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Hello! I apologize because this will be long, but I want to give as much info to try to avoid repeating things that haven't worked int he past. I have owned many cats over the years, and currently my household has 3 cats. We have had peeing issues in the past, but nothing has been like this. Currently, all three cats are peeing outside the litter box. A bit about each cat...
Pagan: Oldest (~8), spayed, and indoors only; has never peed outside the litter box in the past. She began recently, and so we moved the litter box closest to where she lays because we thought it was an aggression issue between her and our male (who she is frightened of). She is continuing to pee and poo on the counter top. This has started within the past few weeks. Oddly, this is right beside her food and water area.
Sheldon: ~6 and neutered. He has a urinary issue (medicated), and we have struggled for years to get him to consistently use the litter box. He does use the litter box, but he marks other locations as well. We clean as he does, yet we still have issues. We have kept him outdoors in the past, yet because he kills various wildlife (including snakes, bats, and rabbits), we have been keeping him inside.
Penny: ~6 and spayed. She has had problems in the past, but we thought we had them under control. She primarily stays in my room, and has had few issues. Recently (within the past week or so), she has began to pee in my room again. She has not done this since she was a kitten. When I aught her this evening, I took her to the litter boxes around the house, and she refused to go. Both were clean and available with none of the other cats around (they were in other closed rooms at the time). The times I have caught her have not been a marking stance like they were in her past instances.
Other info: We currently have two litter boxes: one upstairs and one downstairs. We used to keep one per cat in the house, but this changed after we saw little improvement (And this was back when we had 4-5 cats over multiple years. I believe we had 7 liter boxes at the time in frequently used rooms as well as in the usual spaces [like our laundry room], but we still had issues with Sheldon). Most of our cats use the one litter box downstairs, but otherwise they tend to go where ever. Having a litter box in every room made no difference, and since we have removed the litter box in every room, we do not notice them peeing in old locations. The two remaining litter boxes are kept in the most popular locations. We have not switched our litter; we have been using the same litter for years (it is a clumpable for ease). We do clean the areas they pee at with cleaning solution (store bought, and we have experimented with this as well to find what removes the scent and residue best. We used to use a discontinued Arm and Hammer product for our hardwood floors, but we have had to switch to something else [and the name eludes me].)
What concerns me is that ALL of our cats are now having issues. With Sheldon, it was bearable and chalked up to marking, but having three cats who now pee and poo in various locations is concerning. It seems more environmental since it is affecting all of the cats, but I am not sure what could be causing it. The only change we have made is moving our dogs (x2) outside as the weather has warmed up, but if anything, that should reduce their stress. Their litter has not changed, their diets have not changed, our schedules have not changed, and their interactions with each other have not changed.
I'm planning to add another litter box to my room since Penny is in there a majority of the time to try to help with her, but with how things are going, I have doubts that this move will solve anything since we will still have a cat going on the counter tops and that is nowhere near my room (a health issue, but also something we can't seem to solve no matter where we move the litter box). Penny is in my room with me most of the day and Sheldon is with my brother, so there is less stress on Pagan, yet Pagan will continue to pee and poo on the counter tops even if she is only in the company of my mother (and this is not a marking pee either). Like I said, the litter box has been moved towards her "area", but we are still having issues. The only way to get it closer to her is to put it on the counter top.
Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. We are trying to keep out cats inside (to prevent them from wandering and getting lost, but also because they really destroy the wildlife!), but it's a struggle when having them outside could seemingly remedy this issue. I've heard of popular "destress" oils and wall-mounts, but I've also heard in reviews that some tend to overheat and catch fire, so I'm cautious towards those solutions, but I'm not a hard-no against them. I just don't want to risk a fire. I'm also open to trying to change litters, but they must be clumpable. If we could even get it back down to only Sheldon going outside the litter box, that would be wonderful. We just need to get this under better control.
Pagan: Oldest (~8), spayed, and indoors only; has never peed outside the litter box in the past. She began recently, and so we moved the litter box closest to where she lays because we thought it was an aggression issue between her and our male (who she is frightened of). She is continuing to pee and poo on the counter top. This has started within the past few weeks. Oddly, this is right beside her food and water area.
Sheldon: ~6 and neutered. He has a urinary issue (medicated), and we have struggled for years to get him to consistently use the litter box. He does use the litter box, but he marks other locations as well. We clean as he does, yet we still have issues. We have kept him outdoors in the past, yet because he kills various wildlife (including snakes, bats, and rabbits), we have been keeping him inside.
Penny: ~6 and spayed. She has had problems in the past, but we thought we had them under control. She primarily stays in my room, and has had few issues. Recently (within the past week or so), she has began to pee in my room again. She has not done this since she was a kitten. When I aught her this evening, I took her to the litter boxes around the house, and she refused to go. Both were clean and available with none of the other cats around (they were in other closed rooms at the time). The times I have caught her have not been a marking stance like they were in her past instances.
Other info: We currently have two litter boxes: one upstairs and one downstairs. We used to keep one per cat in the house, but this changed after we saw little improvement (And this was back when we had 4-5 cats over multiple years. I believe we had 7 liter boxes at the time in frequently used rooms as well as in the usual spaces [like our laundry room], but we still had issues with Sheldon). Most of our cats use the one litter box downstairs, but otherwise they tend to go where ever. Having a litter box in every room made no difference, and since we have removed the litter box in every room, we do not notice them peeing in old locations. The two remaining litter boxes are kept in the most popular locations. We have not switched our litter; we have been using the same litter for years (it is a clumpable for ease). We do clean the areas they pee at with cleaning solution (store bought, and we have experimented with this as well to find what removes the scent and residue best. We used to use a discontinued Arm and Hammer product for our hardwood floors, but we have had to switch to something else [and the name eludes me].)
What concerns me is that ALL of our cats are now having issues. With Sheldon, it was bearable and chalked up to marking, but having three cats who now pee and poo in various locations is concerning. It seems more environmental since it is affecting all of the cats, but I am not sure what could be causing it. The only change we have made is moving our dogs (x2) outside as the weather has warmed up, but if anything, that should reduce their stress. Their litter has not changed, their diets have not changed, our schedules have not changed, and their interactions with each other have not changed.
I'm planning to add another litter box to my room since Penny is in there a majority of the time to try to help with her, but with how things are going, I have doubts that this move will solve anything since we will still have a cat going on the counter tops and that is nowhere near my room (a health issue, but also something we can't seem to solve no matter where we move the litter box). Penny is in my room with me most of the day and Sheldon is with my brother, so there is less stress on Pagan, yet Pagan will continue to pee and poo on the counter tops even if she is only in the company of my mother (and this is not a marking pee either). Like I said, the litter box has been moved towards her "area", but we are still having issues. The only way to get it closer to her is to put it on the counter top.
Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. We are trying to keep out cats inside (to prevent them from wandering and getting lost, but also because they really destroy the wildlife!), but it's a struggle when having them outside could seemingly remedy this issue. I've heard of popular "destress" oils and wall-mounts, but I've also heard in reviews that some tend to overheat and catch fire, so I'm cautious towards those solutions, but I'm not a hard-no against them. I just don't want to risk a fire. I'm also open to trying to change litters, but they must be clumpable. If we could even get it back down to only Sheldon going outside the litter box, that would be wonderful. We just need to get this under better control.
