Won’t Pee In The Box Consistently...

[MyMaineCoons]

Hello, I’m new to the site & have been reading lots of helpful threads, yet none quite match my experience. I’m hoping someone has an idea I haven’t thought of, and maybe also help others out there!

I have 2 Maine Coons, not related, but together since they were about 6 months old. They have their moments, but mostly they are fine together. They are both 14, male & female, in excellent health. I’ve started them on semi-annual check-ups w/ senior blood profiles & urinalysis.

I have not changed a thing about my cats’ daily routines - absolutely nothing I can think of.

A month ago, my female started peeing in our foyer. We have marble tiles throughout our open-area apartment w/ large Oriental area rugs. Thankfully, she has only peed on the bare floors, except for 1 incident on the foyer Oriental. She only does it at night. She pees in the boxes during the day & poops as well. I’ve noticed she is out verbalizing (not meowing, “talking”) in the middle of the night, & invariably, I find the mess in the morning.

I immediately took her to the vet, who specializes in cats, & she tested for UTI, bladder stones & kidney stones. All were normal.

I’m listing everything I’ve tried so far:

1. New litter boxes
2. Cleaning refuse out multiple times a day (have always done that)
3. Feliway diffuser for marking/anxiety near the litter boxes
4. Low light left on in litter box area at all times
5. Spraying Pet Organics No Mark all around areas where she’s peeing
5. Mixing Cat Attract litter in w/ regular litter a little at a time so she doesn’t reject it outright
6. Putting up barriers where she’s peeing (hanging pieces of foil like Tibetan banner flags across entrance to favorite pee area!)
7. Putting aluminum foil all around perimeters & in middle of area (like an obstacle course!); I’ve tried putting it flat & also “tenting” multiple pieces all over the chosen area
8. Buying rubber mesh cabinet liner & criss-crossing it w/ double-sided tape, together with scratchy floor mats uncomfortable for her to walk on, also taped
9. Spraying 4 Paws Keep Off! &/or Pet Organics No Stay! In all affected areas
10. Using every enzyme-based cat pee cleaner I can find at Petco & Amazon; have also tried home remedies, like vinegar and water
11. Stink Finder black light & The Stink Free Odor Remover kit to make sure no traces are left behind
12. Steam cleaned the floors

I have 2 Scat Mats coming in next few days (another $100 spent)...

Nothing is working. She manages to find some small spot between the foil obstacles. She’s peed ON the rubber & scratchy mats, somehow avoiding the sticky tape. She walks right through the hanging foil banners. Obviously, foil does’t faze her! I close all doors where I can, but our living area is all open.

She is actually up’ing the ante, & peeing in 2 separate areas the last few nights, so I doubt the Scat Mats will solve the problem. They might keep her away from wherever I put them, but it’s pretty obvious she will just find another spot in our apartment. I’m really worried she might start going on my Orientals. I can’t take them up, & can’t use most of the cleaning aids on them - they will be ruined!

Our apartment is starting to smell funky in spite of my best efforts & with all the barriers and foil & rubber mats (now soon Scat Mats), there’s no room for us!

Can anybody help???

 

[Ardina]

What kind of boxes are you using? Have you tried one with a low-sided entrance in case she's developing arthritis? Covered vs uncovered?

 

[MyMaineCoons]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply...yes, thought of that too. New boxes are same as old ones - both have the little dip in the front so they can walk right in. One box is “regular” rectangle standard litter box & the other is actually designed for indoor small dogs, so quite large - but Maine Coons are big cats
Both boxes are uncovered. Using same litter they “chose” along the way. I put down a thin layer of Nature’s Miracle Natural Care, which is very fine, soft & made from corn, but still clumps. I then layer Petco’s unscented litter on top & let the cats “mix” the layers as they use the boxes. Been doing that for 14 yrs! The boxes are side by side on the back wall of the laundry room. They can see who’s coming, yet it’s quiet & out of the way. I leave a 40w light on a high shelf on 24/7...

 

[MyMaineCoons]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply...yes, thought of that too. New boxes are same as old ones - both have the little dip in the front so they can walk right in. One box is “regular” rectangle standard litter box & the other is actually designed for indoor small dogs, so quite large - but Maine Coons are big cats
Both boxes are uncovered. Using same litter they “chose” along the way. I put down a thin layer of Nature’s Miracle Natural Care, which is very fine, soft & made from corn, but still clumps. I then layer Petco’s unscented litter on top & let the cats “mix” the layers as they use the boxes. Been doing that for 14 yrs! The boxes are side by side on the back wall of the laundry room. They can see who’s coming, yet it’s quiet & out of the way. I leave a 40w light on a high shelf on 24/7...

Also, Varying amounts of Cat Attract haven’t made a bit of difference in a month...

 

[susanm9006]

Is there any possibility she is smelling other cats outside your entry door?

 

[MyMaineCoons]

No, I don’t think so. We live in a high rise, w/ 2 units per floor. No one lives next door. You can hear a dog barking several floors down.. I think the owner leaves him & he sits in the foyer & barks.. They are only here seasonally. I was thinking my cat might be marking because she hears the dog, but she is not spraying, just peeing. Plus, she is peeing in the night & the dog barks during the day.

We leave the low light on in the laundry. You can see well enough throughout the apartment at night w/ it on.

I’m discouraged. I used the black light around my living area & the foyer, and she’s peed in multiple places. She has never done this before, in 14 yrs. She has occasionally peed in our tub or in the guest bath, but never multiple times a night, every night.

Her blood profile was normal end of July, and she has no UTI, bladder or kidney issues beginning of November. The vet’s assistant even mistakenly ran an X-ray of her kidneys, which I was hesitating on due to cost & lack of any indication there was a problem.. . so I got the benefit of those results too. Nothing...

 

[susanm9006]

I am just wondering given her age whether your cat is suffering from dementia. Cats with it can howl, wander and in some cases break litter training. It is something to discuss with your vet. Have you tried cat confining her at night? Maybe if you do this for a while it may break her pattern.

 

[MyMaineCoons]

She doesn’t howl & while she does get up in the night, I think she is just eating/drinking, not wandering. She always comes back to her bed (they sleep in our room in their own beds). Her behavior & habits are completely normal otherwise.

I unfortunately don’t have anyplace to confine her easily, except a small bathroom. But then I’m sure she will be crying & pulling on the door all night long & my husband will go bananas...

Incidentally, I’ve spent hours today & right up till now on my hands & knees scrubbing every inch of grout, using a combo of antibacterial floor cleaner & a bit of bleach diluted w/ water, then using my Shark floor steamer to go over it again. I was getting all traces of pee up using my black light.

While eating a late dinner, she went over and left an enormous puddle where the floor wasn’t even dry yet! She’s not used the boxes all day - I’ve kept checking.

This is accelerating like crazy! I don’t get it!