Why is my 13-year-old male cat peeing on the carpet after moving?

Hello, thank you for your question. Inappropriate elimination can be a sign of few possible underlying conditions. One possibility is that your car has a UTI, this is more common in female cats but does occur in males. Another possibility is that your cat could have bladder stones. Stones are very irritating and cause discomfort especially when trying to urinate. A third possibility is that your cat has a stress condition called FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease). This condition is common in young male cats who live indoors. A stressful event in their environment leads to inflammation and the symptoms you are seeing. I would recommend having your cat seen by your veterinarian so that they can check for a UTI. They will likely collect a urine sample and look for signs of infection. If there are no signs of a UTI they can discuss FLUTD more with you and go through management options. Hope this helps, good luck!

Causes of urination outside the box can be urinary tract infection, crystals in the urine, stones in the urinary tract, trauma to the area, or difficulty getting into the litterbox due to pain, or other reasons. It is important that you make an appointment to have Moon seen by your veterinarian as soon as you can to help determine the cause of his behaviour and to start treatment. If you notice his straining to urinate/unable to produce urine, this is a medical emergency and she should be seen by a vet immediately. I highly recommend speaking to your vet about having Moon neutered, as this kind of behaviour can happen in male cats as a form of marking behaviour, and sometimes having them neutered can help reduce or eliminate the marking. It is also possible that Moon is exhibiting signs of stress in his home environment. You can do the following to help make sure Moon’s environmental needs are being met. Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 , healthcareforpets.com and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com.

Causes of urination outside the box can be urinary tract infection, crystals in the urine, stones in the urinary tract, trauma to the area, or difficulty getting into the litterbox due to pain, or other reasons. It is important that you make an appointment to have Jinx seen by your veterinarian as soon as you can to help determine the cause of his behaviour and to start treatment. If you notice his straining to urinate/unable to produce urine, this is a medical emergency and she should be seen by a vet immediately. In an unneutered male cat like Jinx, it may be that he is starting to mark around the house, in which case having him neutered may help. This will also help prevent him from getting your other cat pregnant. It is also possible that Jinx is exhibiting signs of stress in his home environment. You can do the following to help make sure Jinx’s environmental needs are being met: Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 , healthcareforpets.com and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic phisomone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com. Try an enzymatic cleaner like Nature’s Miracle on the areas where he has accidents to help with the smell and staining. Good luck!

I'm so sorry that you are having such problems with Kitty. I am imagine how frustrating this is for you. Since these problems started with the move, stress may be playing a role. One option for decreasing stress is to add a Feliway Diffuser ( https://www.feliway.com/us#redirected ) to your house. This is a calming pheromone that will work for a month. I have also had luck with Rescue Remedy ( http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ ) which can be added to the water. Hover, there are a large number of reasons that a cat will inappropriately urinate and defecate (urinate and defecate outside the litter box) and stress may be only one of the reasons. I am attaching a handout below which discusses this in detail. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=633 The first step in figuring out why a cat is urinating outside the litter box is to have your veterinarian do an examination and get a urine sample to evaluate for a medical reason. If that is normal, then we need to look at other possibilities. The handout above discusses litter box issues that can play a role. Make sure you have at least 2 litter boxes (if Kitty is the only cat), they are not covered or lined, and are cleaned daily. You may also want to try products like Cat Attract Litter (https://www.drelseys.com/shop/cat-attract/). If your veterinarian cannot find a medical reason and all litter box issues have been dealt with, then it may be time to discuss medication with your veterinarian. Medications are also discussed in the handout above. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that you can figure out what's going on with Kitty. Thanks for using PetCoach.

If all four of your cats are definitely urinating on the carpet it is probably a behavioral issue, however occasionally one cat will have a medical issue like cystitis (a very common bladder disease in cats) and that cat's inappropriate urination will cause other cats to urinate in the same spot. I would recommend monitoring the cats in the litter box as much as possible to make sure no cat seems to be straining to urinate or going more frequently. If you have seen any blood in the urine all four cats should be evaluated by a veterinarian. If this is a behavioral problem there are some changes you can try to make at home. You should have at least 5 litter boxes, and it would be ideal to place one close to where they have been soiling the carpet. Many cats like to use a large, shallow box like an under the bed storage container. Even though you haven't changed the litter you could still try Cat Attract litter to see if it helps. You should scoop the boxes twice a day. You could put a pheromone diffuser like Feliway near the boxes and the area where they are urinating on the carpet. Be sure to clean the carpet well with an enzymatic cleaner and confirm that it is clean with a black light. House soiling can be extremely frustrating (I know from experience!) so don't hesitate to call your veterinarian for additional advice as well. Good luck!

It maybe a urinary infection. If this goes untreated it can lead to an obstruction and acute kidney failure. I would have your vet make sure there is no medical reason such as that causing it. If all is normal it is behavioral. Just because nothing new has happened inside, does not mean something new is not happening outside. There may a new cat or other animal that is stressing yours or scaring yours and you will have to look into identifying that and removing it

Poor Jaguar! In an older cat like this, the most common cause of urinating in inappropriate places is a medical problem such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or chronic kidney disease. He may also have a bladder infection or bladder stones causing this issue. Many of these problems are quite treatable, but he would definitely need to see a vet in order to have some testing done and get a diagnosis first. If costs are an issue, you can check to see if there is a low-cost SPCA clinic in your area that could help, or a vet clinic that would accept payments. You could also apply online for Care Credit, which is a payment plan accepted by most vet practices: www.carecredit.com