Diabetic cat consistently peeing in the floor but pooping in the box. Anyone relate?

[Lisa Lisa Lisa]

Hello,
My newly diagnosed kitty almost always pees on the floor. I learned that this could be because of his diabetes being undiagnosed for so long. He has been on insulin for about a month now.

We were away for a bit and had a house sitter doing his tests and injections, so if you look at his charts, there are no mid day tests for awhile as it was a lot to ask of the sitter.

Anyhow, is this normal for a diabetic kitty to be peeing on the floor consistently? He always poops in his litter box and I make sure to check it and scoop it multiple times a day. He has 3 boxes to choose from as well….

it is so tiring cleaning up his urine everyday, it’s ruining my rugs and floors and it smells horrible. Does anyone have experience or advice for this? Will it get better once his BG numbers start to stabilize?

thanks so much everyone!

 

[Rosie Lass]

Hello,
My newly diagnosed kitty almost always pees on the floor. I learned that this could be because of his diabetes being undiagnosed for so long. He has been on insulin for about a month now.

We were away for a bit and had a house sitter doing his tests and injections, so if you look at his charts, there are no mid day tests for awhile as it was a lot to ask of the sitter.

Anyhow, is this normal for a diabetic kitty to be peeing on the floor consistently? He always poops in his litter box and I make sure to check it and scoop it multiple times a day. He has 3 boxes to choose from as well….

it is so tiring cleaning up his urine everyday, it’s ruining my rugs and floors and it smells horrible. Does anyone have experience or advice for this? Will it get better once his BG numbers start to stabilize?

thanks so much everyone!

I have a non-diabetic girl who will poop in the pan, but not pee, so I have puppy pads placed around the cat pans. You might try that until you can get it figured out.

 

[CORKY]

Hello,
My newly diagnosed kitty almost always pees on the floor. I learned that this could be because of his diabetes being undiagnosed for so long. He has been on insulin for about a month now.

We were away for a bit and had a house sitter doing his tests and injections, so if you look at his charts, there are no mid day tests for awhile as it was a lot to ask of the sitter.

Anyhow, is this normal for a diabetic kitty to be peeing on the floor consistently? He always poops in his litter box and I make sure to check it and scoop it multiple times a day. He has 3 boxes to choose from as well….

it is so tiring cleaning up his urine everyday, it’s ruining my rugs and floors and it smells horrible. Does anyone have experience or advice for this? Will it get better once his BG numbers start to stabilize?

thanks so much everyone!

Sorry t hear what you are going thru with you cat urinating outside the box, the best home cleanser for that is Vinegar, also there's a new product called Phooph, safe for plants food and pets it works!!!!! or perhaps too many litter boxes is confusing to him/her hope this helps

 

[Kara & Ember]

has he had any urinalysis done lately to rule out a possible UTI type issue? or has he had one recently?
One thing that my vet suggested for my girl when she stopped pooping in the box that she was associating the box with the discomfort she had when she was constipated and to try feliway diffusers near the boxes, or to try adding a new/different box with a diffuser nearby to try and fix that association.

Not sure if it's relevant here, but would recommend getting that ruled out if possible.

When did he start doing this? Do you think it's possibly related to your absence or did it start before you were gone?

 

[Lisa Lisa Lisa]

Hi all,
Thank you so much for your input!

Oscar has been doing this for years. He is prone to urinary tract infections and was put on a special urinary tract food years ago to help prevent him from getting UTIs. When he was diagnosed with diabetes, he was taken off that food and moved to Friskies due to its low carb content. He also did have a urinalysis done when he was diagnosed.

I was told that once his diabetes was being managed, he should stop drinking so much water and his urinary habits should improve. I haven’t seen any improvement at all and it almost seems worse as he use to at least sometimes pee in the litter box.

I am currently using old cookie sheets with puppy pads underneath. He sometimes pees in them, but more often than not he just pees on the floor where ever he pleases.

I know he can get into the litter box without issue as he goes in it to poop. He is 17 years old, so no spring chicken, but he is surprisingly spry and active considering and he is on that monthly pain shot. (I can’t remember what it is called of the top of my head)

thanks again everyone for your support and suggestions!!

 

[Jay75]

Hello,
My newly diagnosed kitty almost always pees on the floor. I learned that this could be because of his diabetes being undiagnosed for so long. He has been on insulin for about a month now.

