My cat is peeing on the floor and walls. What's causing this?

Hi, thanks for using Petcoach! Sometimes underlying medical conditions can become behavioral even after the medical condition is long gone. If Leo hasn't seen a Vet I recommend you take him in for a physical and to have his urine tested. A UTI or crystals in the urine can cause irritation and urgency to urinate. Also, Leo is not neutered. Intact male cats mark and inappropriately urinate more. If there is no underlying medical condition I would ask your Vet to prescribe an antianxiety medication like Prozac. Confine him for 2 weeks and clean the soiled areas well with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle. Put Feliway diffusers in his favorite nap places. When you let him out, keep the doors closed to the rooms he previously soiled in, keep clothes and bags off the floor, use shower curtains or aluminum foil (they don't like the feel on their feet) to cover beds or carpeting. Also environmental enrichment can help indoor cats. I've attached a few links below. I hope this helps! https://www.chewy.com/comfort-zone-feliway-cat-diffuser/dp/49006 https://www.chewy.com/natures-miracle-deep-cleaning-carpet/dp/42132 https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats

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.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Loui. That must be so stressful for you! If he's living with other cats who do not like him, that will stress him out. Most urinary tract "infections" in non-geriatric cats are not caused by bacteria (antibiotics kill bacteria) but inflammation caused by stress. This is called feline idiopathic cystitis. Male cats also seldom have a bacterial cystitis as the urethra is much longer than a female's urethra and therefore bacteria would have to travel much farther to get into the bladder. It could be he has feline idiopathic cystitis, so I would take him into the vet. If he does have it, the vet can prescribe prednisone. It takes the inflammation which in turn takes the pain, and it is also a diuretic which helps flush the bladder. I hope this helps!

It's too early to know. Spraying generally occurs on a vertical surface where as inappropriate urination occurs on a horizontal surface. If Zeno has not yet been checked for a bladder infection, I recommend to have this done to help rule out a medical cause. If the veterinarian thinks this is behavioral, there are a few factors to adjust. Cats are sensitive to the type of litter, size of the box and location of the box. If you have more cats, you need 1 litter box per cat + 1 additional box. You should also have a litter box on every floor of the house. This article discusses different types of litter and litter boxes: https://www.petcoach.co/article/cat-litter-finding-the-right-fit-for-your-cat/ In general though, cats prefer large, uncovered litter boxes, clay-based clumping litter that is scoped every day and a private, quiet location. If you have other cats or dogs, if they can access the litter box, it may cause Zeno to be afraid that he could be trapped in the box. Cats are a prey species in the wild and they still retain those instincts. Clean the soiled areas with a good enzymatic cleanser. This will to get rid of any smells. There are things you can do at home to help to keep Zeno relaxed and that may help to ensure good litter box habits. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with house soiling. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

She may be urinating outside the litter box if she has an infection or bladder stones. I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to do a urinalysis to ensure everything is ok. They will be able to start her on antibiotics if needed. If everything is normal, then I would be more concerned with behavioral. I would definitely get of the drapes. As far as cleaning, I would try to use a deodorizer to help hide her scent. See link below. Clean the wall area the best you can. Unfortunately, you may not be able to get deep into those cracks. You can try q-tips although this may be a little tedious. Some things to try for her behavior is adding additional litter boxes throughout the house especially near where the drapes are that she likes to use. I would also add some feliway diffusers. This is a cat pheromone that will sometimes help calm cats.. It doesn't work on every cat though. Finally, if these don't work, I would talk to you vet about adding in an anti-anxiety medicine like amitryptilline. I have had good success with this to help with inappropriate urination. I hope this helps! One example of a deodorizing enzymatic cleaner:

Urination outside the litterbox and blood in the urine can be caused by stress or behavioural issues, but can also be due to urinary tract infection, crystals in the urine, stones in the urinary tract, toxin ingestion, coagulation disorders, or trauma to the area. Another cause, which you referenced, is idiopathic cystitis or Feline Urinary Tract Disease, which can cause the symptoms you've noticed and can be triggered by stress. It is important that you make an appointment to have Keiko seen by your veterinarian immediately to help determine the cause of his behaviour and to start treatment. If you notice him straining to urinate/unable to produce urine, this is a medical emergency and he should be seen by a vet immediately. Pain medications meant for humans can be very dangerous (and even deadly) for cats, so I do not recommend giving any to Keiko without consulting with your vet. If medical causes are ruled out, it is possible that Keiko is exhibiting signs of stress in his home environment. You can do the following to help make sure Keiko ’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 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, and Feliway Friends, which helps cats get along with each other www.feliway.com/ca_en/Products/FELIWAY-FRIENDS-Diffuser .

I am sorry to hear about Retchi. This is certainly a frustrating problem to deal with. If your cat has not been to the vet to test the urine and ensure we don't have an issue such as bacteria, crystals or inflammation of the bladder, or any concern with kidney disease, then that is your first step. You also want to be sure your litter box situation is ideal. You should have one more litterbox than the number of cats in the house. Ideally we would have litterboxes with covers and without in case your cat prefers one over another, and some cats prefer one substrate over another, so trying a different litter can sometimes help. Keeping the litterbox very clean with daily scooping and then thorough weekly cleaning is also needed. If you are still having issues then an underlying anxiety issue may be the cause. You can try a Feliway Multicat diffuser (plugs into the wall and you may need more than one depending on the size of your house) and a calming supplement such as Zylkene or Composure. If you still have accidents then a prescription medication may be needed from your vet. You can read more about this issue at https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951508