3 year old male, 4 year old female - who is spraying??

I haven't been here in awhile, but now I really need some advice. I am very upset...

I have two cats - a 3 year old male who was fixed when he was 4 months old (and who I've had his whole life) and a 4 year old female who was also fixed very young and who I've had about 2 years (a rescue).

I reciently caught Lily, the female, trying to burry something on the kitchen floor -- turns out it was a small amount of urine. Took her to the vet and although they found no medical signs of one, they treated her for a bladder infection.

A few weeks later, I find cat urine on my lazyboy. Take her back - still no signs, but they go ahead and give her stronger meds for 14 days.

Nothing for a few weeks. (yay!)

Until this morning -- when I find that my PURSE has cat urine on it. My purse, which was sitting on the KITCHEN TABLE. (The cats know they are not allowed on the kitchen table.) It was sitting open, and I can SEE urine on some of the things in it. I can also see drips down the side of the leather. Needless to say, it will be thrown away.

So, I guess it was the male...??? I can't imagine a female being physically able to do that. Right? Or am I wrong?

So now what?! I've NEVER had a problem with Dante. I've never known him to spray. Nothing has changed in his life in the past year and a half - no new stresses or anything. He's the same fat lazy cat he's always been. He's the most outgoing and friendly cat on the planet and has never had a problem ever in his life.

I can't imagine getting rid of him. He's my "first born" and I love him so much. He's the most increadible cat I have ever met (and his vet agrees). But I can't have a cat that sprays things!!

The little box is a bit dirty at the moment, but it gets that way a lot (I hate to admit) and thats really nothing new. My boss said "he's mad about something and letting you know" but I just can't see that since he has never acted out in his life. He's never shown any aggression towards any human, animal, or anything. He's never shown dominate behavior. He's always been an angel. (but obviously I will clean the litter box tonight.) But yeah..... what do you do about a male cat that suddenly learns spraying behavior???????

...or could it be the female?

oh, and by the way, I CAN'T make him an outdoor cat b/c he's on a special food and all of the little old ladies in my neighborhood leave food out for the strays. He eats that food, and not his, and he'll get really sick again.

HELP!!! I'm so upset.

Make sure you clean any messes with an enzyme cleaner.

My male cat will go outside the box if it is not scooped a couple times a day. He used to be less concerned about it but as he has gotten older he prefers it to be as clean as possible. Try to clean it out more, as it may make a difference. Since you have two cats, adding another litter box may help.

If the cats are stressed you can try the Feliway plug in. A lot of people on this board have had great success with it.

Thank you for your input!! I really appreciate any and all ideas.

I can't imagine he (or she?) is stressed. Nothing has changed.... no new people, furniture, other animals, etc. Nothing new. But I can certainly look into that product if you feel it might help. Thanks so much for the name of it.

And it's a lot worse than just going outside of the litter box, in my opinion. Peeing on and in my purse is a lot more than just peeing on the floor. From what I've read on this site, this seems to definitely be spraying... whether it be the male or the female. ??? Maybe it is b/c he or she is mad that the box is dirty... but the box has been dirty many times before and noone has ever had this kind of a reaction. But you can bet that it will never be dirty again after this!

Could a smell in/on my purse have made them want to "mark" it? It's not been around any other animals... had mints in it. lol.

My cat's litter box was at one time not as well cleaned. My parents were at work all day and I was away at college, so it just wasn't kept up as well as it should have been.

Then due to an illness in my family, the cat had to board at the vets for two weeks. After that he wouldn't use it often unless it was cleaned well. It wasn't just outside the box, he would go on the stairs.

Now I scoop it about twice a day and do a full change every about every 5 days. So definately see if cleaning the box more helps.

In our case illness and the boarding likely brought about the change. But it also may have been due to his advanced age.