Our male cat pees only on one spot (on the couch) when we're away for a few days (on vacation), usually three-four days after we've left. We have people visiting daily and taking care of him, incl. thoroughly cleaning his litter box so it's not an issue with sanitation. We've come to the conclusion it's just stress because he's very social and needy. Sadly, there's nothing we can do but put diapers on that spot (luckily, it's only one spot) which are changed every time he does a mess.
Interesting. I'm guessing his pees were on the seat/horizontal part of the couch? This pattern is something I see quite regularly - inappropriate elimination problems starting while people are away. My take on it is that the scooping of the trays is not as regular as when the family is home, so the tray becomes slightly off-putting after a few days, and cats look for other absorbent surfaces - sofa cushions are a classic alternative. Each cat is different though, so this may not apply to your boy!
My poor kitty was having trouble using the litterbox because he was too big to fit when it had a cover. My other cats in the past had no trouble with it, so i didnt connect the dots until years later. I could have saved a lot of headaches and laundry loads if i just thought to take it off! Now i think the only issue is finding a litter box large enough that he doesnt accidentally pee outside of it
Absolutely, small hooded trays can be very off-putting for some cats, and they look for other more "open" alternative spots to pee - like clothes on the floor, your bed, or carpet... Here's a video of how to make a large DIY box for your kitties: ua-cam.com/video/3SeR6FsJ0lQ/v-deo.html
My neutered female (6y/o) cat pees standing up inside the litter box. She begins in a regular squatting and slowly raises her butt while urinating. We had to change to a covered litter box bc the pee ended up from the box out to the floor. Blood work, urine and ultrasound looked good according to the vet and the she told us it's just our cats way to pee. Is there anything else we can check/do/try? Or should we just accept it? :)
If she is going to her litter box to pee like this, and she starts by squatting, it is likely that she is voiding pee, so broadly speaking I'd agree with your vet that this is her "style" of peeing. There could be other explanations though - maybe she is a little sore squatting (pain can be tricky to diagnose), and she stands up before she's finished due to slight discomfort. Or maybe she's not a huge fan of the litter, or a previous pee left in the tray, and wants to get up and going before she's finished. Trial a big open tray like the DIY one in my video, with clean small particle litter, and see if she does the same thing: ua-cam.com/video/3SeR6FsJ0lQ/v-deo.html
My 3yrd old fixed male just started spraying!! I can't stand the smell and I can't find all the spots he's doing it in. He's done it 2x right in front of me. He has lived with the other 2 cats since he was a stray baby he's spoiled rotten mine and my husband's baby always on our laps and not lacking in love and no reason to be stressed! So why did he start this? I have a vet appointment next week but I'll bet money he's just fine. Cats can just be a**holes. I'm just beyond frustrated trying to find the spots and clean them but I still smell it. And if he continues then what I can't bare the thought of getting rid of him but I also can't have my house smelling like cat pee. I spend more on cat pee cleaners,carpet cleaner and deodorizers it's getting out of hand.
Cat pee in your home is so yuck and frustrating isn't it! Without digging in in more detail, my money would either be on emerging tension with the other household cats as he's got older (this may not be noticeable to us humans), or external "threats" from neighbourhood cats, triggering his instinctual marking behaviour.
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Our male cat pees only on one spot (on the couch) when we're away for a few days (on vacation), usually three-four days after we've left. We have people visiting daily and taking care of him, incl. thoroughly cleaning his litter box so it's not an issue with sanitation. We've come to the conclusion it's just stress because he's very social and needy. Sadly, there's nothing we can do but put diapers on that spot (luckily, it's only one spot) which are changed every time he does a mess.
Interesting. I'm guessing his pees were on the seat/horizontal part of the couch? This pattern is something I see quite regularly - inappropriate elimination problems starting while people are away. My take on it is that the scooping of the trays is not as regular as when the family is home, so the tray becomes slightly off-putting after a few days, and cats look for other absorbent surfaces - sofa cushions are a classic alternative. Each cat is different though, so this may not apply to your boy!
My poor kitty was having trouble using the litterbox because he was too big to fit when it had a cover. My other cats in the past had no trouble with it, so i didnt connect the dots until years later. I could have saved a lot of headaches and laundry loads if i just thought to take it off!
Now i think the only issue is finding a litter box large enough that he doesnt accidentally pee outside of it
Absolutely, small hooded trays can be very off-putting for some cats, and they look for other more "open" alternative spots to pee - like clothes on the floor, your bed, or carpet... Here's a video of how to make a large DIY box for your kitties: ua-cam.com/video/3SeR6FsJ0lQ/v-deo.html
What if a cat has been found doing both kinds of outside box urination? 🤔
Great question! You need to combine both approaches: increase desirability of litter boxes, and identify and reduce stressors for the cat.
My neutered female (6y/o) cat pees standing up inside the litter box. She begins in a regular squatting and slowly raises her butt while urinating. We had to change to a covered litter box bc the pee ended up from the box out to the floor. Blood work, urine and ultrasound looked good according to the vet and the she told us it's just our cats way to pee. Is there anything else we can check/do/try? Or should we just accept it? :)
If she is going to her litter box to pee like this, and she starts by squatting, it is likely that she is voiding pee, so broadly speaking I'd agree with your vet that this is her "style" of peeing. There could be other explanations though - maybe she is a little sore squatting (pain can be tricky to diagnose), and she stands up before she's finished due to slight discomfort. Or maybe she's not a huge fan of the litter, or a previous pee left in the tray, and wants to get up and going before she's finished. Trial a big open tray like the DIY one in my video, with clean small particle litter, and see if she does the same thing: ua-cam.com/video/3SeR6FsJ0lQ/v-deo.html
My 3yrd old fixed male just started spraying!! I can't stand the smell and I can't find all the spots he's doing it in. He's done it 2x right in front of me. He has lived with the other 2 cats since he was a stray baby he's spoiled rotten mine and my husband's baby always on our laps and not lacking in love and no reason to be stressed! So why did he start this? I have a vet appointment next week but I'll bet money he's just fine. Cats can just be a**holes. I'm just beyond frustrated trying to find the spots and clean them but I still smell it. And if he continues then what I can't bare the thought of getting rid of him but I also can't have my house smelling like cat pee. I spend more on cat pee cleaners,carpet cleaner and deodorizers it's getting out of hand.
Cat pee in your home is so yuck and frustrating isn't it! Without digging in in more detail, my money would either be on emerging tension with the other household cats as he's got older (this may not be noticeable to us humans), or external "threats" from neighbourhood cats, triggering his instinctual marking behaviour.