I Can't Take It Anymore!!

I am ready to send my cats to the pound. They have been peeing and pooping out of their litterbox. I have read the sticky at the top of this forum.

We have 2 cats, Malakai and Artex. They started pooping and peeing out of their box about 2 weeks ago. First it was a simple poop on the floor. I cleaned it up and sprayed the spot with an enzyme cleaner. I could smell cat pee but I was unsure where it was. I finally found that they had peed on our couch. We threw out the couch and saw the urine soaked through the couch onto the floor. We cleaned the floor with enzyme cleaner (Simple Solutions with Oxy Cleaner) and a blacklight. We also put a Feliway plug-in in that room.

A couple days later we found that our other couch in the same room had been peed on as well. We picked it up and sure enough, the urine also soaked through into the carpet. We cleaned the floor again, soaking both spots with the cleaner numerous times. We decided to try to clean the couch since we'd have no furniture left if we tossed it! I knew cleaning it would be a stretch and we might have to throw it away in the long run. I took the cover off the bottom and took out the pad that was under there as well. I knew most of the urine would be in the pad and it would be hard to get out. All that was left was a thin fabric almost netting like. I thought I could clean it pretty well. Also, after reading on your site we found that peeing could be caused from a UTI. So after a trip to the vet we found out that Malakai has an infection. He has been on antibiotics for a couple days now. After cleaning the couch I put it back on 4 legs (it was standing up to clean) so it could dry really well. I was going to treat it again.

Then this morning I found the couch had been peed on AGAIN and there was poop on the floor a little ways from the couch. Now maybe the couch wasn't clean enough yet, but why oh why are they pooping up there too?!! The Feliway plug in has been in for 2 weeks now.

We're thinking we may have to take the other cat to the vet to make sure they don't BOTH have infections. But we are so broke after all the cleaning supplies, Feliway products, and previous vet bills. Not to mention the ruined furniture!! We got a motion camera to set up to see if we could finally see which one is doing it.

My husband is furious and I am at my wits end. How can we get them to stop?! I'm afraid we're gonna have to get rid of them if this keeps up much longer.

Please Please help us!
Anna Mae

First, you know that this is being caused by a medical problem. Meaning, it is not a behavioral problem and it is not their fault. I hope when you say you're going to take them to the pound you are simply emphasizing your frustration.

Buy three brand-new litterpans that don't look anything like the old ones, and a litter that is very similar but not the same brand as the old one.

The reason your cat, who has a UTI, is not using his box is because he was in pain, associated the pain with the litterbox, and is now avoiding it. So, a new box, in a new place, with different litter, may be just the trick once he is over his UTI.

Please be patient with him. He has a medical problem, and is not doing this out of spite or misbehaving, or anything else.

I would suggest you try "Dr. Elsey's Cat Attaract" cat litter (http://www.preciouscat.com). One of our boys (13 years old) decided that he no longer needed to use the litterbox. We took him to the vet to see if there was a medical condition, although found to be healthy. The vet didn't have the above cat litter, however he had "Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter Additive". Within just a couple days of adding this to the cat litter (EverClean) Boogie was back to using the box and hasn't relapsed.

Hope you're able to find the above product and that it works for you.

GT

If you can't manage your cats, and have to give them away, then PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! take them to a no kill cat shelter and NOT TO THE POUND! The pound will kill the animals or give them to Universities for horrible, horrible experiments

GT, thanks for the link; I'll have to check that out.

Do you kitties get along well together? It might be that. If you do give one of your kitties up, please make sure you don't take your kitty to the pound.

I have 2 kitties that will have these problems once in a blue moon, however it used to be worse. I had adopted a 3rd cat, WitchiePoo, as a kitten. After about 3 years, my oldest cat, Broomhilda (12 y/o at the time) finally put her foot down. Broomhilda hated WitchiePoo's guts. All the while, she had been urinating outside her litterbox and had been fighting with her. Eventually, Broomhilda started peeing on our kitchen counter. My husband couldn't take it at that point. We took WitchiePoo to the SPCA and gave them a $250 donation for taking her. I cried my eyes out. I put up adoption flyers all over directing people to the SPCA where she was at. I still miss WitchiePoo to this day!

Oh no, I wouldn't take them to the actual pound. I was just mad and couldn't think of any other term at that moment! Yes, if we can't deal with him anymore we would take him to a no-kill shelter. I know of 3 good ones here around town.
Thanks for the tips, I'll try them out.

Anna Mae

My cat was peeing outside of his litterbox. After reading a lot of great advice I found he could have a UTI.

I took him to the vet and he did indeed have an infection. So he's been on antibiotics. He had become accustomed to peeing in our living room instead of the box. How can I get him to use the box again? I treated the carpet with an enzyme cleaner and got rid of the couch he peed on. Should I put a litterbox up in the living room where he used to pee? If so, how do I gradually get him back down to the basement where his box is?

