my cat is peeing outside his litter box

lue9511

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hey everyone, we purchased a litter robot and for a little while our cat was using it but now he is peeing on the floor and not pooping could this be because of the new litterbox or do you think the peeing and not pooping have something in common?
 

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Hi, and welcome to TCS :wavey:

The new box absolutely could be the reason for your cat's litterbox avoidance :nod: Some cats really dislike self-cleaning boxes, and, as with all machines, things can go wrong. All it takes is for the cleaning to start whilst the cat is in the box, and you have a terrified cat who's too scared to venture in there again.

Put a standard box out, and see if that solves the problem. If it doesn't, a vet trip is probably in order - just to rule out any physical cause.[article="33457"][/article]
 
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lue9511

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thank you, i did that this morning before leaving for work cause he peed on the floor some time last night but i havent seen or heard him pooping
 
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lue9511

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hey everyone wanted to post an update and see if i can get more advice, so our cat started using the litter robot with no issues at all and everything was good until about a week or so go, we go to my fiancees parents for the weekend and comes home to find out he peed on the floor a couple of times

but when i check the waste bin of the litter box there is poop and pee clumps, i have no idea whats going on and we are getting to the point where we may have to give him up if we cant stop this, we dont want too as he has been with my family since he was a kitten

but we live in a apartment and if his pee damages something i dont know if we can afford to have it fixed

so in short he poops and pees some in his litterbox but he will also pee outside the box in random places
 

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Hello!

Sorry to hear about your cat's litterbox issues. The good news is, it's absolutely fixable! We will need a bit more information to see if we can narrow down the reason for his behavior, and I note a brief reason for each question.

1) How old is he? Older cats may have joint problems. If he has, say, arthritis, he may have difficulty getting into or out of the box sometimes.
2) What was his previous litterbox? Has he had litterbox avoidance before this new one? That helps us see if we can eliminate the litter box change as a reason.
3) How long has he had the new box before the issue first started? You said "a little while". If it was recent, it may indicate the box being the issue.
4) How did you introduce the new box to him? Some cats are pretty easygoing, and some cats will be stressed with a sudden change in their litter box, either the box itself, or the placement of the box.
5) Are you using the same litter in the old vs the new? If it's the same, then we can assume the litter is not the issue (provided he has not eliminated outside the box before)
6) How often did you clean his old box? How often does the new box clean itself? How often is the bin emptied? Some, if not most, cats are very meticulous about clean boxes, and a solution could be as simple as cleaning it more often.
7) When he pees on "random places" on the floor, can you be more specific? Is it hard floor? Carpet? Have he peed elsewhere, such as clothes, couch or the bed? Is the affected part of the floor near the box? The position of the pee can tell us a little bit about his preferred eliminating spot.

There are 3 possible reasons I can think of based just on general observations of cats' behavior -- again, these may or may not apply to you depending on your answers to the above:

1) Kitty prefers an open box. Enclosed box can trap unpleasant odor, and a cat's sense of smell is so strong that if *we* humans can smell it, they are drowning in it.
2) The self-cleaning box may have a motor that startles kitty, and kitty avoids the box.
3) Kitty is super meticulous about having a clean box, and prefers a "clean" floor after having used the box.
 
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lue9511

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Hello!

Sorry to hear about your cat's litterbox issues. The good news is, it's absolutely fixable! We will need a bit more information to see if we can narrow down the reason for his behavior, and I note a brief reason for each question.

