Help with Cat problem- I can't stand this!

[Angelicarboreals]

Okay, here is the story....hopefully someone on the forum with cat background can help. I am tearing my hair out!!!!!!!!!

My husband has a fourteen year old cat that he has had since he was a vet tech several years ago. Originally, it lived with him and his first wife but when they divorced he could no longer keep him due to living places where there were no pets allowed or roommate situations where the roommate had a dog that would kill cats. The cat went to live with Rick's mom where it has been for the past eight years. When we got married he begged me to let the cat come and live with us but I told him absolutely not. We had moved back into my tiny trailer due to financial issues and we were squished enough as it was without adding any more animals. Plus, there my bird room did not have a door and I was worried about cat plus birds.

Last month we moved into his great grandfather's condo after he passed and Rick started again with the idea of the cat coming to live with us. I finally relented- I wasn't crazy about the cat idea with the birds here, it seemed like a great way to have to constantly worry about the guys being out on playstands and not even being able to leave them unsupervised on them to even go to the bathroom for two minutes. But, I really didn't think I had a good validation anymore- especially since my husband has been great about the birds here and will be taking care of them while I am gone.

The cat is very old, fourteen and has horrible digestive issues. Any treats, table food, or even changing his cat food makes him throw up. (He was eating cheap meow mix and I wanted him to have something better but we are back to meow mix for now.) It seems like I spend more time cleaning up cat vomit these days than bird poop. And of course, unlike bird poop that I can control where it is, the cat throws up under the bed, behind a sofa, etc. which makes for interesting clean up. We do not have a landlord per say because his grandfather is letting us live here rent free until I get out of military training. But, I can't have issues with animals tearing up the place because very soon we will have a landlord again.

So I have been a good sport about this. Until today.

I came home from Vegas Saturday night and the cat boxes are in our laundry room near our back door. I walked past the cat boxes and into our living room and immediately it smelled worse than what the laundry room did. I even commented to my husband that it smelled like a cat box in here. He told me had been cleaning them out every other day and I looked at them. Clean litter. I spent the weekend trying to figure out how to get the smell gone- I would be so embarrassed to have company over and it smell like cat pee. I was stumped- the box was clean, the garbage in the laundry room was thrown out (where cat boxes get dumped).

This morning I get up, and go make coffee. Came to the computer and sat down. A few minutes later I hear a slight sssssssssssss sound and out of the corner of my eye I see our male cat crouched down on my $200 shag rug peeing. I LOST it. I went and got carpet cleaner out from under the sink, and because the rug is shag and a deep maroon I flip it up at an angle to see where the wet spot is........and see several large yellow tinted stains on the backing of the rug, where cat urine had seeped through so obviously he has been doing this a while. I put my nose to the rug (ew, I know ) and the same smell I first noticed when I came home is coming from this rug. A rug, that is probably garbage now.

So, my questions are this:

First, are the stains removable? I don't care what it takes to get them out, I don't want to have to trash this rug but I am worried that it will have to happen. The rug is a good three foot wide and five feet long and about 1/4 of it has cat urine stains in various places. There are other throw rugs around our house but so far the only urine spots I have found is here.

Second, now that this has started, can we get him to stop? I told my husband that the bedroom door is going to have to stay shut now, to be honest I am scared I now have to worry about him peeing on blankets, couches, our bed....etc.

Rick's mom made no mention of the digestive issues until we asked her about it, and I have a feeling that she would not have told us about any bathroom issues he had either fearing we wouldn't take him.

I love animals, but I am fastidious about cleaning and this is not going to work for me.

 

[rikkitikki]

I guess as far as the rug goes, if you're able to soak it with an enzymatic cleaner, like Nature's Miracle (and I do mean soak - I expect the pee spots to actually be bigger than the stain, by quite a bit), let it dry - this is supposed to break up the pee, as in break up the compounds so it is no longer pee. Then I would send the rug to a cleaners to have it professionally cleaned. Maybe someone else has a better idea?

 

[Coco's Momma]

Wow - hugs to you - I know this is difficult. I can add one thing that if it is an actual stain (as opposed to the pee taking the color out of the carpet), then the best thing I have found for a spot cleaner I list below. This has actually taken black raspberry stain out of an upholstered footstool, so I have great faith in it. The deal is, though, that you need to use it in a well ventilated area away from the birds, etc.