Thanks!
Anna Mae

This is why husband insisted on adopting a kitten. He is convinced (rightly or wrongly) that the majority of cats in shelters are there because they have litterbox issues and their owners surrendured them. I just don't think it is fair to rehome a cat that pees in the house and dump the problem on someone else. I would never adopt a cat if I knew they did this because I know how difficult it is to stop most of the time (my sister had a "pee-er" ruin carpet in three different houses throughout the years).

cats don't just stop using their box for no reason. they're trying to tell you something.

have you changed their brand of litter in the past few weeks? or their food?

do they share the same box? maybe get another one. i have 5 cats and about 20 square foot of litter to sift, from various boxes. not my favorite daily chore.

Elly, our newest adoptee, was pooping in the bedroom for the first two weeks we had her because she kept forgetting where the litter boxes were. i brought one of them downstairs and showed it to her and she's been happily using it ever since.

if nothing else, take them to the vet. like i said, a cat doesn't just stop using their box for no reason. it's part of their instinct to cover their mess. if they're not, there's something going on.

At no-kill shelters, if a cat is returned for box problems (remember, not everyone is honest about it) it becomes a permanent resident, not up for adoption, unless they can resolve the problem.

But this cat HAS A UTI. Meaning it is not a behavioral problem, it is a medical problem.

****UPDATE****

We got some incriminating evidence last night. We left the couch in the living room as *bait* and set up the camera. This morning we saw that the cat with the UTI was jumping up on to the couch. I went to check the couch, and sure enough, he peed on it again. So now we know which cat it is. I think he was using the couch because he got accustomed to going there or he had a bad association with his old litter boxes. We will be removing the couch today and I got 3 new litter boxes with the attractable litter. I also bought some Urine-Off to make totally sure the spots on the floor are clean. I will put a box where the couch used to be so he can start using a box again.

I think we are on the road to "recovery." We have another vet appointment for him after he finishes his antibiotics just to make sure it is gone. With the couches gone, the new litter, the new boxes, the new cleaner, and the feliway spray I think we will finally have this problem kicked in the butt.

Thank you all for your suggestions and support. I was pretty frustrated before and wouldn't dream of giving my cat to a place where he would not have a good life (like sitting in a cage) or no life at all! Again, thank you.


Anna Mae

Originally Posted by meow meow

This is why husband insisted on adopting a kitten. He is convinced (rightly or wrongly) that the majority of cats in shelters are there because they have litterbox issues and their owners surrendured them. I just don't think it is fair to rehome a cat that pees in the house and dump the problem on someone else. I would never adopt a cat if I knew they did this because I know how difficult it is to stop most of the time (my sister had a "pee-er" ruin carpet in three different houses throughout the years).

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I can tell you this and you can tell your husband the majority of animals that are in shelters are there because they previously had ignorant or irrisponsible owners who either abused or didn't know how to look after their animal or after getting an animal couldn't be bothered with giving them even the most basic care e.g food,water,vet care,and the rest of the animals in the shelters at least their owners had the decency to hand them in instead of dumping them on the sreets or having them put to sleep.

There are a lot of people who are prepared to give a home to an animal with 'problems',
I myself found an incontinent Dog,It could not be treated,my place smelt of wee and I was constantly changing his bedding six times a day,until it got to the point where he had to wear incontinence pants.
People/relatives who came to my place said it smelt,I said tuff,It smells a bit,so what,
I don't pretend to be something i'm not,I care about animals,not what people think of where I live.
I only had Eric for 13 months before I had to have him put to sleep because he had cancer in his throut,but even if he had lived another five years I would not have put him to sleep because of his incontinence.

Anna Mae,
I'm so glad to hear you're on the track to fixing your problem pee-er! I'm sure once his medical problem is all better, and without the old litter and box, that he'll be back in his box in no time.

If he still doesn't use it, you can also try confining him in a room with all his things and his box for a little while (a couple days) until he begins using it again.

If your couch is still on the curb, I would save the pee cushion and put it in the litterbox, and then start covering it with litter, and then finally take it out and throw it away. Of course if he's using the other boxes just fine you don't need to do this!

GOOD ON YOU FURRY!!!! i'm glad Eric found you!! poor little guy needed love and understanding and you gave it to him....good job!

my baby Bear, (RIP little man), stopped using the litterbox about 3 years after i got him. i was talking to a friend about it and she said "guh! ewww! get rid of him! how GROSS!!" i took him to the vet and discovered that he had colitis.(hope i spelled that right). got proper food for him and he stopped messing outside of the box within the week. gave me another 8 years of wonderful friendship before he went to the rainbow bridge (of natural causes). died in my arms....at home......man i miss my little bug!

You might try putting a brand new box with new litter where he was peeing and then once he is using it regularly, start moving it toward the basement. Move it about a foot or two each day until it is at the top of the stairs and then remove it completely. Replace the litter box in the basement with this completely new box (preferably a large box, something like an under the bed storage container). I read another post where Cat Attract litter worked very well in re-training a cat to use the litter box.

Good luck!

what my cousin did was she took a bit of carpet and put it into the litter box. try putting your litter box in the living room at first with a sample of your cats pee, if your cat starts using the litter box gradually (over a few days or weeks) move the box to its original place!
Hope it helps!