Repeated urination outside of tray

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Tom & Monty

Tom & Monty

Member Since 2020
Hi there,

My cat, Monty, was diagnosed with diabetes about 6 weeks ago. We discovered this because he had a bladder problem and urinated blood around my apartment.

Since then he occasionally revisits the same two spots (carpet) to urinate and I'm running out of ideas to stop him doing this. What I've tried:

1. generic carpet cleaner on the area (he peed again)
2. enzyme cleaner on the area (peed again)
3. locking him out of one of the rooms for a few days (was fine for a day then peed in the same spot)
4. placing plastic bags over the area to discourage him standing there (he peed on the bags)

I'm about to try a second round of enzyme spray and I've thoroughly washed the skirting boards.

My assumptions about the root cause for this is him thinking "yeah this area right here is a toilet now".

Some background information: he isn't yet stable, we started him on 2IU twice daily and following a blood test 2 weeks after this the vet had me switch to 2.5IU. He is still drinking a lot more water than he used to so I suspect it might need to be higher.

We tried our first glucose curve today. I was perhaps too ambitious to believe I could go from never having measured his glucose levels to doing a full curve. The first 3 attempts I made to get blood from his ear, my partner held him whilst I rubbed his ear and then pricked with a lancet and either we didn't get enough blood or he wiggled too much and escaped. The fourth time I've attempted it today I soothed him beforehand and gave him a small (diabetic safe) treat, warmed his ear with a rice sock and then used the lancet and he let me do it! Unfortunately I still didn't get enough blood but I'm counting progress as a win, I'll keep trying each 2 hours until his evening meal tonight.

Until I can measure his glucose levels myself at home I can't rule out that he's peeing on the floor because he's both drinking tons and feeling crappy because of bad glucose numbers.

Any advice here? Do I just need to accept that he's going to keep peeing on the floor until he's stable?
 
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Hmmm sometimes cats will equate pain (ie crystals) with their litter box so they avoid it. But since your kitty is using both in and out of the box, I'm GUESSING its more behavioral. I'm no way an expert. There will be more suggestions coming. I'm thinking once you get him more regulated and feeling better this could stop. Then again...we never know.
Hang in there for better responses than mine and WELCOME to the best site on the planet for helping you HELP your kitty!
 
There's a couple things to consider if he's still going outside the litter box. Check with the vet, make sure he does not have a UTI hanging on. Urinary tract infections can be stubborn, and on occasion might need more than one round of antibiotics.

If he is diabetic, he could be having a little neuropathy going on in his back legs. Does he jump up on things less than he used to? Walk on his back hocks instead of just his feet? Ever have litter caked in his back feet? If you see any of these signs, having a litter box with one side cut down may help, as he might simply be having trouble getting into the box.

Of all the cats I've had, I've never had one pee outside the box out of habit. There's always been an underlying issue. I've had them do it because of UTI, diabetes, and one that was simply very picky about the cleanliness of the box, and she's pee outside it if it wasn't up to her standards. However, if it is behavioral, there's a couple things you could try. You could put puppy training pads in those two spots. Then, if you need to test for ketones, you put the pad down plastic side up and easily get a urine sample. If you want to try to change the behavior, put a litter box over every spot he pees. Leave them there for a month. Then try taking up the extra boxes and see if he goes to the one that's left.
 
Also, if you are using the enzyme cleaner, make sure the area is saturated. If you can find it in a concentrate form, use it full strength. It needs to get to the pad in order to remove all of the smell.

I buy the concentrate I use from a store that sells janitorial supplies. I think you can also find it on Amazon, but it is more expensive.
 
Pretty much what everyone has already said. Cats have a long memory and incidents of crystals, UTI etc. will trigger a litter box=pain response.
We have five now and have had as many as nine which further complicates things. Some cats are very private and some don't care who is watching. Just like a dirty washroom stall they'll often pick another, then another, then go somewhere else in desperation. I can scrape our boxes and fill them with fresh litter and Daniel will still pee AND poop somewhere else right in front of me, no shame.
Think of anything else that could be annoying him, an ingrown nail, dental problems etc. Sometimes they're just trying to tell you something.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I've called my vet and she's said peeing on the floor isn't alarming enough that I need to bring him in any earlier than next Friday when I have an appointment anyway but if I'm very concerned I can bring her a urine sample earlier.

I've also bought some Dr Elseys litter additive, however I live in London so it will take a week to arrive (on top of some impressive shipping and import fees!).
 
Please test your cat's urine for ketones. Ketones are a byproduct of fat and muscle breakdown when a diabetic cat is not eating enough food, not getting enough insulin, has an infection or inflammation such as a UTI. That possible UTI could be what is causing your cat to pee outside the litter box.

Daily ketone testing is a good idea. Better safe than sorry. Ketone test strips should be available at your chemist/pharmacy/drugstore.
Fresh urine sample is needed for testing.
 
It was called Simple Solution Attractant Cat Litter but I don’t think it really worked. I have bought some Feliway plug ins and she’s not weed anywhere since apart from the outside her litter tray which I can cope with!
 
I finally found a solution for my cat who often goes outside his box. He seems to prefer peeing on cloth/ smooth surfaces, and will pee in the other cat's beds, my bed, the couch, etc. I now keep a couple of litter boxes around the house with pee pads in them. I line the pan with paper towels first, to sop up any pee that spill under the pad. He will NOT go on a pee pad alone or on a flat surface-- it has to be in a litter box. This seems to satisfy his both instinct to use a box and his need to avoid peeing in litter. Oddly, he will still use the litter box for pooping and has only pooped one time on a pee pad. I've heard long haired cats have more aversions to litter-- maybe because the wet litter clumps more around their bottom and gets stuck in their paws. My cat never learned to properly cover his potty-- he scratches on the outside of the box instead of the litter. Maybe another sign that he hates the feel of it.
 
Same thing here. If the litter is shallow they have the satisfaction of seeing it on top and knowing it's buried at the bottom. Too deep and the "bottom" seems too far down. I've wondered about getting a child's plastic splash pond but all our cats seem to prefer their own box and I definitely don't want to reach too far over and fall in the deep end. No lifeguard on duty! :( Besides that an above ground pool is in poor taste, next thing you know we'll have a giant trampoline. There goes the neighborhood!
Beach closed, shark sightings.
 
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