Litter troubles

I'm not sure that this is the appropriate place for this post but at the same time I'm not sure where else to post it. But to get into the post itself. My girlfriend has a cat that doesn't use the litter box. I've put her through a few different retrain methods such as a small cage with litter on one side and a bed food and water on the other, same method in a bathtub. When in these scenarios she will use the litter over urinating on other surfaces. But when my girlfriend and I leave the bedroom for any short amount of time she will urinate on our bed, blankets, clothes, shoes, whatever she is around when we leave. I'm at the end of my rope with this cat, I already told my girlfriend that if she was mine she'd have been back at the shelter already. I've tried probably six or more different litters, doesn't change anything. She's been in a multiple cat household since she was born and kept with two of her litter mates. I've researched and researched until my eyes couldn't stay open and everything just says that she probably has some kind of "medical problem". Nowhere says what the possibilities are or how much this is looking to cost to get this problem fixed. She's a sweet loving cat, the last thing I want to do is ship her off... but at this point I don't see many other options seeing as we don't have the money for a vet at this very moment. My girlfriend has suggested just putting her with a litterbox in the bathroom. But the problem with that being that my grandmother, where we are living at the moment, was just diagnosed with breast cancer and can't be around the fecal matter due to her weakened immune system. Any help suggestions ideas anything is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your time in advance!

Possible reasons why cats urinate outside the litter box...

Stress
Anxiety
Marking territory
Being Declawed
Being Intact (not spayed/neutered)
UTI
Urinary Crystals
Bladder Infection
FLUTD
Diabetes
CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease)

Just to name a few things.

When was the last time the cat was seen by a vet? Is she spayed? How old is she?

Prices for a vet visit with a urinalysis and bloodwork vary depending upon location. You can certainly call around to area vets and get an estimated cost.

At my vet, for the initial office visit, plus a full in house urinalysis and in house blood panel the cost is about $200. If an ultrasound is needed, at my vet that is an additional $300. But, all vets are different.

I do want to add that I understand your frustration about the situation; but, without a proper diagnosis for the cat " shipping" her off to the shelter is not the answer. It just transfers the problem and will likely make it worse. No one will adopt a cat that cannot or will not use a litter box on a consistent basis. This means that the cat will very likely be euthanized.

She has been recently fixed, which we were hoping would solve the problem. But unfortunately didn't. She's roughly six to eight months old. Not 100% sure.

If she has only recently been fixed it is still possible she is spraying. It takes up to 60 days for hormones to get out of their system.

How many litter boxes do you have? Where are the boxes located? Are there other cats/animals in the home?

I recently had litterbox problems with my kitten, too. It's maddening, and I'm sorry you're going through it.

I second the suggestion above for calling around to vets for quotes - especially if you can drive a little way out of town. In my experience, country/large animal vets can offer vastly less expensive prices. (For example: my vet charged $487 for my girl's spay; the vet records show that my boy's neuter was $20. Apples to oranges, sure, but there's definitely more going on than just the complexity of the procedure.)

You say you've done a ton of research, so you may know this all already, but some quick thoughts and tips, having gone through this recently myself:

- is there any chance the other cats are keeping her from the litter boxes? can you set up a litter box that is just hers?
- how often are you scooping? my cat is exceptionally dainty and won't go outside a spotless litterbox.
- are the clothes up off the floor and the bed made? my girl is only interested in going on the fitted sheet on the bed. if the bed is made and she can't get to it, she won't go.
- have you soaked everything in enzymatic cleaners and changed bedding? if she can smell urine, she feels it's okay to go there again.
- if you haven't already, get a waterproof mattress pad! this will save you so much heartache!
- likewise, find a tightly woven, thick blanket like a field blanket that will cover the bed and throw it on when you're not using the bed. it may discourage her, and if it doesn't, it will protect your bedding.
- have you tried soft rags or shredded newspaper in the litterbox? if she'll use that, you'll know it's a texture/discomfort issue.
- is there a litterbox in your bedroom? this may sound gross, but a litterbox next to the bed may help a lot. and it's nowhere near as gross as the bed as a litterbox if she'll use that, then slowly move the litterbox, only a couple of inches a day, to a place you can tolerate more.

Good luck to all of you!