I am new to this site. I want to start by saying I love my cats, all cats. I own 5 cats in two homes, one next door who lives with my mother . In my home I have 4 cats, all 10+years old. All fixed and they all grew up together. I have 1 cat named Mogley who is strictly in doors. He has never been outside. He was bottle fed by me and thinks I am his mom. He is very special to me. The other 3 cats are indoor/outdoor. Mogley got a UTI several years ago. He had a complete blockage and almost died. I watch him very carefully because of this and have had no problems with UTI's since changing his diet to include more liquids. Recently my daughter moved home with her 2 cats and Mogley started urinating on the kitchen counter top as well as a lower wall but also used the kitty box so it wasn't until we put up a night time camera that we discovered it was him. I then moved him into my bedroom which is a pretty nice sized room. My daughters 2 cats are not allowed in the room. I brought his food, water and kitty box. He has been doing ok off and on but seems to have some anxiety. I took him to the vet and had him all checked out and it was determined the urinating on the counter tops is likely behavioral. The vet decided to prescribe him xanax for anxiety to see if that would help him. The first night I gave it to him he could hardly walk, kept falling and then became more agitated. The dose the vet gave him is 0.5 which my understanding is similar to a beginning adult dose and I was scared to give it to him in the first place. I called the vet and was told to reduce the dose to .025. My cat is 15 lbs. I have been afraid to give it since he seems to be doing ok. He does want to roam and tries to escape the bedroom. He meows when I leave him alone in the room. This cat is very special to me but I cannot have a cat that urinates anywhere he pleases and I am afraid I am going to have to surrender him if it doesn't stop which will completely devastate me. I did realize the urination problem has been going on longer than just when my daughter brought her 2 cats home but it wasn't every day. We have now been trying to clean the spots he has been using which includes some sheet rock. Every time he gets out of my room he manages to urinate in this same area. Has anyone else experienced this problem? How can I help my cat? Is xanax appropriate to give him? Is there any way I can stop him from urinating anywhere else but his kitty box which I keep very clean, especially lately? Has anyone else experienced this problem and fixed it satisfactorily? Do you have any advise or guidance that can help me help my cat?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
10 year old cat urinating on kitchen counter top
- Thread starter terri1
- Start Date
Aw.... You do realize surrendering him will likely mean he'll be killed? Who wants to adopt a senior kitty with a litter box problem? He's yours, and you might not want to keep him because of it. So just bear that in mind.
As to how to solve his anxiety problem.
1) Feliway plug-ins. This is a synthetic hormone that mimics the friendly markers in cats' cheeks, and helps de-stress multicat homes. I'd put them in at least your bedroom and the living room, and whatever other rooms the cats spend the most time in. Do not plug them in near the litter boxes. They're typically less expensive on Amazon than in pet stores. (If you're in the US).
2) A calming collar may help him.
3) Bach's Rescue Remedy (for pets), 4-5 drops put in his food with each meal (if he eats wet food). If he doesn't, you might want to start feeding him a couple of meals a day so you can put the Bach's Rescue Remedy in it.
4) The scent of his pee in that spot continues to encourage him to go there. The only way to remove the scent of the urine is to DOUSE that area of sheet rock with a GOOD enzyme cleaner. It won't work if it doesn't wick to all the same places the cat pee has, so you may need to use quite a bit, and it may take several applications. Urine Off or Nok Out (Nok Out is only available online. It's not cheap, but it is EXCELLENT. If I were you, whatever you get, I'd get several gallons of it). Here's an article on cleaning cat pee: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-remove-cat-urine
5) I'd buy a black light (a real one, like from Home Depot, not a "pet" one from pet stores) and go through my home with it at night. This will help you identify any places he (or someone) has peed outside the box so you can get to treating it. :nod:
6) He's peeing on the counter. Do you have much vertical space for the cats? Especially in a multi-cat home, vertical space is something I'd consider absolutely essential. Cat trees, shelving on the walls for the cats, large sterlite storage boxes stacked in a pyramid and secured with tape, with holes cut so the cats can go back-and forth through them and up, and holes so they can look out, etc. - anything you can think of to give them vertical space devoted to them. Cats live in a 3D world, and express dominance via height (or some scared kitties feel safer when up).
7) Give him more time and attention. Do you feed them all at the same time? Do they eat timed meals, or do they just free feed dry? If you feed any wet meals, feed him first, and feed him higher than the other cats. This will make him feel more secure and help reassure him/build his confidence.
Because he's stressing in your room alone, can you schedule regular times to be in there with him? Playing? Cuddling? Can you put something up against a window, so he's got a comfy place at the window to hang out, and put up a suction-cup bird feeder on the window, so he's got "TV"?
All the other steps may remove the necessity of confining him. But it may be the best thing until you're sure all the cat pee is cleaned up.
Hope these ideas help.
As to how to solve his anxiety problem.
1) Feliway plug-ins. This is a synthetic hormone that mimics the friendly markers in cats' cheeks, and helps de-stress multicat homes. I'd put them in at least your bedroom and the living room, and whatever other rooms the cats spend the most time in. Do not plug them in near the litter boxes. They're typically less expensive on Amazon than in pet stores. (If you're in the US).
2) A calming collar may help him.
3) Bach's Rescue Remedy (for pets), 4-5 drops put in his food with each meal (if he eats wet food). If he doesn't, you might want to start feeding him a couple of meals a day so you can put the Bach's Rescue Remedy in it.
4) The scent of his pee in that spot continues to encourage him to go there. The only way to remove the scent of the urine is to DOUSE that area of sheet rock with a GOOD enzyme cleaner. It won't work if it doesn't wick to all the same places the cat pee has, so you may need to use quite a bit, and it may take several applications. Urine Off or Nok Out (Nok Out is only available online. It's not cheap, but it is EXCELLENT. If I were you, whatever you get, I'd get several gallons of it). Here's an article on cleaning cat pee: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-remove-cat-urine
5) I'd buy a black light (a real one, like from Home Depot, not a "pet" one from pet stores) and go through my home with it at night. This will help you identify any places he (or someone) has peed outside the box so you can get to treating it. :nod:
6) He's peeing on the counter. Do you have much vertical space for the cats? Especially in a multi-cat home, vertical space is something I'd consider absolutely essential. Cat trees, shelving on the walls for the cats, large sterlite storage boxes stacked in a pyramid and secured with tape, with holes cut so the cats can go back-and forth through them and up, and holes so they can look out, etc. - anything you can think of to give them vertical space devoted to them. Cats live in a 3D world, and express dominance via height (or some scared kitties feel safer when up).
7) Give him more time and attention. Do you feed them all at the same time? Do they eat timed meals, or do they just free feed dry? If you feed any wet meals, feed him first, and feed him higher than the other cats. This will make him feel more secure and help reassure him/build his confidence.
Because he's stressing in your room alone, can you schedule regular times to be in there with him? Playing? Cuddling? Can you put something up against a window, so he's got a comfy place at the window to hang out, and put up a suction-cup bird feeder on the window, so he's got "TV"?
All the other steps may remove the necessity of confining him. But it may be the best thing until you're sure all the cat pee is cleaned up.
Hope these ideas help.
Last edited:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
I still have my baby. He is now about 10, almost 11 years old. He is very special and I love him very much. He is like a child to me. He has been diagnosed with idiopathic cystitis and is prone to urinary blockages. He is on prescription food he now loves, Hills CD. I have to keep a good eye on him in case of urinary blockage but the good thing is that he doesn't go pee outside his kitty box anymore. I make sure he has plenty of fresh clean water at all times.
