Cat peeing everywhere

Hi new here with a serious problem.

This is my fifth cat and I really want to keep her.  However, she is ruining my house by peeing everywhere, on laundry, on the rug, on beds - ANYWHERE.  My house stinks of ammonia and my husband says the cat needs to go outside.  Problem is we live on a busy road and we have bobcats and coyotes in the area and I have already lost 4 cats that way.  I really don't want to put Shelly out, but I feel like I have no choice.  Here is what I have tried:

-Took her to vet, did urinalysis.  No infection or crystals.  Put her on special diet anyway.  Didn't work.

-took her to a cat specialist.  They found nothing wrong with Shelly.

-Put her on Prozac.  Four months with no change in pissing.

-Used cat pheromones to try to cool her out.

-Tried catnip to try to cool her pissing down.

-Change litterbox twice daily.

-Change litterbox after every use.

-Have a couple litter boxes available.

-Change location of litter box.

-Change type of litter (tried regular clumping, non clumping, wheat, pellets, cedar.)

-Got an automated litter box.

-Got whole house professionally cleaned with enzyme cleaner to try to remove all scents.

-Replaced pissed on carpet.

-Groomed her more.  Groomed her less.

-More attention.  Less attention.

-Tried spanking her for pissing.

-Tried squirting her with vinegar when we catch her pissing.

-Tried crating her.

This cat does not care.  Nothing has helped AT ALL.  I am at my wits end and my husband is ready to throw her outside but I know it will only be a matter of days before something bad happens to her.  This cat poops in the LB about 80% of the time, and probably only pees in there 10% of the time.  I am wondering if there is something else we can try to try to curb the house destroying pissing.  You know how bad cat pee is.  Oh yeah, we have no other pets and no kids.  Nothing in our life has changed.  Shelly is only 4.  She used the letterbox well as a kitten and young cat but the pissing problem has been going on like 2.5 years.

The other day she leaped onto the bed with my husband still in it, and assumed the position right at the foot of the bed and released a full bladder of ammonia!  What can I do??  She is a sweet girl but the pissing has got to stop.  Thank you!

It sounds like your cat Shelly  is being territorial.   Do your neighbors have cats?   Do you have other cats in the house?  I think she is getting nervous because of other cats near by,  and peeing to show her territory.   She belongs to you and your husband, she she claims you as hers.   Peeing  releases a scent that says, " this is my territory, buddy!"    

We have no other pets and our nearest neighbors are a good 60 yards away.  No outdoor cats because the road is kinda busy and we are in coyote country.  

No matter what the issue this has to stop or the cat will be put outside.  How can we stop it?

Is she fixed? This is quite perplexing. Has she ever had a head or spinal injury??

first of all,    ask your neighbors to keep  any animal they have in there house contained.   second, look around your home for any holes that smells of other animals could be sneaking in.   your vents  (ac and heating)  shouldn't be a problem

She was fixed as a kitten.  No injuries.

There aren't any pets roaming around our house and we don't have rodents.  Our house is relatively new, so there aren't any holes or anything.

I do ask that if it comes to it and you cannot keep her to try to send her to a no-kill rescue, do not put her outside and do not send her to a regular shelter. I hope it doesn't come to this but if it does.  

Now about the kitty, what concerns me is that you spank her, spray her with vinegar, that will cause a cat stress, punishing a cat does  not work, it only further worsens the problem. How big is her litterbox? Have you tried using a large, plastic, storage tote bin as a litterbox? With a door cut in one side? She might be afraid of the auto litterbox. Maybe try Dr. Elseys cat attract litter? Might also try plain potting soil and see if it draws her to it. Here is also a link to Dr. Pierson's cat litter blog page, she does do consultations by phone, she's very good especially with cats, if you'd like to try that. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=litterbox

Also this has been going on for a while, its going to take a while to stop it. I do ask, do you or your husband wear perfume/deodorant/cologne? Change laundry soap? Anything with a different smell. I hope you can keep Shelley and it works out for you. 

So sorry! I am in the process of moving, and it's been so long I forgot how huge of a job it is!

This can be a tough situation to solve.

I absolutely agree, spanking, punishing, scaring, squirting, or any other misunderstood act towards a cat and it backfires. They can't be punished effectively, so what it ends up to be basically is abuse.

The only way is positive reinforcement, and ignoring the bad behavior, which I know is about impossible to do.

If you really love and want to keep her, why not consider contacting a good behaviorist or an animal communicator?

Not all are created equal for sure! But through a bit of researching, looking at reviews, etc you just may find one who can help tell you just what her problem is, as it's clearly behavioral.

