Peeing In Sink

[lre17]

I hope you can help me here. After 62 days with no accidents my little man Oscar just peed in the sink while I was using the same bathroom. He was meowing for love and I gave him a few pats then he jumped up into the sink and started digging at it (but he has done this before just for fun). I thought he was just going to sit down in the sink be nope he peed. I cleaned it up and I called the vet and and waiting for them to call back but in the meantime do you all have any advice. He had crystals back in Nov but is now on a special food for those. He drinks water and is acting like his nutty self. In all honesty I don't really care if he goes in the sink (it is easy enough to clean) but I don't want him starting to go other places as well (like the sofa).
please help-I am legit crying over here

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

You did the right thing to call the vet. I know someone whose cat would use the bathtub. She didn't mind either because she thought it was better than using the floor. But over time, it ruined the finish on the bathtub bottom. Seriously, I hope you can find an easy solution. Once a cat learns to do something, it is hard to change their mind.

 

[lre17]

I did just plug a feliway in near the sink

 

[Brian007]

Why have you got the Feliway? What other behaviour has he had that prompted you to try it. Is this the first time he's been around Feliway? When you say 62 days without accidents, what was going on previously and how did you manage to correct it?

Is Oscar neutered? How old is he? And how long have you had him?

Right then, enough with the question already! Brian used to pee in the bath about half the time, the other time in his litter. I didn't mind him doing it at all, as it was actually kinda helpful. He'd not pee when I was in the bathroom however, and would aim expertly down the plug-hole, so that all I'd find were the odd yellow dribble. I'd shower round my bathtub and put disinfectant down the plug-hole. This has made me think that Oscar did it when he was happy and excited around you in the bathroom, maybe he was caught short and did the only decent thing he could nearby. It's a whole lot better than your carpet, after all.

Please, don't panic and know that you are amongst friends. You must have been terribly frightened when he had crystals last year. I'm pleased to read that he's been treated for them and is drinking. Hopefully, this will either be a one off or a Brian-like thing.

 

[lre17]

When all this started back around thanksgiving he started going outside the box on my bed, sofa and various sinks. The vet came and said I needed to be better about cleaning the box (I was not great about it), add more boxes and get him on urinary health food and I did all that and since then we have been ok (although the boxes are all in the same decent sized room because there is just nowhere else for them.

Oscar and his brother Felix and both 4 and fixed (when I adopted them I was told they were littermates and a bonded pair). They sometimes snuggle and sleep together and they play (no hissing or growling or blood). They also don't actively avoid each other or anything (they will sit together on me or and sleep one on either side of me).

The past few days they seem to have been romping more than normal (mostly felix starting it) and I noticed a few uncovered from pees (normally they are both pretty good about covering). Some were totally uncovered, some were covered and some were half and half I am scared to death right now and hardly breathing. I don't mind him going in the sink I just don't want him to start thinking the whole condo is his litter box. I did prob give him too many treats the past few days (they are the royal canin urinary health kind) could that toss him out of whack? Today I think he tried to pee but it looked like only a bit came out and since then he is sorta sniffed the boxes but not gone in again. Could he have a uti? could it maybe be a fluke-does that ever happen?

thank you all for talking to me I can't stop crying and don't know what to do (I have GAD which doesnt help...)

 

[kskatt]

Trying to pee and not being able to, that is a huge red flag. It does not take long for urine to build up to a toxic level if it doesn't get out. As in crystals. Vet asap.

 

[Brian007]

He peed in the sink though, which is a great thing from a UTI (or crystals, blockage) point of view. And, I don't think that giving him too many treats would effect anything but his waistline.

Could you find somewhere else to squeeze in one of their litter boxes? They say to have one for each cat and one extra but they would manage completely fine with just the two boxes, as long as they were in different places.

Try not to get too stressed out (I know that is easier said than done) because Oscar will pick up on it and it might cause him to become anxious too. I recommend your looking into Cystease, which is made by the Feliway company. It contains L-tryptophan and hyaluronic acid, which would help any possible cystitis and anxiety that might be causing it. It's given for both things either together or separately. I give it to my cat, Dudley, for anxiety. My vet recommended it to me.

 

[lre17]

Trying to pee and not being able to, that is a huge red flag. It does not take long for urine to build up to a toxic level if it doesn't get out. As in crystals. Vet asap.

vet is coming tomorrow at 9am

 

[lre17]

He peed in the sink though, which is a great thing from a UTI (or crystals, blockage) point of view. And, I don't think that giving him too many treats would effect anything but his waistline.

Could you find somewhere else to squeeze in one of their litter boxes? They say to have one for each cat and one extra but they would manage completely fine with just the two boxes, as long as they were in different places.

Try not to get too stressed out (I know that is easier said than done) because Oscar will pick up on it and it might cause him to become anxious too. I recommend your looking into Cystease, which is made by the Feliway company. It contains L-tryptophan and hyaluronic acid, which would help any possible cystitis and anxiety that might be causing it. It's given for both things either together or separately. I give it to my cat, Dudley, for anxiety. My vet recommended it to me.

