Cat peeing everywhere

Hi, everyone,

I'm writing on behalf of my sister, whose cat has seen a vet twice now. We're just looking to see if anyone has had a similar experience. If so, can you share with me what helped solve the problem?

Arlene is 8-years-old, and she has lived with my sister since she was a kitten. She is about five pounds overweight (target weight is 10 pounds, she weighs 15). Over the years, she became incredibly finicky about where she peed, to the point where my sister has to give her two boxes: one box for Number 1, one box for Number 2. Over the past two months, she has started peeing absolutely everywhere. The litter boxes, clothes on the floor, backpacks, stuffed animals, the bed, the carpet. She always does it in plain sight, doesn't try to hide that she's doing it. 

My sister took her to the vet, and they gave her medication for a UTI. That was several weeks ago. The problem cleared up slightly, but then she started doing it again with a vengeance. Upon returning to the vet, there was still blood in her urine. The vet prescribed several more weeks of antibiotics and advised to follow up if the problem didn't clear up once the medicine is gone. They also prescribed wet food for urinary health and weight maintenance. Again, she stopped peeing everywhere for just a few days, and now she's back at it.

Of course, she'll go back to the vet if the problem persists once the medication is gone, but this problem is so frustrating. My niece is just beginning to crawl, and we can't let her down on the floor because Arlene is urinating everywhere. I'm not sure if the problem is behavioral; even if she were doing it on purpose, I don't think she'd be urinating as frequently as she does. It is seriously every twenty to thirty minutes, almost like she truly can't help it. 

Has anyone ever dealt with this problem or such a persistent bladder infection in their cat before? I'd be grateful to hear your experience. We don't want the cat to be miserable, and we don't want the house to be destroyed, either.

Thank you!

I think this is a medical issue rather than behavioral.  Is she cleaning up with an enzyme or carbon dioxide cleaner?  Without cleaning up with one of those the issue will continue even after the medical issue is cleared up.

Did the vet do a urinalysis to identify the bacteria and to check for crystals?  Kitties do also show stress related issues in their bladder.  Has anything changed that could be stressing her?  They are a bit expensive but Feliway diffusers may help.  There are also natural stress relievers that can be given.  Bach rescue remedy is one, Spirit Essences is another one.  The Spirit Essences is Jackson Galaxy's brand.

I am wondering a couple of things. If the cat is jealous of the baby now that the baby is more active and beginning to crawl, and maybe the cat is acting out. I had a cat who did this after my daughter was born. It was not fun because she peed everywhere also. Because I was so busy with the baby, I asked my husband to please give this cat TONS of extra attention whenever he could. It helped immensely. It also helped as my daughter got older and got to know the cat. Your sister's cat was an only "child" for years before the baby came, so it may be stress and jealousy. Perhaps try a Feliway diffuser or two in the house. They exert a calming effect on cats.

And the reason the cat may have stopped peeing for just a few days is that it got attention by going to the vet. The attention felt good. If your sister could set aside some time also just for the cat it may help.

My second thought is that there may be something else going on with the cat health-wise. Maybe the vet could run a blood test to see if everything is normal or not. Cats pee inappropriately when they do not feel well. The peeing every few minutes is of concern. That's not normal. Or maybe get a second opinion from a different vet too. I hope the issue resolves soon for your sister and the cat's sake!

I appreciate all of the input! I'll be sure to pass it along to my sister. I'm not clear on whether the vet has run blood tests, but as for a urinalysis, I know they found blood in her pee at the last visit.

The vet mentioned possibly having to extract urine directly from her bladder with a needle if this persists, to get a pure sample.

Again, thanks for the advice and thoughts. I'll pass it on. The whole situation sucks because we love Arlene to pieces and don't want her miserable. Just seems like we've tried everything to no avail.

If stress has anything to do with it, a Feliway diffuser may help.


Also, as to her past behavior of separate litter boxes for pee and poop, it is not abnormal for a cat to do this.