1) How old is he? Older cats may have joint problems. If he has, say, arthritis, he may have difficulty getting into or out of the box sometimes. i am unsure of his exact age but if i had to guess 12 or 13 years old.
2) What was his previous litterbox? Has he had litterbox avoidance before this new one? That helps us see if we can eliminate the litter box change as a reason. he has had a open litter box and a box with a hood and had no issues with them. 
3) How long has he had the new box before the issue first started? You said "a little while". If it was recent, it may indicate the box being the issue. we have had the new box for about a month or so now
4) How did you introduce the new box to him? Some cats are pretty easygoing, and some cats will be stressed with a sudden change in their litter box, either the box itself, or the placement of the box. we put the new box beside the new one and tried to ween him off the old one and use the new one by not cleaning the old one and moving it away from the new one
5) Are you using the same litter in the old vs the new? If it's the same, then we can assume the litter is not the issue (provided he has not eliminated outside the box before). we have been trying different litters and he does not really care at all, when it comes to the type he is not picky
6) How often did you clean his old box? How often does the new box clean itself? How often is the bin emptied? Some, if not most, cats are very meticulous about clean boxes, and a solution could be as simple as cleaning it more often. the new box auto cleans itself as soon as he finishes using it, it has a sensor that whens when he is in there and as soon as he hops out a timer of about 7-20 minutes starts counting down and then it cleans it self, here is a video on their youtube channel of how it works 7) When he pees on "random places" on the floor, can you be more specific? Is it hard floor? Carpet? Have he peed elsewhere, such as clothes, couch or the bed? Is the affected part of the floor near the box? The position of the pee can tell us a little bit about his preferred eliminating spot. its a concrete floor that looks like fake wood flooring and he just goes in a random spot while we are sleeping.

There are 3 possible reasons I can think of based just on general observations of cats' behavior -- again, these may or may not apply to you depending on your answers to the above:

1) Kitty prefers an open box. Enclosed box can trap unpleasant odor, and a cat's sense of smell is so strong that if *we* humans can smell it, they are drowning in it.
2) The self-cleaning box may have a motor that startles kitty, and kitty avoids the box.
3) Kitty is super meticulous about having a clean box, and prefers a "clean" floor after having used the box.
 
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catpack

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Just a few more questions...

When was the last time your cat was seen by a vet?

Has any blood work or a urinalysis ever been done?

How is your cat's mobility?

Have you tried offering his old litter box to see if this fixes the problem?
 
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lue9511

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Just a few more questions...

When was the last time your cat was seen by a vet?
its been a month or so and thats when we found out he has diabetes which we are treating with vetsulin
Has any blood work or a urinalysis ever been done?
yes and he has diabetes if you want i can scan the results and post them here
How is your cat's mobility?
he moves around find has no issues
Have you tried offering his old litter box to see if this fixes the problem?
 
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lue9511

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well he is still peeing on the floor and as much as we dont want to get rid of him cause we do love him and everything, we think he needs to go to someone who can really take care of him, taking him to the vet etc
 

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Please, please don't rehome him. A senior cat with diabetes will be put to sleep.

He is likely peeing because his diabetes is not under control. He may also need an additional litter box.
 

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I agree with talkingpeanut talkingpeanut that it's likely that his diabetes is not under control. It's also possible that stress from everything has lead to a UTI or cystitis.

Has he been seen by the vet to have his sugar check recently?
 
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lue9511

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I agree with @talkingpeanut that it's likely that his diabetes is not under control. It's also possible that stress from everything has lead to a UTI or cystitis.

Has he been seen by the vet to have his sugar check recently?
we keep an eye on his blood surgar and it stays pretty normal now that he is on the vetsulin and the special kitty diabetes pet food, i cannot remember the last reading off the top of my head
 

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we keep an eye on his blood surgar and it stays pretty normal now that he is on the vetsulin and the special kitty diabetes pet food, i cannot remember the last reading off the top of my head
Can you add additional litter boxes? I really think this is an issue of restabilizing him and helping to get him more comfortable again. Rehoming him will be very difficult. I'm very concerned that it will end with him being put to sleep.
 
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lue9511

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also he does pee in the little box but only a little bit and once i saw foam after he peed in the box, but when he pees on the floor its a puddle
 

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also he does pee in the little box but only a little bit and once i saw foam after he peed in the box, but when he pees on the floor its a puddle
It sounds like he needs another vet check.
 
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lue9511

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hey everyone time for a new update, took kit to banfield at petsmart and got a free exam cause he was new, doctor wanted to test his pee but couldnt afford that but she suggested just trying some antibiotics which was cheaper for 7 days and so thats what i am doing now, also thinking of getting a wellness plan for 20 dollars a month but was wondering if anyone here has this and can tell me if it covers his meds for his diabetes or is it discounted etc? and yes he still pees on the floor
 
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lue9511

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i know its only been 4 days but i have tried to use sprays and the cat litter thats supposed to attract him to his box but none have worked and i think its cause of his blood surgar still being high, is there anyone here with a diabetic cat that can tell me what you feed your cat etc? give some advice to get this pee and blood surgar under control
 
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