I've read a lot of posts about how to address cats peeing outside the litter box. Most recommend checking with the vet for urinary tract problems. (Done that, nothing.) A lot of posts imply the cat *never* uses the litter box. (Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't.)
None of them seem to address the problems we've had, so I thought I'd post some direct questions and see what you guys think.
Here goes...
I got Goober in 2000 and he was my first cat (I was 30 years old, never could have pets growing up due to allergies in the family). So needless to say, I'm quite attached to him. He's a loving, cuddly, funny boy who lives up to his name.
Early on he started peeing outside the box. I got him checked out and sure enough, he had crystals in his pee (though no formal UTI diagnosis). So we gave him antibiotics and started him on the CD dry food (since they didn't get wet food at the time). That cleared up and things were good for a while.
I got a 2nd cat (Stinker, also lives up to his name) and they hashed things out and established that Goober was the Alpha. No peeing problems at all. They quickly became best buds, slept together, cleaned one another, played together, etc.
Over the years, however I started noticing Goober would, once in a while (maybe once a week, once every two weeks), pee on a rug. Never the same rug all the time, but any rug on the floor was a target, once in a while. And he would still use the litter box, too. I had him checked by the vet; no crystals, no UTI. So we figured it was behavioral.
We tried all kinds of modifications to the house; new type of litter, new litter boxes (he needs ones with covers as he pees on the sides of the boxes and therefore needs some coverage to avoid hitting the areas around the box), new litter box location, etc - in short, we tried everything.
Regardless of the situation, where I lived (I moved every 2 years at that point), what was going on, this peeing on rugs continued. Once in a while he'd pee in my dirty clothes/laundry basket. Or if a towel was left on the floor. Or if company came over and left their coat on a chair.
It started getting worse. He seemed to just be peeing on stuff for fun then. And he was still using the litter box. I couldn't make out any rhyme or reason.
Then I got married and we moved in together. My partner had a manx, named Cujo (also appropriately named, though a female) and all hell broke loose. Cujo hated everyone, including me. (It's been 4 years now and she's just started curling up to me at night, but she's also medicated on Lorazipam.) At this point, Goober and Stinker started a "I'm going to be the Alpha now" war and both started marking all over the house. Which made sense, as it was originally Cujo's house. But which was frustrating, as Cujo was clearly not going to reliquish the Alpha title.
As an aside... Goober is VERY interested in Cujo and always is trying to smell her and be near her - even inching toward her until she gives her warning growls - and if Cujo were to allow it, I think he'd love to be her best friend. There's no attempt by Goober to dominate her physically with posturing or with his approach. Stinker, however, corners her and tries to dominate her - and she actually submits to him, tough with much hissing and spitting and weeping and gnashing of teeth.
We got each their own litter box, but they'd share and swap. Cujo is allowed outside, but my boys weren't. (They had been declawed and I didn't want them getting in fights with the racoons.) We also did a remodel which took up a large portion of the house, and all 5 of us were confined to 3 rooms for about 6 months.
I don't hold anything against any of them during those 6 months. It was stressful for us all.
However now after the remodel, things have changed yet again.
Once the remodel was completed we let them pick their own territory in the house. The living room was off limits to both boys as they continued to pee on the leather chairs. Cujo is the only one given access to the entire house, though we have various 'zones' created by closed doors, so she needs one of us to let her in and out of the zones.
Goober was given the upstairs bedroom and bathroom. Stinker was given the downstairs family room, kitchen, office and laundry room.
Stinker has become the most amazing, best kitty, no marking (sometimes he pees on the outside of the domed litter box, which is my warning that things are getting messy inside), much more friendly (as if that was possible). But he's stopped all his marking.
Goober, however, has gotten worse.
He'll pee on any rug on the floor. He'll pee on the dirty clothes you just discarded on the floor while you're showering. He'll pee on the drapes (while hanging on the wall). And he'll pee in his own bed. And now he's peed on our bed.
We've been giving all the cats wet food, and my boys both get only the Vet-prescribed CD (dry during the day and wet at night). Goober is also getting a small dose of the Lorazipam to try to ease his anxiety, but it doesn't seem to have any effect.
We've tried giving the antibiotics (in case there's any undetected UTI) and the stress of dosing him is more aggravating to him. Plus it doesn't seem to be effective. The vet recently gave him a subcutaneous antibiotic (that lasts two weeks) and we did seem to have a respite in the peeing, however it's started back up again.
We've tried the Kitty Prozac. No luck. (Pills and liquid meds really stress him out, and that anxiety seems to counteract anything the medication may be doing to relax him.) We've tried the FeliWay products. He just peed on them. (Yeah, that's a good idea... introduce a 4th pheromone into the house!!)
And so, we come to the present day.
Goober is currently in solitary confinement in a small 1/2 bathroom with only his bed, food/water, and the litter box. We're trying the retraining technique as a last resort as my partner has once again resumed the "I think it's time to get rid of him" comments.