We were away for a bit and had a house sitter doing his tests and injections, so if you look at his charts, there are no mid day tests for awhile as it was a lot to ask of the sitter.

Anyhow, is this normal for a diabetic kitty to be peeing on the floor consistently? He always poops in his litter box and I make sure to check it and scoop it multiple times a day. He has 3 boxes to choose from as well….

it is so tiring cleaning up his urine everyday, it’s ruining my rugs and floors and it smells horrible. Does anyone have experience or advice for this? Will it get better once his BG numbers start to stabilize?

thanks so much everyone!

Yes, this is exactly what I'm going through. I was putting pee pads down, but she would go right on the edge. So I bought an under the sink silicone mat to used to catch water, nice big lip about 1 1/2 inches. Makes clean up much easier, bought some Shammys to save on paper towel usage. Before diagnosis it was always, after treatment its just sometimes. The most frustrating is when she'll walk almost all the way in, but leave one foot out, and then start peeing, only to come out, walk in fully and go poop. Cats ‍

 

[JL and Chip]

Pooping in the box but peeing outside the box isn’t all that uncommon. Often it’s a sign of a medical issue(s), sometimes it has become a habit even after a medical issue has resolved, sometimes it’s a problem with the location/placement/contents of the box, sometimes it’s something else. Almost always the cat is communicating something to us, the trick being that we need to figure out what they’re saying. It’s rarely the cat being “defiant” or naughty or bad (they’re just not built that way).

At minimum, I’d rule out a UTI, review where your litter boxes are located and perhaps add a few more (being sure to have at least one litter box on each story of your home), make sure the boxes are readily assessable and not next to scary noises or high-traffic areas, and try Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract litter.

Here is some reading from a vet who used to post here.

Litter box:
https://catinfo.org/the-litter-box-from-your-cats-point-of-view/

Urinary tract diseases:
https://catinfo.org/feline-urinary-tract-diseases/

You’ll also want to clean carpets and surfaces with an enzyme-based cleaner, such as Mr Max Anti Icky Poo or something similar. Cats can smell what we cannot and residual odor can draw them back to the same locations.

Some cats are also “elevator pee-ers” and lift their backsides as they pee, or back up to the edge of the box, both resulting in accidentally peeing over the edge (although it doesn’t sound like that might be the problem here if your cat pees “anywhere.”)

Underpads, such as those used for humans (Walmart has them in the pharmacy section) can be a lifesaver to contain the mess. They don’t have the pheromones that puppy pads have in them, so you won’t be accidentally attracting them to pee on the pad.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. I think peeing outside the box is probably the #1 reason cats are relinquished to shelters, sadly. Hopefully you can find solutions that work.

 

[SmallestSparrow]

I echo the concerns re uti. Pooping in the box means he knows where he should go, and can get in there. (Not all diabetic cats can—-many lack muscle strength to hop in and out)
Peeing not in the box makes me think either he doesn’t have time to make it there (which can happen because bladder too full bc diabetes) or it hurts when he pees in the box so he’s trying to find a place where it doesn’t hurt to pee.
Since diabetes can get uti’s more easily, and infections make it harder to control diabetes, if he were my boy I’d get a urinalysis done.

edit: if nothing medical found, I used Dr Elseys litter attract before when I had a 21 yo girl get a little senile and for me it worked. It can’t be used with scented litters or those that have their own scent (pine, cedar). Idk what’s in it but I’ve recommended it to friends whose cats developed a hit or miss habit and it also worked for them.

 

[CORKY]

I echo the concerns re uti. Pooping in the box means he knows where he should go, and can get in there. (Not all diabetic cats can—-many lack muscle strength to hop in and out)
Peeing not in the box makes me think either he doesn’t have time to make it there (which can happen because bladder too full bc diabetes) or it hurts when he pees in the box so he’s trying to find a place where it doesn’t hurt to pee.
Since diabetes can get uti’s more easily, and infections make it harder to control diabetes, if he were my boy I’d get a urinalysis done.

edit: if nothing medical found, I used Dr Elseys litter attract before when I had a 21 yo girl get a little senile and for me it worked. It can’t be used with scented litters or those that have their own scent (pine, cedar). Idk what’s in it but I’ve recommended it to friends whose cats developed a hit or miss habit and it also worked for them.

The Pretty litter also comes unscented