Standing only!

[sibbell]

Sasha has decided that she only wants to pee when standing up. She happily uses the box to poop, but doesn't want to pee there. Nothing wrong with her, all checked out at the vet, litter box scrupulously clean. She is allowed out in the garden during the day for a few hours (she was declawed - not by me) so is not an outside cat, and has her favorite spots to pee out there which she loves. I open the back door and she races out! She used to use the boxes in the house (one on every floor), but no longer - it used to be that she would pee by my bed, so I lock her out of my bedroom at night - when I did that she used the boxes, but that only worked for a few days, now she likes the side of the sofa!!
I am diligently cleaning the areas where she goes with Natures Own and have switched the boxes to cat attract litter. Someone told me that de-clawed cats have a tendency not to use the litter box, wish I had known, but it's too late now and I wouldn't change her for a second. Just a bit (lot!) frustrating.

 

[ducman69]

If a declawed cat is given inappropriate litter immediate post surgery, it can cause pain if the litter impacts the surgical site, and cats associate that with the litterbox.

That would affect both urination AND deification, so is unlikely, and litterbox avoidance w/ declawed cats is not common and pretty immediately obvious.

A UTI at some point is more likely, as cats when bending down are more likely to associate that with the pain, and seek out comforting and often cooling places to pee and/or stand up depending on what they imagined is responsible for what hurt. Its possible if the cat was going outside for its business, you may just have missed subtle signs such as straining, amount of urine released per attempt, or minute amounts of blood and it may have cleared up on its own by now (or a proper specific test wasn't run at the vet and it perhaps still persists) but the memory remains... all I can think of.

I'd cut out the going out business, and in fact restrict poor Sasha to a single room and retrain litterbox habits from scratch paying close attention to frequency and volume of movements. A kitty-proofed masterbath might be best (easier to clean if there are accidents and usually have a window and what not at least). It may seem mean, but shelter and even some foster cats stay in much more confined spaces than that. If you have covered litterboxes, I'd try uncovered and visa versa. Once reliable potty habits are established, then let her back out.

 

[ritz]

You know, the first thing I'd do--while waiting to see the vet-is getting a tall rubbermaid-type container, 14" inches or higher. Cut a hole in it for easy access (or, not, depending upon your cat). Put same litter in it as you now use. Get rid of the other litter box. See what happens.
Ritz pees standing up sometimes, albeit always in the litter box. It's just a quirk of hers.

 

[ducman69]

Not a bad idea, but I usually suggest on any litterbox change to put the new one NEXT to the old one for a while. Let em volunteer on the new one, then after a week or so toss the old one.

 

[ritz]

Yes, good idea about the two litter boxes next to each other. Let the cat think he/she is in control for once (hah, hah....)