Equal parts of the following ingredients in a spray bottle:
1. Water
2. Rubbing Alcohol
3. Non-sudsing clear ammonia.

I suggest mixing it in a spray bottle that has never been used for anything else, and then clearly marking it as to the contents. And it is crucial not to mix it with any other chemicals or spray it if teh carpet it wet from some other product. A little goes a long way, and depending on the stain, add 'elbow grease'. I have not yet come across something that it did not work on, including clothing stains. Obviously, ammonia is ammonia, and due caution is a must because it is a strong chemical. But this concoction (given to me by a wise, elderly woman), has worked to get out stains that nothing else worked on. And don't worry about the 'smell'... it won't smell like ammonia when you're done. It actually neutralizes any remaining odors in the fabric/carpet. When I saw it take out the raspberry stains, I was sold. But with the raspberries, it took two applications and a little extra elbow grease. But raspberries are raspberries, so I wasn't expecting it to work at all.

 

[Theresa]

This is the recipe I used when my daughters cat peed on her bed Cat Urine: Clean & Remove Cat Urine in Carpet• FREE Recipe it worked

BTW this saved the mattress, if it had not worked I would have tossed it out.

 

[Magic]

i had the same problem with my old cat doing this same thing when they get older i was told by the vet that there kidneys start to have problems and some times start failing she told me that the only thing i could honeslty do was keep the cat in a room with tile flooring or cage the cat in a big cat condo cage . i tryed the tile floor in a room and soon she begain to flood the cat box and floor with pee so unfortently i had no choice in the matter and had to cage her .

 

[Mystics Mom]

cats have many reasons for peeing out of liter box number 1 reason being health related,when they are not feeling well especially urinary problems they will seek other areas to pee..your cat needs a blood work up to see what is going on..it may have urinary problems and need to go on meds and a special diet.We had a cat doing the same thing took a while to get it straightened out but we finally did..hope this helps

 

[Wasabisaurus]

He needs to be seen by a vet to rule out medical problems. It is not normal for everything to make a cat vomit and pee all over. Something's wrong.

As for the urinating, he did pee outside the litter pan at your MIL's? Sounds like he was. I was thinking maybe he did not the litter you are using, but if he made the same mess at MIL's, the litter would not be the problem. I was thinking that maybe it is behavioral, in that he is upset by the move from MIL's to your place. But again, he was peeing at MIL's too, right? That may contribute, but in your case, I don't think it is the cause. Do you know how long he has been peeing outside the pan at MIL's? Was he vomiting there too?

What about the location of the litter box at your place? Is it in a quiet are? If not, he may want to do his business in an area with less noise. How long has he been messing outside of the litter pan and how long has he been getting sick at your place?

I am not a vet or a tech, but I've had a cats a long time and I have been through lots of problems with my cats. In my experience, the cat is either peeing because he is sick and stressed or he is marking territory. However, you don't have a second cat to 'compete' with over territory, so maybe that's not it. I don't know how to deter territorial marking. But again, I doubt that's it. The enzymatic cleaner sounds it is worth a try. I would clean or get that rug cleaned and don't let the cat back on it. It may feel like a good place to pee, especially if the feel of the litter is chafing his body. He does not poop on it? Has he ever used the litter pan?

If he is vomiting all the time and peeing all the time, he'll get dehydrated. Male cats are prone to urinary tract infection and problems with their boy parts.

All in all, get the cat to a vet. It very much sounds like a medical problem to me. I'd bet on it. Good luck.

 

[KimKimWilliamson]

cats have many reasons for peeing out of liter box number 1 reason being health related,when they are not feeling well especially urinary problems they will seek other areas to pee..your cat needs a blood work up to see what is going on..it may have urinary problems and need to go on meds and a special diet.We had a cat doing the same thing took a while to get it straightened out but we finally did..hope this helps

Agreed! When sick cats come in to the clinic where I work, often times the first things owner noticed is the cat started unrinating in unlikely places.
At that age, your kitty is probably in renal failure, or affected by some other age related disease and is losing control of his/her bladder.
Consider a vet check....your husband used to be a vet tech, he should be able to identify the signs of renal failure or something else.......so he wont complain.......

