Help! Thought cats wouldn't pee/poop right near their food dish?????

My 4 yr old female (spayed) is a stray I adopted 2.5 years ago.   Early on when I got her I noticed that she'd peed on the long shaggy chenille bath mat in my ensuite.  I attributed it to her thinking the long shag was like something she could dig into.   Did take her to Vet though, no UTI.    Washed that mat in bleach, she never did it again.

Over time I've learned the hard way that she's one of those cats who will find a pile of folded laundry and "dig into it" and pee.     But ONLY folded clothes on my main level, she's NEVER done this upstairs in my bedroom where I often have baskets of folded clothing, even sometimes piles of folded clothes left sitting on my bed that I'm needing to put away.

Okay so I learned that I couldn't leave my folded clothes in laundry baskets on living room floor.   Bet then she'd pee on even just a RAG on the floor.   Then a couple of months ago I was working on a craft project and had a bunch of fake flowers on the floor and then I hear her making that "digging/burying noise" and I'll be danged, she'd "dug" into the pile of fake flowers and peed.

Then she started on my very expensive large shag area rug in my living room.   I think the reason this started (even though I've had it the entire time she's been with me, 4 yrs) is that on one occasion when she'd peed on a pile of folded laundry it must have gone through and onto the area rug, unbeknownst to me then it all went to heck in a handbasket.    I suspect she'd peed in this same spot maybe a few times that I wasn't even aware of (it's a mixed color taupe and grey shag rug so can't tell when wet) until I saw her do it once.   Immediately got out the Nature's Miracle and completel saturated the area....had always heard such great things about it.   

Then one day I saw her pee in a cat bed that she had often curled up in!

Then last week I caught her peeing on another large cat bed that always sits on the floor in front of my fireplace!

Then, my other cat (2 yrs old) started peeing on cat pillows and the shag rug.  OMG!  I suspect younger cat was doing it either ?to mark territory or could it just be because she smelled Cat #1's urine scent there and figured it was a good place to pee too?

5 days ago I decided, sadly, to get rid of my large area rug, to the garbage dump it had to go.   I then locked up cats, sprayed down the living room hardwood floors with a diluted solution of vinegar and water, let it sit 20 minutes........................rinsed/wiped off................then sprayed wood floors with Nature's Miracle and let sit x 20 minutes........then mopped w/ Bona.    I've been watching these 2 like hawks but nobody's peed on the hardwood floors but I suspect most cats wouldn't just pee on a hard flat surface if there wasn't something  to "dig into" first?

Well last night Cat #1 peed on the towel I use to wrap around my very senior kitty with kidney disease who I syringe feed once a day just to get all of her daily supplements into her with.   I generally feed Old Cat on floor then quickly whisk her across the room to where I sit to give her daily subQ fluids.  Well Cat #1, I found out later that night, had peed on that towel (I had put it away in about 2 minutes after Old Cat's fluid session but apparently not fast enough).

Then this  morning............she peed on the folded up towel I use to sit under the big plate I feed my cats on (it raises up the dish so less bending of the neck for my old girl).......she's never done this!!  This folded up towel sits on a small mat that sits on hardwood floor.   I washed towel and small mat (though mat didn't seem to have any pee on it at all but thought I'd wash just to be safe......)

Final straw tonight............the mat had long since dried in the dryer and I took it out and put it onto the floor where the food dish is..(or sits on)......walked across the house to do something, back in 20 seconds and I see Cat #1 making that "digging/burying" motion with the mat....and her FOOD DISH WITH SOME CANNED FOOD ON IT was sitting on the mat.  I was shocked!  I thought that cats don't go to the bathroom where they eat.   Where she peed on the mat was like 2 inches away from food dish.   Back in the wash the mat goes........put some nature's miracle in wash and letting it all soak..........

I'm going to get her into the Vet tomorrow for another urinalysis but I find it hard to believe this is a UTI if she only ever does this on my main level, never upstairs on mats or clothes.

I did change cat litter about 2-3 months ago......from the regular scented clumping clay litter (various brands, whatever on sale)......to the Arm & Hammer Recycled Corn Cob litter...............I don't think she's objected to it?  Whenever I go downstairs in basement where litterboxes are, to do something in my rec room etc, she follows me.   If I go to scoop the boxes, she's not shy about climbing into one and  peeing.    I have 6 litterboxes in the basement (2 w/ hoods, 4 without)...and 1 box up in my spare/cat room.

OH.......I can't even leave empty plastic grocery bags on the floor for crying out loud!  I one day saw her peeing into one of them on the floor, can you believe it?

Would appreciate any thoughts/advice.  Thank you.  This is really stressing me out.

I hear you that cat's peeing outside of the box is a very stressful thing to deal with and I am sorry you are having to. Hopefully there will be a way to get to the bottom of this!

First and foremost, I'm so glad to hear you are taking her back to the vet, as urinary tract issues are the main reason cats pee outside of their boxes. It's almost like they are waving a neon flag at you saying, "I don't feel good!" These problems can also lead to litterbox aversion because it hurts when they pee so they start to associate the box with pain. Doing a thorough examination with your vet is for sure the first step. 

The next thing to consider is where she is peeing and why. You are probably right that she likes things she can dig into so you have to come up with ways to make those areas less attractive and the boxes moreso. It sounds like you recently changed litter- what about doing half of the boxes with the new stuff and half with the old and see what the preference is?

Another possibility is simply a matter of location. It sounds like all the litterboxes are in the basement, and she's never gone and peed upstairs. So, maybe it's a simple matter of proximity. She has to go and there are all these attractive options so why trek all the way downstairs unless you are going down there too? I would be moving boxes to the main level ASAP, and putting them as close to the other locations that she likes to pee on as possible. 

