What would cause a male cat to pee outside of the litter box?
He is 13 years old (neutered). He is living with another female (same age/spayed).
First time that it happened, he peed on a camping tent that we had used. It was left in the hallway (not assembled of course, but all of it’s parts were laying on the floor). Next time, he peed on a few camping sleep bags. That happened a month later.
A few months later, another male cat peed a little in the bathroom when he had to have a flee bath (poor kitty freaked out because of the water). The mess was cleaned up well, but the 13 year old male ended up peeing over that pee. So, the bathroom door was shut after that.
Fast forward to last night (this is after a good 8 months after the last incident), a brand new camping sleeping bag was used (it was a cold night and the power went out). He slept on that sleeping bag with my partner. Through the night, he got up, jumped onto the bedroom dresser and peed on a pile of clothes.
Is it the camping gear??? Water repellent something or other that’s setting him off? Could it be his age (possibly a urinary tract infection)? My partner hasn’t been home that much and she is notorious for not keeping the litter boxes clean, could it be that? His box too dirty??
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19 Answers
Probably something territorial
He is letting you know that the living conditions you provide are not satisfactory, so he is taking the piss out of the litterbox.
It could be the dirty litter box. It could be something about the smell of the camping gear perhaps. Does it have a smell? Is it possible another cat has been near it? It sounds like territorial behaviour or him telling you he isn’t happy about something. Your partner being away perhaps?
This was a brand new sleeping bag, though. I know that the female has slept on it a couple of times, but it wasn’t near another male.
And yes my partner has been away a lot. Traveling throughout the week for work (home late) and away from home last weekend.
Sometimes, my partner lets the litter boxes get a little nasty, so maybe he’s not happy with that?
I really would like to figure this out. Partner is not happy.
Sometimes only they know what they’re trying to say. I hope you figure it out.
He is due for his shots, so I’ll have the vet check him out, just to be sure that it isn’t a medical issue.
I agree his litter pan is not being cleaned enough.
He watched a TED talk on peeing outside the box.
I would start with making sure that they litterboxes are cleaned every day. There’s no reason to not do it. (We have two cats and two litterboxes. The boxes are cleaned every day.) Then, rule out medical issues. After that, it may be territorial, but I’m not sure how you solve that. This website might have some ideas to help.
Could be any number of things.
A UTI, behavioral/territorial issues, litter box not as clean as he would prefer.
It’s a process of “elimination.” haha
Start with a vet visit for a check for urinary tract infection.
If that checks out then you can assume it is behavioral and either keep the box mega clean, and add another box. Some cats do not like to share their toilet.
My 2 cats share a large covered box and I scoop it 2x daily, morning and night to keep it really nice for them.
Take him to the vet. My boy died because of a blocked urethra and what you describe are early signs of that.
Take him in as soon as possible.
I agree with @XOIIO
Cats and dogs and wolves are territorial. They are marking these spots as there own, especially if there are other cats around.
Her cat is not territorial
This might be way off base, but we don’t really know what they put inside those sleeping bags for stuffing.
It’s quite a mystery in our household as well. The various animals (2 cats and 2 dogs) seem to take it into their heads to randomly pee or defecate in unlikely places.
It sounds like it could be any number of things.
Urinary Tract Infection – one our cats had started peeing on our couch, bed, dog bed and laundry… we found it was a urinary tract infection. Once he was clear of the infection, the unwanted peeing stopped.
Litter Box – he may be less than happy about the change to his litter hygiene. Some cats won’t go in it even if it’s only been used once (and left in the litter). The new condition of his litter may not be up to his standards.
Territorial – this happens often when adding another pet, especially one of the same species, to your home. This is behavioural and much more difficult to deal with. There are deterrent sprays you can try, such as rotten apple and such.
Hopefully your vet can offer some help and advice, since they will see him in person.
Is he also drinking a lot? If so he might be diabetic. Drinking a lot and unable to always make it to the litter box because he is urinating a lot also.
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