Help: Litter Box issues

To introduce the cat in question she is around 11 and is fairly anti-social.  She tolerates me but is my husbands cat and adores him above everyone.  He is the only one she will sit on in most cases or be by.   He has had her since she was done weaning and I have been living with him for going on 8 years.  Three years ago we got another cat which she also tolerates.  They play fight but they haven't done any "real" fighting since the first few weeks the other cat was there although they don't clean each other or anything like that.

The peeing issue started in a corner of our bedroom a month or so before we got the other cat.  My suspicion was the previous owners had a pet that had peed there and they didn't clean it correctly so the scent was left.  A little after getting the other cat she started peeing and pooping on the dining room floor.  We moved two of the litter boxes to corners of the dining room that she favored.  She continued to pee outside of them several times so we started putting down puppy pads.  

After taking her to the vet and trying the meds and pheremone plug ins nothing has worked.  We tried swapping the litters even trying a special "cat attract" litter which seemed to work for a while but then it just got worse. Now she doesn't use the boxes at all.  I clean them every morning and night and I always come back to peed on pads and poop which has now migrated to another corner of the dining room from the boxes and pads.

She never does it when we take her on trips to visit family.  When we got married back in my hometown we brought her with and between the wedding prep and wedding itself (where were staying at my mom's with her and the other cat) and the honeymoon, she was at my mom's for a month and never once had an incident.  She also does not do it when someone cat sits for us if we are going on a weekend trip or whatever where we don't bring them with.

We are desperate at this point as the outside the litter box peeing has been going on now for over two years.  

I would also note that it isn't me.  She will still pee and poop outside the box when I go alone to visit family and hubby is by himself with her.

I'm sorry we haven't had responses to your situation yet.

It does sound like she's communicating something; perhaps to your husband.  

I'm not sure what else to suggest.  It's very frustrating to have one who goes outside the litter box so much.  Have you considered consulting a behaviorist?  

Hi, and welcome to TCS

First off, I'm sorry if I suggest things you've already tried. I do appreciate just how frustrating this must be for you - I've had on and off litterbox issues with my girl, so I really do sympathise

I know you say you've had her checked out by a vet, but was arthritis ever discussed? Sometimes, especially with older cats, just getting INTO the box can be challenging, and isn't always the first thing one thinks of.

Has anything changed outside the house, such as new cats in the neighbourhood, or ferals being active outside? If there are ferals marking the outside of your house (something you may well not be aware of, as human noses are unlikely to pick up dry urine marking outside), then your girl could be feeling insecure, and be trying to stake her claim indoors to reassure herself...and if there are old pet smells in your house too, then that will only exacerbate the issue.

Is this cat angsty/stressy/nervous by nature? Sometimes litterbox avoidance is the only symptom of stress that the cat shows - I know that's the case with my girl (which made pinpointing her issues all the harder). It's interesting that this all started shortly before the 2nd cat arrived. Cats are very sensitive souls, and can often pick up on impending changes before they happen....especially if you'd been going to look at cats and coming home with unfamiliar scents on you. She could be feeling insecure about her place with your husband (who really does seem to be her world), and trying to mark the house out in a misguided attempt to lay claim to him. This could well fit with it not happening when you have pet sitters in - with neither of you there, there's nothing to compete for. Possibly Composure, or even anti anxiety medication could be what's needed to help break this cycle.

If it IS a territory thing, daily interactive playtime (with both of you, but especially your husband) could really help. It's a wonderful way to de-stress and bond with your cat, and has the added bonus of allowing them to claim their territory in a positive way (anyplace a cat 'hunts' becomes their territory). It's a wonderful confidence booster too

Feline idiopathic cystitis is another possibility, and isn't at all easy to diagnose. That doesn't fit quite so well with this being a constant thing (it usually flares then subsides, then flares etc), but it IS possible. That's what my girl has, and she's really been helped by a supplement - Protexin Veterinary Cystophan - but always talk to your vet before trying any kind of supplementation. What works for one cat isn't necessarily suitable for another

I really hope that at least some of this is helpful, and that you find a solution soon :cross: [article="32366"][/article][article="29728"][/article][article="29680"][/article][article="0"][/article][article="30307"][/article][article="30316"][/article][article="32758"][/article][article="32341"][/article][article="0"][/article][article="32656"][/article]

It's hard to compete when there is a whole list of articles pertaining to box troubles.

The only thing I can suggest, is separating her on her own, with a new fresh box, this may answer whether it it because she doesn't want to share a box with the other cat, and then you can work on ways to remedy the issue, even if it means dividing up the house so each cat has their own box the other can not soil.

Just a quick thought that popped in my head. We have more than 30 rescues, and dealing with pee/poo in the wrong place is an everyday occurrence for us, we know the frustration. We have had to close cats out of our bedroom because they have ruined the beds we have.