Pee. Pee Everywhere.

I'm at my wit's end with my kitty who is peeing everywhere. I want to first say, I would never ever get rid of her because of this behavior, but I need to find a solution to help my sanity and to make her happier. 

She started peeing on clothes left on the ground (clean or dirty) about 5 months ago. I stopped leaving clothes on the ground in response. She then started peeing on the couch, on my bed, on bags, purses, blankets, boxes, chairs, even my kitchen table. She tends to pee on soft things. 

I, of course, took her to the vet who could find no physical problem. I've changed litter, location of boxes, make sure I'm scooping every day, replacing litter every week. 

I have another cat who is male and 2.5 years old. They get along really well. 

Some info about my kitty:

4.5 years old.

I got her when she was a kitten from my mother's cat.

Spayed.

Length of issue: 5 months.

Other cats in household: One male cat

Number of litter boxes: 2

Last vet visit: Two weeks ago as a direct result of the continued peeing. 

History of UTIs:

She has a history of UTIs and crystals in her bladder (3 known infections). Each time was a result of stress (usually tied to moves). She was treated with antibiotics and the problem resolved each time. Her last UTI was 1.5 years ago.  I switched her to a prescription food which has helped. After the last visit, the vet prescribed kitty prozac. It can take four weeks to resolve, so maybe this will work, but my hope isn't very strong. 

Things that changed around this time:

I moved apartments and started dating my girlfriend. Both definite triggers of stress which have caused UTIs in the past. However, the vet says nothing is wrong and things have settled since then. My girlfriend is still around so my assumption would be this is where the issue comes from, but I don't know how to make her feel better without breaking up with my girlfriend. 

Any help would be amazing!!!

- Jess

Based on your description of her behavior (peeing on absolutely everything) I'm almost sure she's blocking even if your vet didn't recognize it.

Try to get her as hydrated as possible. If she's not already on canned food, you must switch her to it asap and eliminate dry food. It only took one large meal of dry food for my young female cat to partially block, with blood in her urine and peeing small amounts in all kinds of places, including my sinks, bathtub, shoes, bedding, etc. I gave her only wet food with extra water added and within 48 hours she was back to normal. I gave her frequent meals with as much water as she would tolerate, to flush out her bladder.

Btw, I'm saying this from experience with more than just the one cat. I grew up with many cats around, and I've seen this sort of chronic blocking (in female cats) that you seem to be describing, from being on dry food. This can turn into an infection from the irritation of the crystals and the urine being stagnant, but there may not be any infection at all, and it's necessary either way to eliminate the crystals which are causing the problem.

You can also use a low sodium chicken broth if your cat resists eating watered down food.

I could be wrong, but I feel strongly that this is not a behavioral problem, but rather a physical one.

Also if you can help it, try not to scare her off when she's peeing somewhere inappropriate. It will only add to her negative association with peeing. Instead maybe give her some old towels on the floor that she's allowed to use until this is resolved. Does she pee in the litter box at all anymore? Does she poop in it?

Thanks for your response! I really appreciate it.

She's been on wet food for about three years now and the prescription medicine I switched to is also wet. My other cat also eats wet food, so she doesn't have any access to dry food. 

She seems to be drinking water fine, but I might try the chicken broth to make sure!

As far as her litter box goes, she pees and poops in it sometimes and then does both outside other times. I've kept track of when she goes out of it and I can't find any pattern. The litter box can be clean with fresh litter and no other changes in the household and she'll go outside of it.

When she pees, it's large, normal amounts, not the small, strained amounts she's had in the past with a UTI.

Is she on the prescription food for urinary issues? I wonder if that could be over acidifying her urine and causing calcium oxalate stones. Which might be causing pain and making her try peeing in different places. I don't know a whole lot about it, since I've never needed to use the prescription stuff.

It seems very strange to me, for a cat to choose to pee in so many places, (particularly a table!) if they're healthy. Even if my advice isn't relevant to your situation, I hope it can help others who find thread and are having this issue.

I hope you can figure this out and things get better!

I am with LeeChi, my perssian cross had many UTI problems, so I spent a considerable amount of time reading veterinary papers about this issue. One of the things mentioned was precisely that you can favour the formation of one kind of christals while preventing the aparitionbof the opposite ones. Thus, I would suggestions stiking to the wet food but leaving aside prescription food for a while.
I always have a can of cristal disolution prescription food just un case I see any sign that there might be cristals un his bladder, but I have nerver have to use it since I changed his food for normal wet one.
Keep us informes, because I think this is a very curious behaviour.
How is your Cat getting on with your girlfriend, btw?

Ugh, please forgive my "spelling" mistakes, my mobile phone cannot distinguish wheter I am writing un English or un Spanish, so it keeps "correcting" my words. Combine it with my dislexia and you've got a dangerous mix [emoji]128555[/emoji]

I think the wet food/preventive diet is a good idea. However since it wasn't mentioned I will mention this. A saline injection may be something to talk to your vet about doing at home if you notice she is having issues or if it gets really bad. It isn't fun, and it is easier if you have a second person holding down the cat. It kinda depends on how much experience you have with treating cats medically. Permanently ditching the dry food might be a long term solution.

jess1003 said:

She started peeing on clothes left on the ground (clean or dirty) about 5 months ago. I stopped leaving clothes on the ground in response. She then started peeing on the couch, on my bed, on bags, purses, blankets, boxes, chairs, even my kitchen table. She tends to pee on soft thing

As far as her litter box goes, she pees and poops in it sometimes and then does both outside other times. I've kept track of when she goes out of it and I can't find any pattern. The litter box can be clean with fresh litter and no other changes in the household and she'll go outside of it.

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Unfortunately, what starts out as a medical problem can become habit. You need to get a blue light and an enzymatic cleaner and thoroughly clean all the places she's been going to the toilet otherwise she'll just go there again. 

If you think she pees mostly on soft things you need to change their texture. Buy some thick plastic sheeting, eg ground sheets or painters sheets and place them on the couch, etc. You could use heavy bath mats in some places, they have plastic spikes which cats hate. Once I thoroughly cleaned my couch I fed my cat in the place that she had previously peed. Cats don't tend to pee where they eat. 

You could also use cat attract, it comes pre mixed in litter or in a jar which you add to clumping clay litter. 

If all else fails you could put her in a small room with her litter box, toys, bowls, etc so that she re- learns how to use the litter box. You'd take her out to play just after she'd done her business and place her back in the room a little later. Just don't let her pee outside the room while you do this or you will be back at square one.