Cat Keeps Peeing on the Floor

Hello! I have this cute fluffball male kitty I call Sophie (once upon he was a female, so we usually just stick with Soph or SoSo). He's a great little cat, BUT he enjoys peeing on my floor in many different areas. He REALLY loves to pee on my shoe mat as you walk in the door, and this is one of those thick rubberized bottom so it doesn't leak through. I spray it with deoderizer, I use vinegar mixed sprays, and he still likes to go and piss on it. He also enjoys peeing on the rug in front of my kitchen sink. I think I've solved this problem by putting a foam mat down as he hasn't YET peed on this one. I put new rugs in my bathroom, and as far as I can tell, he hasn't peed on these either, EXCEPT, when I pick the rugs up, he likes to go in and pee on the actual floor itself, especially behind the toilet. He enjoys peeing in corners in my bedroom, up against the walls, and this is also a rug so all I've been able to clean it is by using a baking soda mixed carpet cleaner. That powder has definitely lifted the smell from the bedroom, and I know when you deoderize the areas the cat likes to pee at they won't go back to it. I am PRETTY sure he's also the one who likes to get on top of my table and pee on that, too (good thing I don't eat at my table whatsoever). Any plastic bags on the floor he likes to pee on, he likes to pee in front of the litter box also, and I know damn well he knows how to use the box as I've seen him use it. I've given him another litter box, annnnd of course, he still likes to pee on the floor. He's gone to the vet and he isn't sick (except for his tummy in which he has a special food for that), otherwise he's been healthy. I think at this point he's doing it just out of the spite of himself. He knows how to use the box, and he knows TO use the litter box. I've always got the box clean, and always add fresh litter to it, and when it's mostly all "old litter" I dump the entire box, and refill it with all clean fresh litter. 

I want to try and keep him from going back to these spots. Clearly, the pet deoderizer spray I buy from the stores isn't doing its job. Neither is the vinegar/water spray. I'll continue both the sprays, but I would love any suggestions on any concoctions that will turn him away from these designated areas. Something that will not attract him, something that when he goes to try and use any of these spots, he'll be repulsed by the smell. I've heard that cats don't like citrus smell. Trial and Error. 
 

What would you suggest to use for a repulsive spray that actually keeps him from this area? Any ideas, any tips, suggestions as to how I can figure out this situation will be great! Thanks again!

How many litter boxes do you have? Have you tried adding cat attract litter?

I did have a separate one set up for him to use because I had read that sometimes cats don't like sharing the boxes, and he didn't show any interest in it. The only time he did was when he first started his new diet, I had to lock him up in my bedroom with the specified food and a litter box, even then he used it maybe at most twice. 

I use tidy cats litter, I want to say the one that controls the smell. I buy in bulk though, so whenever I can get the best price on the most litter, I buy a bunch. Is there something I could spray by the litter box to attact him maybe? I still want to thoroughly deoderize the areas he prefers using as well, and it seems the store bought stuff/vinegar sprays aren't helping. 

Is he neutered?

I had 2 cats over the years that would always pee on every rug with a rubber backing. I stopped buying them and only bought rugs with the hard backing they wouldn't pee on those. I am convinced there is something in the smell of the rubber or plastics that says " litterbox" to them. Washing them will not help.

hexiesfriend said:

I had 2 cats over the years that would always pee on every rug with a rubber backing. I stopped buying them and only bought rugs with the hard backing they wouldn't pee on those. I am convinced there is something in the smell of the rubber or plastics that says " litterbox" to them. Washing them will not help.

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Yes the rubber in the back is treated with ammonia I think. This is what gives them that horrible "new carpet" smell. Ammonia is also found in pee so this might explain why they are so attracted to it.

He isn't fixed yet, I'm waiting for a program to open back up to get him in for a low cost spay/neuter.

3cats2dogsmom said:

He isn't fixed yet, I'm waiting for a program to open back up to get him in for a low cost spay/neuter.

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That's likely most of the problem. Where are you located? We can try to help you to find another program.

IndyJones said:

Yes the rubber in the back is treated with ammonia I think. This is what gives them that horrible "new carpet" smell. Ammonia is also found in pee so this might explain why they are so attracted to it.

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For him, it doesn't matter if it's a door mat style rug (that had shoetop and rubber bottom) or if it's a regular rug. He'll just piss on them. I've noticed lately now he gets up on my table and pisses on whatever I leave on that (again, I don't use my table for eating at). I can't leave anything like books, papers, bags, plastic, anything that lays flat, he'll get up and piss on those things. He's ruined countless amount of my books, even new ones I've just gotten. I just put baking soda on the top of the table, to hopefully rid the smell. I also put baking soda all over my door rug as well (that's the one with the rubber/hard backing). 

I've noticed he hasn't peed on my memory foam rugs (they're bathroom styled ones), not YET anyways. I have one of the small memory foam ones on top of a normal rugmat, and he'll piss right in front of it. I clean it up, spray it down, baking soda, and he'll piss there again. 

I honestly don't know what else to do with him. 

talkingpeanut said:

That's likely most of the problem. Where are you located? We can try to help you to find another program.

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This program only comes once or twice a year, and rather than paying 200$ in the area to get him fixed, they charge 45$. Otherwise, where I'm at, there are no other programs or low income help. 

In the meantime as gaudy as it sounds maybe put a plastic sheet over the places he pees on. Also the longer you wait to have him fixed the more likely having him fixed won't solve the peeing. Sometimes if you wait long enough it becomes a habit and intense behavioral modification will be needed to break it.