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[sikora]

I love my pets.  I really do.  However, I have kitty, my Detroit baby, who has developed a peeing problem.  She's been treated for bladder infections, but she still likes to use the floor, and my dirty laundry. But Friday as I went looking for a slip to wear with my interview suit, I found she had peed in my lingerie drawer.  Doing my laundry Saturday, I found she had ruined two of my white tees, from Talbots.  Then last night, I realized she peed on my body pillow (ruining it), and MY BED.  That was it.  In a fit of rage, I grabbed her up, and threw her out the front door.  She's an outdoor cat now, and if she can't adjust, she's, sadly, going to get a lethal injection.

I am looking forward to a room that doesn't smell like the cat kennel at the pound (which, btw, is at 200% capacity for cats, so no place for stinky there!).

occ

[belleoftheball]

I have sympathy for you. I put up with a pee-er for many, many years. I loved the cat, and I hated the idea of putting animals to sleep for what seemed like a "convenience" reason, but I was at my wits end. After trying multiple environmental changes and behavioral modification techniques, my vet decided that the cat was just "anxious" and needed meds. (This was the third vet I brought the cat to, and he was the most willing to try out every possible solution he could think of.)

Alas, even the strong drugs didn't work.

I couldn't allow the cat to be an outdoor animal where I lived, but I was lucky enough to find somebody else who could keep the cat as an outdoor pet. I was so grateful, because I had finally gotten to the breaking point and was ready to have the poor thing put to sleep.

Before you do anything drastic, go back to the vet again and see what suggestions they have. If the vet doesn't have many ideas, get a second opinion. There are many, many tactics to try before you resort to putting the cat to sleep.

Best of luck.

[erictho]

Sorry to hear about your cat / pee problems. You mentioned that your cat had been treated for a bladder infection. Sometimes, after such a problem, a cat needs to be "retrained" to use the litter box. Have you tried locking the cat in a room with a litterbox to get the cat used to using the box again? Please talk to your vet about the infection, retraining, and other issues before you resort to the final solution. Good luck.

[sikora]

We've tried a lot of things.  I just can't have a cat peeing in my bed.  She's outdoors now. 

occ

[larryc]

I believe you can make an animal available for adoption at http://www.petfinder.com/ .

I broke our cat's indoor peeing problem by doing literally every recommendation I could find on the internet all at the same time. I put the cat on antibiotics, added two more litterboxes to the house, treated the pee ares with Nature's Miracle, added a water fountain water dish, and gave the cat more cuddle/petting time every day. The problem with this approach is that I have no idea what it was that made the difference.

Also--three months later the problem may be returning, so I am also contemplating http://www.petfinder.com/ .

[dr_dre]

When my cats have had peeing issues, they have routinely peed on soft goods--blankets, clothes, etc. By closing drawers, not leaving clothes on the floor, and putting away laundry, we were able to redirect the problem pee habits. Any cat who peed on my bed would no longer be allowed in the bedroom.

[infopri]

Obscure, is this the same cat who was peeing inappropriately awhile back?  If so, might this be stress peeing?  (Didn't you move recently?)  I hope you'll try larryc's advice; while I completely understand and sympathize with your motivation, not all cats can survive as outdoor kitties, especially after living inside with their humans.

In any case, good luck to both of you.

[sikora]

No, I haven't moved.  But I can't let her in again.  There are things that I cannot change in my house, and she probably needs a new home.  I have another cat, and then there's the dog. 

Inappropriate urination is the leading reason pet cats are euthanized. 

occ

[prytania3]

My cats are pretty much indoor/outdoor cats, though one is more indoor than the other. Anyway, if the other isn't allowed to go outside, he will pee all over everything, but he is fine being inside as long as he has plenty of outdoor time to sleep under the hedges.

Your cat might do fine as an outside cat.

[infopri]

My cats are indoor/outdoor too, pry.  I think obscure has made her peeing cat a totally outdoor cat.

And yes, she might do just fine.  Some do, some don't.  Obscure, I'm glad you didn't have to move!  But that does shoot down my theory. 

Has she ever been an indoor/outdoor cat, or only an indoor cat (before now)?  I ask because my two guys never pee indoors anymore, even in their boxes (they did when they were much younger).  They prefer the outdoors.  (If only my dogs shared the preference!)  Is that something worth trying with yours, or did she already have the outdoors available to her?

[big_giant_head]

My SIL had a cat with this problem and was able to solve it with an antidepressant. 

I don't know the name of it, but it's one that people use, too.  The vet told her it wasn't available as a gel, but when SIL asked around at pharmacies, she was able to find one to formulate it that way.  She has not had a problem since.

If you can afford it, please try this as a solution.  (The advantage of the gel is that you just rub it on the inside of the cat's ear; no struggle with giving her a pill.) 

[rizzy]

I know what it feels like to find stuff that is peed on and it is not fun.  When it rains it pours -- on top of the job search and everything else you do not need this right now.

I have a wonderful cat who also is an indoor peer.  She is a famale cat and my other cat is male.  My theory is that she does it when the male cat becomes most territorial and starts to bully her.  I believe it is her feline way of marking her own space and possessing objects.

The problem isn't as bad now as it was, though if my husband leaves a black bag on the floor for, say, a month, there's a good chance it would probably get peed upon.  Very occasionally I will be in the house and smell that smell and go on a vinegar tear around the area, but this has only happened twice in the past year.

My cats used to be outdoor cats but now are indoor cats.  Now that both stay inside the problem has mostly gone away.  The cats have divided the house and he gets the top floor and she the bottom floor.  Plenty of love, closet doors shut, no compartments they can crawl into left open, ever, lord help us the standoff will continue.

[bibliothecula]

My family had a cat that did this. She'd been spayed late (she came to us as a pregnant stray) and the operation had not gone well--she leaked everywhere. She was relegated to the basement and outside, and she did just fine there.

[rowan1]

one of the challenges of placing a cat that has a pee issue is that many times the humane society will not take them if that is the reason you are getting rid of them.

I had a cat with the same problem, we did everything to address it; retrained for the litterbox, anti depressants, limited where she could be in the house, extra attention, chagned her food, you name it, we tried it - outdoor living was the only option we didn't try because she was old and clawless and that felt like a sure fire way to get her hurt and cause her to suffer.  Unfortunately for us the boyo was getting to the crawling stage and in addition to the peeing issue she was also defacating all over.  We searched for some one to adopt her and finally had to choose between baby getting into cat s*** or the cat.  It broke my heart to have her put down, but she was also 15 and had a heart murmur so I knew she had lived a long life.  It still sucked beyond belief.

My sympathies, it is a very aggravating problem and one reason we are holding off getting another cat for a while.

[zarathustra]

Funny you should post this today.  My male cat (neutered late) does the same thing.

 He would pee standing upright, which is supposed to be different from peeing but not using the litterbox (more like squatting), as a bladder infection might induce.  He was peeing/spraying b/c my other cat had cancer and that naturally made him anxious.  I also put him outside (after he peed on a brand new couch and peed on something different on the hour for 4 hours straight) but man, he howled soooo loudly. I thought for sure my neighbors would complain.

Did all the same things people above suggested, plus I added another litter box.

He's back inside now but today he peed in the kitchen right in front of me!  I'm hoping it's just b/c we have a visiting cat here. 

Has anyone tried the feline pheremone sprays (like Feliaway)?