 

[rikkitikki]

Great points, especially with the litter. Didn't even think of that, some cats are picky and will only use a certain kind of litter, smell can have something to do with it as well. I do agree with everyone else, the vomitting certainly is not normal, is it possible that he has allergies to something in the food? Unfortunately, as I'm sure you're aware, Meow Mix is a low quality, fortified Hamburger Helper/Mac 'n Cheese equivalent and difficult for a cat to survive on for a lifetime (part of the reason they're able to make it so affordable). I completely understand that choices do have to be made sometimes when on a budget, and it is always a difficult decision where necessary money goes (and sometimes as we all know, decisions are made for you).
Do consider the cost of decent quality food vs cost of vet visits as a result of food being eaten into the equation.
I'm very sorry that you're having to deal with this, older pets can be time/financially consuming, though as you are acutely aware, they're the ones that need our love and care the most because it's all they know, and what they'll remember during their remaining time with us.

-btw, if he's peeing in inappropriate places due to health issues, the yes! it most definitely can be stopped! Now that's some good news

He needs to be seen by a vet to rule out medical problems. It is not normal for everything to make a cat vomit and pee all over. Something's wrong.

As for the urinating, he did pee outside the litter pan at your MIL's? Sounds like he was. I was thinking maybe he did not the litter you are using, but if he made the same mess at MIL's, the litter would not be the problem. I was thinking that maybe it is behavioral, in that he is upset by the move from MIL's to your place. But again, he was peeing at MIL's too, right? That may contribute, but in your case, I don't think it is the cause. Do you know how long he has been peeing outside the pan at MIL's? Was he vomiting there too?

What about the location of the litter box at your place? Is it in a quiet are? If not, he may want to do his business in an area with less noise. How long has he been messing outside of the litter pan and how long has he been getting sick at your place?

I am not a vet or a tech, but I've had a cats a long time and I have been through lots of problems with my cats. In my experience, the cat is either peeing because he is sick and stressed or he is marking territory. However, you don't have a second cat to 'compete' with over territory, so maybe that's not it. I don't know how to deter territorial marking. But again, I doubt that's it. The enzymatic cleaner sounds it is worth a try. I would clean or get that rug cleaned and don't let the cat back on it. It may feel like a good place to pee, especially if the feel of the litter is chafing his body. He does not poop on it? Has he ever used the litter pan?

If he is vomiting all the time and peeing all the time, he'll get dehydrated. Male cats are prone to urinary tract infection and problems with their boy parts.

All in all, get the cat to a vet. It very much sounds like a medical problem to me. I'd bet on it. Good luck.

 

[andor]

I have no useful advice on the cat situation, but I've read that cat pee odors can be neutralized by putting whatever smells out in the sun for a bit. No idea if this is true or not.

 

[Anne & Gang]

I agree, we had an old old cat..17 1/2 when she died...she started peeing in odd spots..and then not peeing at all...a vet visit concluded she was in renal failure...we were told to bring her home..she wasnt in pain..that we wo uld know when she needed to retu rn...it was a week.

 

[rocabird]

It can be tough having a cat with a litter box problem. I had a Persian that had problems and now my cat Pyro. Some hints to help

• As several people suggested a vet check is important to rule out any health reasons otherwise you will be banging your head against the wall. Cats will associate pain of urinating or defecating with the litterbox itself and so avoid it. That was Pyro's problem, he had intestinal problems which fortunately we were able to help by switching to canned food. Kidney problems, UTIs, thyroid conditions, diabetes even cognitive dysfunction are some health reasons that are sometimes diagnosed based on urinary problems
  
• Use something that neutralizes pet urine for cleaning up accidents and use it before you use a rug cleaner. There are different products on the market, some people have luck with 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water. You may want to test a product in hidden spot on the rug to make sure it doesn't affect the color. Soak up as much urine as possible before applying the neutralizer. I take a stack of paper towels and put something heavy on them. Then apply the neutralizer as directed. Don't soak up the neutralizer, let it dry on it's own as it needs time to work. I would be very reluctant to use anything with ammonia in it to clean up urine because cat urine has ammonia in it. You want to remove the odor so they don't go back to the spot and ammonia cleaner will just keep the ammonia odor there.
• If there isn't any health reasons, look at the boxes. Unscented cat litter is best. There is a litter called Cat Attract that helps some cats with litter box problems. Covered boxes tend to keep odors even when clean which turns many cats off (think portapotty) so if you have covered boxes try an open box. The boxes should be in a quiet spot where there isn't much people traffic. Older cats can have problems with arthritis so may have problems getting into some boxes. They may also need a box that is convenient for them when they are in another part of the house.
  
