often which is supposed to relax him and stop him from peeing.. He improved for a while then went back to peeing/pooping.

One owner has called their vet about this recently and was told by a vet assistant that there are several options-

• take him to a cat psychologist which is very costly
• Take him to a shelter
• Put him to sleep
• That vet assistant bluntly told him that the best option is to put that cat to sleep.

I am really disappointed in that vet assistant.. I am honestly worried about that cat. These owners are fed up with him (they do really love him but at this point, they just feel like theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve tried everything and itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not working and they are at end of their ropes). They are seriously CONSIDERING PUTTING HIM TO SLEEP!

HELP.. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I would take that cat in myself but I just do not have room and resources- I already have SIX cats.

How do they clean after him? Maybe the cleanser is the wrong one?
Has the cat been x rayed? Have they tried another vet for a second opinion?
Maybe it's the wrong food for him.

That vet assistant is a MORON! Who in their right mind who cares a least bit about animals would suggest to anyone to take a cat to a shelter because of litter box problems. The outcome of that is either he will sit in a little cage for years or he'll be put down. I can think of few things less cruel to do to your cat. Could you give me the number to that vet assistant? I would love to have a few words with her.

Have your friends tried different litter box options? They could try putting several litter boxes in the basement all with different things in them and see if he uses any of them. Try different kinds of litter (some cats hate scented litter so don't get that) as well as some non-traditional stuff. Some cats prefer to go in regular dirt so have them go outside and dig up some dirt or use potting soil. Try putting puppy pads in one box. A girl I know has a can that refuses to use any kind of litter and will only go on fabric items so she now puts old towels in her litterbox and that is working. That requires some work and a lot of laundry but it beats killing your cat.
If there are certain places where the cat goes have them put a puppy pad or a litter box there. Eliminating the smell where he has gone previously is also important. Even if we can't smell it the cat may still be able to. We use Nature's Miracle around here and it works great.

To get some tips from pros they can either call or email the two behaviorists that work at the Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago (they don't have to live in Chicago to use their services). It's free and they are good at what they do. You can find the info here: http://www.anticruelty.org/site/epage/36623_576.htm

I hope they can find a way to help their cats. There are other options than euthanasia.

the fact that the cat had previous urinary issues. How long has it been since the last vet visit?

And I would go to a new vet for a different opinion. Are these people willing to spend a bit more to save their kitty?

Ruling out any medical prob, try Cat Attract Litter. I have heard it works wonders.

IMO a vet tech has no business giving that kind of advice.

Quick update-

My friend told me last Thurs that she put an "alert" on her cat's file so her fiance couldn't do anything with their cat without her permission so that means we won't have to worry about him putting Spy to sleep.

Unfortunately, Friday night, when they arrived home, Spy peed on M's coat right in front of them so they took him to thier vet on Saturday to have a full check up and it was discovered that he has a tumor on his kidneys. It'd require chemo and some other treatments which are very costly from what I was told.

They do not have a lot of money right now (they're getting married in May) and already have spent quite some money on Spy already so after some long discussion between B (my friend) and M (her fiance), it was decided to have Spy put to sleep.

B was soo upset all weekend- couldn't function. M had to go to the vet alone to have Spy put to sleep. B seems better now and she said Apple, their other cat, seems to be doing okay as of now.

I just found out this morning about all of this so I just wanted to let you guys know. I told B repeatedly in the past that it was very possible that Spy had a health issue and that's why he'd pee in front of her- to tell her something was wrong. *sigh*

Thank you for all your advice..

I'm so sorry Pamela, this is such sad news. But this really is an important thread for so many reasons, one of the primary ones being how important it is to get a 2nd opinion! And the other is that there are SO MANY health reasons that can cause inappropriate elimination problems: just because a UTI is ruled out doesn't mean there isn't a health problem.

for Spy and your friend.

I am sorry for this cat and I too agree this is an important thread for everyone to read. The cat was trying to tell them he was sick. Just because there is no UTI doesn't mean the innappropriate urinary issues are then behavioral. I am glad they did find out in the end what was causing this cat's problem. Sorry about the loss. We can all learn something here.