The proximity issue is my number one guess of why she's doing this- just make sure you are moving boxes full of a litter that she likes otherwise it will be a wasted effort. The only other thing I can think of is that sometimes, having a sick or otherwise ailing cat in the house can throw them off. She may be picking up on the stress of the one with kidney disease and it's making her less willing to hold her bladder. When you take her to the vet I might ask them about that and if there could be any correlation. 

So, have her double checked by a vet, test out the litter to see which she prefers, and move boxes onto the main floor: those are the things that I would do first and foremost. You may also want to try something like a Feliway diffuser (emits a calming pheromone) on the main level just to try and keep the stress levels at a minimum. 

The final thing I would say is just be careful that you don't change too many things too quickly as that can also backfire. Maybe try moving two boxes to the main floor first (each with a different litter) and see what happens. You may notice she prefers one over the other in terms of litter and/or location. As time goes on just keep adapting to what's working!

Vibes that her appointment goes well. Do keep us posted as to what they say and how she does with some of these changes! Best of luck! 

Hi EB24,

Thank you so much for your response, I appreciate it.

Is it possible that her peeing isn't actually peeing because her "marking" her territory?  I say this because 2 of my other younger females love to chase her around the house, and you'll hear her growling or see her hiding from them.   So in other words, maybe she's stressed and is only peeing on the main floor because that's where we all spend most of our time and that's where they chase her the most?   I know that stress can cause marking behavior....but I'm reading rather conflicting info re: what constitutes "marking".......a lot of what I've read speaks about "spraying" (or marking "vertically") but then I read a bit about horizontal marking.    She's definitely not spraying............though I always see her, when I get up and leave the living room, back her bum up against the end of the couch, tail quivers and she makes the spraying action.......but truely, I've felt the side of the couch after she'd done this..................she's never sprayed urine.

I did buy some "Homeovet Anxiety Relief" drops a bit ago so I did start her and the 2 ?bullies/chasers on that last night.

I'll buy a couple of Feliway diffusers too.

I"ll replace 2 of the litterboxes (the single one upstairs, who I have seen her use in the past) and the one in the basement with the regular clay litter. 

I just wonder if maybe...if this isn't 'marking' behavior........(I have 6 indoor cats in total........if maybe she's stressed to do down into the basement or upstairs fearing the other cats will corner or chase her?

I've considered putting a litterbox on my main floor but my main floor isn't huge and it's all open concept.......and there really isn't any discreet place to put it..........and like the single box up in my spare/cat/sun room, I'll then have all 6 cats using the one downstairs and I can't have my house stinking.    That to me is a very last resort because I'd never allow that to be a permanent thing.

She, Bitsy, is the sweetest girl...She's what I'd call a "happy cat."   She talks to me, comes whenever I call her......and is always rolling around on the floor with her belly to the ceiling and purring up a storm and wanting me to scratch her chin or rub her belly.    Sometimes when the other 2 chase her, I just call her and she'll immediately come to me, down by my feet.......it's like she knows she's safe with me.

She's not stressed by the old girl with kidney disease.   That old girl Cleo has been going very well for almost 3 years now!  (her BUN and Creat were very high or the first time 3 yrs ago, urine spec grav very low).   She's 20 yrs old!    Her and Bitsy sleep together a lot.   Cleo the old girl is still her usual self just a bit slower.   Definitely not your typical end stage CRF cat.  My Vet is amazed at how well she's been doing.   My house is  pretty mellow place.

Maybe the other 2 girls chase her because they don't like her marking? LOL

Everything you say is entirely possible, and she very well could be marking vs peeing. My big questions there would be: Is she spayed? Females in general don't usually spray to the degree that Males do, but an unaltered girl will certainly do her fair share- especially when she's going into heat. The only thing that is weird to me is that it sounds like she goes through the spraying motions (the quivering tail, backed against something, ect) but then doesn't mark. I am by no means an expert on marking vs. peeing so I am going to have to leave that query to someone with a little more knowledge. 

Moving on, in your second post you bring up even more key points about what could be causing it. It wouldn't surprise me at all if she's fearful of the other girls and of being "trapped" by them if she goes downstairs. Whether it's marking or peeing I think one thing is clear- the basement boxes ARENT working for her. 

Believe me when I hear you say that it's horribly inconvenient to have little boxes upstairs with an open floor plan and that you don't want your home smelling like one big litterbox. To solve that I think you are going to have to meet her somewhere in the middle. She's communicating to you that these are the places where she will pee, and now it's up to you to figure out a way to make it work. I have seen all sorts of ingenious solutions to open spaces and litterbox problems. Some people have built their boxes into pantries or built another stand alone fixture that houses the box. If you Google litterbox coverings or something to that effect I'm sure you can get a ton of ideas! The thing you are going to have to watch for, however, is that the same problem doesn't just move to the main floor. If part of her fear about the basement is getting cornered than she isn't going to feel any different about a covered box on the main floor. It's possible you may just have to concede to one open box just for her. But, I still think that would be better than constantly having to wash your stuff!

I still think you absolutely need the vet appointment to rule out any medical causes, and for the love of G-d if she's not spayed get her altered ASAP!   Aside from those necessities I think you are on the right track with the calming drops and starting the box shuffle. If you are feeling overwhelmed and like they are taking over your house try to just keep the problem in perspective. Right now all you are trying to do is figure out a way to get her to stop peeing on everything. Once you solve that then we will tackle how to make the main area livable if litterboxes have to be up there. I admit it's not going to be a quick fix but if you are patient and persistent it will all pay off in the long term!

Please, do continue to keep us posted!