I already have feliway going-is cystease better/different?

 

[kskatt]

But, how much did he pee in the sink. If he was trying to pee and very little came out, that is a red flag. All I know is, I waited too long with Daddy and he died. It was my first experiense with crystals, yet I feel like I killed Daddy. It's just a very sore subject for me. Now I live by, Better Safe Than Sorry.

 

[kskatt]

You type way faster than I do!

 

[Brian007]

Ask your vet about it tomorrow. It's a completely different thing to Feliway plugs and sprays, which are synthetic cat pheromones that mimic the calming facial scents given from cat to cat. Instead, it contains amino acids and other vitamin type substances that relax the UT muscles and act as anti-anxiety meds for the brain. You can use it as well as the plug-in. The four Cystease ingredients (main one L-tryptophan) are found in a number of other 'cat-calming' treatments and even food, but I think if you just 'googled' the one thing, it might be easier.

I'm pleased that you have the vet coming around at 9am, that's very good of you.

 

[lre17]

But, how much did he pee in the sink. If he was trying to pee and very little came out, that is a red flag. All I know is, I waited too long with Daddy and he died. It was my first experiense with crystals, yet I feel like I killed Daddy. It's just a very sore subject for me. Now I live by, Better Safe Than Sorry.

it was not like a huge amount but I feel like if he had done it in the little box the size of the clump would not have been any cause for alarm

 

[lre17]

Ask your vet about it tomorrow. It's a completely different thing to Feliway plugs and sprays, which are synthetic cat pheromones that mimic the calming facial scents given from cat to cat. Instead, it contains amino acids and other vitamin type substances that relax the UT muscles and act as anti-anxiety meds for the brain. You can use it as well as the plug-in. The four Cystease ingredients (main one L-tryptophan) are found in a number of other 'cat-calming' treatments and even food, but I think if you just 'googled' the one thing, it might be easier.

I'm pleased that you have the vet coming around at 9am, that's very good of you.

is it a pill or a plug in (just want to make sure I'm googling the right thing)

 

[Brian007]

It's a capsule, containing powder that you sprinkle onto wet food.

 

[lre17]

He peed in the sink though, which is a great thing from a UTI (or crystals, blockage) point of view. And, I don't think that giving him too many treats would effect anything but his waistline.

Could you find somewhere else to squeeze in one of their litter boxes? They say to have one for each cat and one extra but they would manage completely fine with just the two boxes, as long as they were in different places.

Try not to get too stressed out (I know that is easier said than done) because Oscar will pick up on it and it might cause him to become anxious too. I recommend your looking into Cystease, which is made by the Feliway company. It contains L-tryptophan and hyaluronic acid, which would help any possible cystitis and anxiety that might be causing it. It's given for both things either together or separately. I give it to my cat, Dudley, for anxiety. My vet recommended it to me.

also for the record they have 5 boxes (they are all scattered about the same room-which is about the size of a small bedroom-could easily fit a desk and single bed) and my apartment is not big/only one floor

 

[lre17]

update-Oscar went in the box and felix was in the room using another box at the same time-that is a good sign right?

 

[Brian007]

Yes, it is good that they both used a box at the same time but that doesn't mean they were happy about it. You could just have one box in that room, if you put another box somewhere else. Then you could use the space left by all the boxes for your own stuff. Five boxes does sound like you're overdoing things for two cats. And it would be easier to keep an eye on two boxes and keep them nice and clean. I have a box in the living room and bedroom as there's no space in the kitchen or bathroom. My boxes are nice and roomy, one is covered and one is open. I've just bought a 'Litter Locker', which is proving most useful to stash the used litter clumps in, and it means my bin no longer wiffs.

Where do you feed and water them? Do not feed and water them in the same room as your litters. Cats like to eat and drink far away from their toilet. They also like to drink in a separate area to their food, and seeing as Oscar has pee problems, I'd definitely recommend your having his water as far from his food as you can. It can be in the same room though. Oscar needs to have as much encouragement to drink as possible.

I hope all goes well with your vet this morning.

 

[lre17]

update-Oscar got a clean bill of health from the vet (she said his urine was "beautiful"). As a bonus while she was here both oscar and felix use their boxes in the same room at the same time and she said their interaction during it was very polite (like men at a urinal were her exact words). so here is hoping it was just a random fluke/oscar trying to be social with me (he is already a social eater to begin with). I can't thank you all enough for taking the time to talk me off the ledge (I know you all have busy lives and better things to do lol). These guys are a lot of first for me (first "grown up" pets, first time having boy cats, first time having 2 cats, and first time not having a safe outdoor space for them) and sometimes (ok most of the the time) I feel like I have no freaking idea what I am doing and having such knowledgeable kind folks to lean on is just a godsend.
also in case you are wondering right now the plan is to do nothing but if he starts to go outside the box in bad places (the sofa etc) we are going to move a box to my bathroom.

 

[Brian007]

Hurray!

I'm so happy for you. Please don't hesitate to ask for advice or support in the future. And, it would be nice if you updated your thread when you're sure that everything has settled down.