Please Help!!! Litter Box Problems!!

[Bcaserta]

Hi all!
I've posted about this before and tried the suggestions but still no luck! I have a 3 year old female tabby that keeps peeing on my bed! I took her to the vet and had a full workup TWICE! They did a blood test and urine analysis and everything came back normal. She has been peeing on my bed since October. (However I did do a self test kit I got on Amazon and it came back high ph but the vet disregarded it) She poops and sometimes pees in her litter box but has definitely developed a habit of peeing on the bed almost daily. I have tried everything, multiple litter boxes, different litter, calming sprays, positive reinforcement after litter box use, putting a shower liner on my bed, keeping her out of my bedroom during the day (She just finds a blanket to pee on in the living room), cat attract litter, and I thoroughly clean the bed everytime! I am going crazy. I will never ever surrender her but this is getting out of hand. I have no idea what to do to the point where I break down and cry because I'm cleaning up urine on my furniture every single day. My furniture can't be her litter box but I have officially run out of ideas. Any ideas are very much appreciated. TIA!

 

[duckpond]

my first suggestion is to find a different vet. If the vet did not address the high ph results you got, either by explaining why its not a problem, or taking steps to correct the problem then i would find someone else.

As im sure you know, it is often a sign of a urinary problem. I would find a different vet. have her checked well, and talk to the vet about the high ph test. If no infection or crystals, nothing the vet can find then maybe talk to the vet about stress medications? I have read several places that anti anxiety medications can help.

What do you feed? dry food, wet food, or a mix? high protein and low carb cat food, especially wet food will sometimes balance the ph of the urine. a lot of plant material in the food can make the urine higher ph. But again, i would want to address this with the vet. Alkaline urine can lead to URI and crystal formations.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If you find that her health checks out, this may be a hold-over behavior from a previous UTI when urinating was painful and she associated the pain with the box. You may have some success if you go to a totally different-looking litter box, and a new litter. But the first step is making SURE there isn't a physical reason still lurking around.

Absolutely, I agree with duckpond 's recommendation that you consider a second opinion. It is such peace of mind to find a vet who is responsive to your cat's needs, AND to your needs and questions! And it can certainly be a life saver! Should you decide to seek out another vet, here are some articles that will help you assess the situation:

How To Choose The Best Veterinarian For My Cat?
How To Talk To Your Vet
Cat Vet Checkup - What To Expect

 

[Bcaserta]

The second appointment with the vet was at a different facility and new vet but still everything came back healthy. She currently eats wet and dry, both Blue Buffalo brand.

my first suggestion is to find a different vet. If the vet did not address the high ph results you got, either by explaining why its not a problem, or taking steps to correct the problem then i would find someone else.

As im sure you know, it is often a sign of a urinary problem. I would find a different vet. have her checked well, and talk to the vet about the high ph test. If no infection or crystals, nothing the vet can find then maybe talk to the vet about stress medications? I have read several places that anti anxiety medications can help.

What do you feed? dry food, wet food, or a mix? high protein and low carb cat food, especially wet food will sometimes balance the ph of the urine. a lot of plant material in the food can make the urine higher ph. But again, i would want to address this with the vet. Alkaline urine can lead to URI and crystal formations.

 

[duckpond]

The second appointment with the vet was at a different facility and new vet but still everything came back healthy. She currently eats wet and dry, both Blue Buffalo brand.

I might suggest trying a different brand of food? I might not switch both at once, but either the dry or the wet try a different brand, if you intend to continue with dry.

With wet it is normally easier to switch them over to new brands all at once, for some reason. Its all just hear say, but there has been a lot of bad reviews on Blue and cats with urinary issues. I don't know if there is anything too it or not. A lot of people feed blue, and have no issues what so ever. And i dont want to trash a brand. Its just a suggestion i thought i should throw out there.

 

[rubysmama]

So sorry you're dealing with this.

Did anything change in October that might have brought on this behaviour? New people? Different working hours. Also, is she an only pet?

 

[Bcaserta]

Do you have any suggestions for food? She is a very finnicky eater. Only eats tuna flavor wet food and salmon flavored dry food!

I might suggest trying a different brand of food? I might not switch both at once, but either the dry or the wet try a different brand, if you intend to continue with dry.

With wet it is normally easier to switch them over to new brands all at once, for some reason. Its all just hear say, but there has been a lot of bad reviews on Blue and cats with urinary issues. I don't know if there is anything too it or not. A lot of people feed blue, and have no issues what so ever. And i dont want to trash a brand. Its just a suggestion i thought i should throw out there.

 

[George?]

Did anything change in October that might have brought on this behaviour? New people? Different working hours. Also, is she an only pet?

This. ^ Peeing on a bed in particular is generally a way to comfort oneself by mixing one's scent with one's human's scent. Could there be changes in the household that might have brought in the need for extra comfort and that special sort of urine-stank unity?

As has also been stated, your kitty might have had urinary issues in October that resolved themselves but left her with some litter-related trauma. If Cat Attract isn't working, have you tried lining the boxes with old nasty towels instead? She seems to want to pee on fabric. If she doesn't get into the box to pee on the towel, you could also try laying towels on the floor around the box so she doesn't have to step into the thing (a temporary measure until you can help her change her mind about the box itself). If you do the towels-on-the-floor thing, I recommend putting puppy pads down under them in case the pee soaks through. That way, it won't get to your floor.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Actually, if she is looking for somewhere soft to pee, puppy pads in the box might do it.

 

[George?]

Actually, if she is looking for somewhere soft to pee, puppy pads in the box might do it.

That occurred to me, too, but if she's a digger, she'd tear right through them.

 

[IVNO]

Do you have any suggestions for food? She is a very finnicky eater. Only eats tuna flavor wet food and salmon flavored dry food!

I had tried so many brands for my cat. Either she wouldn't touch it, or just wouldn't eat more than a few bites. I came across people on here recommending merrick's. So i tried it out, and it's the only food she will clean off a plate.

 

[lre17]

I would try food formulated for cats with high PH. High PH can making peeing be painful for kitties!
my boys eat this stuff (they started after one of my boys was was having some issues with the box) Feline Multifunction Urinary + Calm wet cat food | Royal Canin Veterinary Diet

 

[Mamanyt1953]

That very well may work, but make sure of your cat's Ph first, don't want to bottom it out.