The thought of that (along with his crying from behind the bathroom door) breaks my heart.
So, good readers, I turn to you for any advice/help you may have to offer.
None of them seem to address the problems we've had, so I thought I'd post some direct questions and see what you guys think.
Here goes...
I got Goober in 2000 and he was my first cat (I was 30 years old, never could have pets growing up due to allergies in the family). So needless to say, I'm quite attached to him. He's a loving, cuddly, funny boy who lives up to his name.
Early on he started peeing outside the box. I got him checked out and sure enough, he had crystals in his pee (though no formal UTI diagnosis). So we gave him antibiotics and started him on the CD dry food (since they didn't get wet food at the time). That cleared up and things were good for a while.
I got a 2nd cat (Stinker, also lives up to his name) and they hashed things out and established that Goober was the Alpha. No peeing problems at all. They quickly became best buds, slept together, cleaned one another, played together, etc.
Over the years, however I started noticing Goober would, once in a while (maybe once a week, once every two weeks), pee on a rug. Never the same rug all the time, but any rug on the floor was a target, once in a while. And he would still use the litter box, too. I had him checked by the vet; no crystals, no UTI. So we figured it was behavioral.
We tried all kinds of modifications to the house; new type of litter, new litter boxes (he needs ones with covers as he pees on the sides of the boxes and therefore needs some coverage to avoid hitting the areas around the box), new litter box location, etc - in short, we tried everything.
Regardless of the situation, where I lived (I moved every 2 years at that point), what was going on, this peeing on rugs continued. Once in a while he'd pee in my dirty clothes/laundry basket. Or if a towel was left on the floor. Or if company came over and left their coat on a chair.
It started getting worse. He seemed to just be peeing on stuff for fun then. And he was still using the litter box. I couldn't make out any rhyme or reason.
Then I got married and we moved in together. My partner had a manx, named Cujo (also appropriately named, though a female) and all hell broke loose. Cujo hated everyone, including me. (It's been 4 years now and she's just started curling up to me at night, but she's also medicated on Lorazipam.) At this point, Goober and Stinker started a "I'm going to be the Alpha now" war and both started marking all over the house. Which made sense, as it was originally Cujo's house. But which was frustrating, as Cujo was clearly not going to reliquish the Alpha title.
As an aside... Goober is VERY interested in Cujo and always is trying to smell her and be near her - even inching toward her until she gives her warning growls - and if Cujo were to allow it, I think he'd love to be her best friend. There's no attempt by Goober to dominate her physically with posturing or with his approach. Stinker, however, corners her and tries to dominate her - and she actually submits to him, tough with much hissing and spitting and weeping and gnashing of teeth.
We got each their own litter box, but they'd share and swap. Cujo is allowed outside, but my boys weren't. (They had been declawed and I didn't want them getting in fights with the racoons.) We also did a remodel which took up a large portion of the house, and all 5 of us were confined to 3 rooms for about 6 months.
I don't hold anything against any of them during those 6 months. It was stressful for us all.
However now after the remodel, things have changed yet again.
Once the remodel was completed we let them pick their own territory in the house. The living room was off limits to both boys as they continued to pee on the leather chairs. Cujo is the only one given access to the entire house, though we have various 'zones' created by closed doors, so she needs one of us to let her in and out of the zones.
Goober was given the upstairs bedroom and bathroom. Stinker was given the downstairs family room, kitchen, office and laundry room.
Stinker has become the most amazing, best kitty, no marking (sometimes he pees on the outside of the domed litter box, which is my warning that things are getting messy inside), much more friendly (as if that was possible). But he's stopped all his marking.
Goober, however, has gotten worse.
He'll pee on any rug on the floor. He'll pee on the dirty clothes you just discarded on the floor while you're showering. He'll pee on the drapes (while hanging on the wall). And he'll pee in his own bed. And now he's peed on our bed.
We've been giving all the cats wet food, and my boys both get only the Vet-prescribed CD (dry during the day and wet at night). Goober is also getting a small dose of the Lorazipam to try to ease his anxiety, but it doesn't seem to have any effect.
We've tried giving the antibiotics (in case there's any undetected UTI) and the stress of dosing him is more aggravating to him. Plus it doesn't seem to be effective. The vet recently gave him a subcutaneous antibiotic (that lasts two weeks) and we did seem to have a respite in the peeing, however it's started back up again.
We've tried the Kitty Prozac. No luck. (Pills and liquid meds really stress him out, and that anxiety seems to counteract anything the medication may be doing to relax him.) We've tried the FeliWay products. He just peed on them. (Yeah, that's a good idea... introduce a 4th pheromone into the house!!)
And so, we come to the present day.
Goober is currently in solitary confinement in a small 1/2 bathroom with only his bed, food/water, and the litter box. We're trying the retraining technique as a last resort as my partner has once again resumed the "I think it's time to get rid of him" comments.
The thought of that (along with his crying from behind the bathroom door) breaks my heart.
So, good readers, I turn to you for any advice/help you may have to offer.