Does your husband not like her? In her eyes, might she think he doesn't? Maybe resentful in a way where she may perceive it as dislike.

There is just no other way of saying this, but putting her outside is giving her a death sentence. If you can't find someone who can help, perhaps even asking Jackson Galaxy for a referral for someone in your area? Then please rehome her safely or find a rescue to take her, or a non kill shelter.

Believe it or not, I also thought of Jackson Galaxy's show...or asking him for help.

There IS something wrong with your cat. You aren't nuts. Please, though, don't sentence her to death for this. We all here love cats but at the end of the day, we all recognize that they aren't humans and have to be approached on THEIR level, not on ours.

I second giving her to a no kill shelter rather than putting her outside to die, if it comes to that.

Here are a couple videos from Jackson Galaxy on litter box issues.

misterwhiskers said:

Believe it or not, I also thought of Jackson Galaxy's show...or asking him for help.

There IS something wrong with your cat. You aren't nuts. Please, though, don't sentence her to death for this. We all here love cats but at the end of the day, we all recognize that they aren't humans and have to be approached on THEIR level, not on ours.

I second giving her to a no kill shelter rather than putting her outside to die, if it comes to that.

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That's   what I was thinking lol.      My Cat From Hell  has an episode on this topic.

Is your cat by any chance declawed? I used to volunteer at the local animal shelter and there was a declawed cat that had a hard time finding a home because he wouldn't use any type of litter due to the sensitivity of his feet. We had to put down towels for him. I know you've tried different types of litter...what about that kind of cottony bedding litter that they sell for rabbits and small animals?

No my cat isn't declawed. Last night she pissed on a new sweatshirt I was about to pack up and mail to my niece. I was real mad because it was folded on my kitchen counter. I don't think my husband dislikes the cat. We've always had and liked cats but obviously we are all displeased with the scope and range of the pissing problem. I called the cat rescue in town (our shelter euthanizes animals) and they said they are unable to accept cats that have severe, prolonged behavior problems or a pattern of significant destruction issues because they can't rehome them in good conscience. I mean maybe outside will be okay and that's just the circle of life?

Oh, this is heartbreaking. Can you try to see if there's another med besides Prozac?

I never say this, but I would choose to humanely euthanize a cat rather than send her out to live by a busy street. Having a cat jump on a counter to pee is way beyond my experiences and I too would be at the end of my ropes.

This might sound bizarre, but have you considered putting rags in your litterbox to see if she might actually use it? Just to see if it's litter that's the problem?

I also might go to another vet to get another urinalysis done. I also might ask for an xray to see if there's any problems like if anything is pressing on her bladder.

@CatFanMaureen   I'm very sorry this is happening but have you considered keeping her in a bathroom or something? Also could you possibly contruct a cattery type outdoor home for her? Like a Catio? She wouldn't be completely free range outdoors but she'd have access. I do agree with MisterWhiskers about trying different litter, maybe even pelleted litter?

nansiludie said:

 
@CatFanMaureen   I'm very sorry this is happening but have you considered keeping her in a bathroom or something? Also could you possibly contruct a cattery type outdoor home for her? Like a Catio? She wouldn't be completely free range outdoors but she'd have access. I do agree with MisterWhiskers about trying different litter, maybe even pelleted litter?

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Please do not turn her outside, she won't last long outside. Also please do not put her down, there must be a medical or behavorial reason for this. I am hoping you can get it under control. I agree with MisterWhiskers about another urinalysis and x-ray. Could the vet do a urine culture and sensitivity test? Its more expensive but it'll give better results.

I took her to our regular vet AND a cat specialist vet. She's had two cultures and microanalyses. They also did an ultrasound and there are no masses or structural abnormalities.

They also did a trial of antibiotics and a special diet just in case and it did nothing. Last night she pissed on the sofa. My husband said to make a choice by Friday - put her outdoors or euthanize. He said pets are to be enjoyed, not endured. I tend to agree so I have to decide.

Could you find a friend who lives out on a farm far from a busy road who needs a barn cat to control their mouse population?

We live out in a heavily rural area on a lot of acreage that is fairly far from traffic and our neighbor had an outdoor cat for a good 8 years or so, so in some areas, being an outdoor cat is far less risky than others, especially if the cat has a shelter of some sort to go to after dark.

I recognize that it's better to keep cats indoors, but I'm sure that a cat would prefer to roam on a farm far away from the busy road with a safe place to sleep every night rather than be euthanized or eaten by a coyote.

I've actually toyed around with the idea of adopting a feral colony to live in our barn and help with the mouse problems on our acreage.