Desperate to find a new home for my 2 cats

I have 2 cats (brother & sister) who will be 9 in April of next year. I have had them both since they were 2 weeks old. I love them both with all my heart! My serious issue is with the female. She has been urinating all over our house for nearly a year. My husband and I have a 2 year old son who has caused a lot of stress in our female cat, especially since her started crawling and walking. We have tried everything we can to fix this problem and nothing is working. We have spent thousands on testing everything to make sure it is not a health issue. It's not. We spend a lot of money on Feliway wall plugins as well as a feliway color that she wears. These have definitely helped, but the problem persists. Initially she was peeing on our bed nearly daily. You can imagine the horrific smell! Not only our bed but our entire couch, our brand new carpets, my sons stuffed animals. inside my closet, on my clothes if god forbid I leave a piece of clothing where she can pee on it. We have tried multiple, and I mean multiple litters. We have been using a liter that costs $40/bag! We have tried a cat behavior therapist. Absolutely nothing cures the problem. She was peeing underneath our bed right in the very middle (we have a King bed so getting to the very center is only possible by completely removing the mattress off the bed). We could not figure out where the smell was coming from until my husband removed the mattress so we could scan every inch of the room. Sure enough she had been peeing in the same spot for months. You can only imagine the smell. I have had asthma my whole life and I feel like my lungs are on fire from inhaling the ammonia on a daily basis everywhere I go in my house. We have used the top of the line cat urine removal sprays and nothing completely removes the smell because she always pees in the spots again. There is nothing anyone could suggest we do that we haven't tried. The problem that has put me over the edge is I have noticed my son sounds like he is often out of breath. He has been sick twice where he was wheezing and needed to take Albueterol. I thought maybe he inherited my asthma, but after looking up the negative health effects of cat urine, I am horrified that my child is suffering because of the cat piss filled home he lives in. Both cats are indoor only and always have been. We live upstairs in a condo so we have no backyard. Knowing that my son could develop respiratory problems because of this destroys me emotionally. Does anyone have any info on the health effects of cat urine?? The reason I would like to get rid of both is because they have been together their entire lives. I know how hard it is to find a good home for one older cat with a peeing problem, let alone taking another with it. Please help me. I am to the point of contemplating having her put down rather than leave her in a cold and terrifying shelter. But then what about her brother? I feel so helpless. Nobody I know will take them, nobody. Please help!  

Older cats are extremely hard to rehome, especially if they are bonded and it seems these two are and then on top of it have issues.  This is the most common reason for surrender, improper urination.  Usually starts out as a medical or anxiety issue... However the longer it continues to go and be battled unchecked, it turns into a behavior issue.  As someone going into behavior specialist, it is very difficult to cure because once behavior is ingrained..... She will be put down immediately by any shelter you take her to.  She is 9, considered a senior and almost unadoptable.  And she has issues.  She will be considered high risk and unadoptable and immediately put down.  The boy as well, just for being 9 and attached to her. 

Have you put ads up in pet specialty stores or vet offices?  Maybe asks older people (seniors) that you know are animal lovers that do not have children or many visitors.  Usually seniors are the perfect solution for an older, child stressed cat, and are often willing to take 2.... Just for the company.

I'm sorry you're having troubles with your fur babies.

But honestly it does sound like your female kitty is very upset about your son.

Odds are if she's moved to a home with no kids the pee issue will go away. I've seen this in action my self and have foster a couple kitties due to this and we had no pee problems in my house.

It really does sound like you have gone above and beyond what most people try to do. 

Reach out to your local rescue groups and tell them everything and be upfront and honest and see if any of them of room for your kitty. And reach out to no-kill shelters. There are some out there that even specialize in older kitties. Some places even do seniors for seniors programs. Also reach out to vets and pet stores to get the kitties out there and advertised.

When reaching out to rescue groups if you can, make sure to tell them that you can keep the kitties in your home for while longer at least . Most rescues their biggest issue is foster homes or just a place for the kitty to live. As long as you can keep the kitties in your home you greatly increase the chance of getting them place with a rescue.

And if they are bonded I would keep them together if you do try to rehome them.

What ever you do, don't surrender them to a kill shelter due their age and issues they would probably be put down pretty quickly. And if that was the case it be kinder to put the female to sleep in your care so at least she wouldn't be so lost and confused. (But please please don't do this, given time and understanding you can find them a home together)

Good luck

Thank you for the reply. Looking at seniors to adopt is an excellent idea. I will definitely try this. If I find someone local I am even willing to continue to pay for their food and care. Thanks again!

First of all, is she neutered? Secondly, are you certain she is a female? Thirdly, does she use the litterbox to poop on? Lastly, is she checked by a vet for urinal infections etc?

A cat doesn't pee everywhere for no reason. I understand you think it's your child causing her stress, but i doubt that gives her a reason to urinate on everything. cats are clean animals, for her to do this, there has to be a good reason.

Also, cat urine surely isn't healthy, specially for a small child. If you can't fix the cat's problem soon, I indeed think it's best for you to place the cats elsewhere. You could also consider making them indoor and outdoor cats; it might reduce the pee inside and maybe she feels less stressed if she can "flee" from the little one. If you have a garden, you can also shelter it so your cats can go into the garden but not futher. It's the same story as above, but you know for sure they won't get too far and will be save in your own garden. If the child really freaks your cat out, give her a space to go to where the child can't go to.

I do not know where you live, but our local shelter recently sent 3 cats with medical/behavioral issues to a cat sanctuary in Colorado.  They were special needs and had been at the shelter a long time. I know they took donations for transport from Michigan to get them there.

Oh the sanctuary thing.... Well, let me tell you the reality.  Shelters are over full.  About 97% will NOT make it out of a shelter alive.  Of the 3% that is left.... Less than 1% end up getting saved by a sanctuary.  This is because sanctuaries are overrun, too.  Do NOT count on this if you end up taking your cat to a shelter.  Even no kill shelters are turning them away because they just don't have the room.  An older cat with issues will almost always be put down immediately.  People rationalize "Oh my kitty is so nice.  It'll find a home.  It'll be adopted."  Don't count on it!  In best cases, it has 3 days to live and it dies an awful death because it knows it's coming.  And they struggle and cry and plead.  It's very awful.  There just isn't room.  So don 't count on some sanctuary saving them.