I’ve had multiple cats for years with nary a problem with peeing outside the box. I arrogantly laughed at friends who would report that their cat got mad at them and pissed in the middle of the bed. My situation is not that bad yet, but I would like to solve the problem before it gets to that!
FORGIVE ME THIS IS REALLY LONG! But I’m trying to provide as much detail as possible.
We have a dog and four cats, all acquired at various times. We’ve never had problems beyond a day or two’s worth of barking and hissing when introducing a new family member, and we have no obvious conflicts between any of the pets - they all get along and there are several pairs of super-best-buddies that will groom and cuddle and play with each other.
The newest addition was Georgette, back in October. She was my in-law’s cat but they couldn’t take her when they moved so we brought her to stay with us. She’s the oldest of the cats, probably more than 10, and was outdoor/indoor for all her life. My mother-in-law didn’t think she would adjust well to being indoor-only with us, but she was an angel.
About a two months ago I noticed a bloody puddle of urine on the basement floor, about a foot and a half from the litter box. A quick survey of the house revealed obvious pee spots on the cat beds and cushions and around another litter box on the second story. Based on age, her prior medical history, and other symptoms (suddenly the obsessive licking of her abdomen and inner thighs made sense!), I guessed it was Georgette and got her into the vet at the next available appointment, terrified she was going to die of a urinary blockage in the day I had to wait. I was correct in my guess - she had crystals in her urine. A switch to prescription food greatly reduced the crystals and eliminated the incontinent dripping on beds and cushions. She still doesn’t drink nearly enough water, so I’ve taken to mooshing water into her food and we got a cat fountain.
We had a good month or so thinking the problem was entirely solved, but then we started finding puddles right next to Georgette’s preferred litter box (the one on the second floor.) She’s still on the food, and we did another urine test that showed the crystals were still much reduced. I experimented with different styles of litterbox in that location, but when the problem continued I decided not to risk continued puddles on the hardwood floor and cleaned that room, removed the box, and shut the door, blocking all cat access.
We had two more litter boxes already in the house, so to make up for removing that one I added one more box to the rooms that already had them, bringing us up to four - two in the basement and two in our computer room. The basement floor is tile and the computer room is carpet. I’ve always had plastic carpet runner under all the boxes, and I added puppy pads for good measure. Georgette spent a night isolated in the computer room so she would have to use a box other than her preferred one, which she did successfully. This was about two weeks ago, and we have never had any accidents in that room at any time. Even Thursday and Friday, when we had work being done on the house and all four cats stayed in that room all day while the workers came and went. The boxes were foul, but no accidents!
The main problem has now moved to the basement box(es). Someone is peeing right next to the boxes (as in, the puddle is so close that the cat had to be right up against the side of the box), which are right next to each other (BTW, I use big rubbermaid totes as boxes.) It’s not an everyday occurrence, and I’ve witnessed each cat recently peeing in a box, so I know they are all capable of appropriate elimination, but I haven’t caught the problem child in the act. I’m less concerned about the basement floor being permanently damaged than I was the hardwood; it’s old-school vinyl tile, with carpet runner and puppy pads between the floor in the box. I clean accidents on the tile and plastic with Nature’s Miracle, and its easy to switch out the pads - but I’d rather not have to do all this.
Do I assume the problem pee-er is Georgette, who got into bad habits and associations while she was sick? Do I try to discover if one of the others has developed urinary problems (the others drink much more readily than Georgette, and they started getting wet food too when Georgette got sick in order to prevent them from developing problems too)?
I’ve considered that someone may have developed a hard surface preference, since there has never been an accident around the carpeted box, only wood and tile. I may get a cheap throw rug to put under the basement boxes. I’m also planning to isolate each cat for a few days at a time to see if I can positively identify the culprit. I know Georgette has urinary issues. And as soon as I cleaned up today’s mess (which I know happened within a two hour span - no pee the first time I went in the basement this morning, pee two hours later), one of the others jumped in the box and peed a nice healthy stream, so I’m thinking he’s innocent. I have two males and two females, all fixed.
I’m looking for suggestions and advice I haven’t considered. I’m willing to haul them all into the vet, but I’d like to save myself the hassle by identifying the culprit. And if it’s behavioral and not medical, I’ll try whatever I can to fix it. I’m frustrated by the constant clean-up but I’m not angry - whichever kitty it is just needs help. I can’t hold it against them if they are sick or stressed.
I love Cobweb’s markings, and what a cute name for a cat!