• Make the area they were going in not attractive for pottying or inaccessible. Putting their food there can help since cats don't want to mess where their meal is can help. Or move something there temporarily while you work on this issue.
  

Sorry I got long winded, I know how frustrating litterbox problems can be! Pyro's problem started when he was young. Along with a diet change, I used positive reinforcement to get him back into the litter box habit. I picked him up periodically through out the day and put him in the box, keeping him in there while petting him and giving him treats so he'd associate the box with good things. Occasionally he would decide he had to go to the bathroom (sometimes with a little help by me palpating for his bladder) and he would get lots of treats and pets. Now he seems to make sure I catch him in the box just so he gets a treat.

 

[Lobby]

I have to agree with a vet trip. We had a cat that had no problem urinating in the box but she left "tootsie rolls" every where. Vets said it was behavioral but I was never convinced. Mandy was a large cat almost 19lbs. When we tried to put her on a diet she would find ways to steal Stinker's food no matter what we did. Stinker weighs 8lbs, maybe 8.2 soaking wet and she is a long hair. I was afraid a diet would kill Stinker. We lost Mandy less than a yr latter of an enlarged heart. My wife was convinced it was from the tainted cat food that was from around then, but I think you can't loose one out of two when they both eat the same food.

Good luck with finding the issue and saving your rug. And you guys are scaring me talking about this cat as being so elderly -- Stinker will be turning 17 in just a couple of months and she still acts like a kitten. This of course is one of the big secrets to having a long and happy life -- the longer you can keep active the longer you will stay active.

 

[zoo mom]

I have 8 cats and sometimes there re accidents. Usually if a cat goes outside the box it is due to illness, unless it is an unaltered male. I use Simple Solutions. They also have a carpet shampoo. Just test a small patch first for color fastness. With any enzyme cleaner you need to soak the area and make sure it stays damp for 24 hours to get the odor and stain out.

 

[Angelicarboreals]

Just to update, I soaked the rug in Nature's Miracle odor remover that also has something in it that is supposed to stop the cat from peeing on the rug again. I am still unsure that the rug isn't just garbage at this point, it is shag and I feel like even if I scrub and scrub there is no way that the smell is going to come out.

To clarify on some points and information that was asked for or not given, the kitty has been eating Meow Mix at the mom's house for the past eight years. I tried to switch him over to Science Diet when he first came to live here and that is when the vomiting occurred to start. Switched him back to Meow Mix and now the only time he throws up is when I have tried to get him a treat in the past, or he overgorges himself on cat food. Because of this, we now feed him small portions 2x a day and that has seemed to somewhat slow the puking problem. But my MIL said he has done that for a while. She never took him to the vet and neglected to tell us about the vomiting problem until we asked her.

He does use the litter box to move his bowels, and I know that this is not a spraying problem as I read up on cats spraying and the way I caught him peeing is very different then what I read about marking. (He was squatting versus backing up and letting a fine spray come out.)

As for moving the kitty food dish to where he is peeing, I can't do that because we also have a dog who would eat the cat food if we made it accessible to him on the floor.

At the moment, after telling my husband about the possible need for a vet trip, we are contemplating returning the cat to his mother's house. Until I leave for BCT I am unemployed and I cannot afford blood work, etc. to rule out underlying problems. I am a little miffed about the whole situation, I feel like we should have been told that he was having health issues before he came to live with us. I would have never allowed him here if I would have known that we would end up with a situation like this. I know that sounds harsh, but I feel like we got duped into bringing him here (Rick's mom has been after him to take the cat back for a long time now) so that she wouldn't have to take care of problems that should have been addressed when they first started. I told my husband that with my birds and my dog (who I am still paying on a $1,500 vet bill where he swallowed a rope toy that blocked his intestine requiring surgery last fall) I have my hands full with expenses and the only way he is going to be seen by a vet is if someone else (DH, MIL) pays for it.

I am getting tired of animals being shoved off (or tried to be shoved off) on me because we have a house full of them and no one here understands that just because I have this many already I just automatically can afford one more.

 

[Angela_tiger_1999]

Hey Angela,
I know how it feels...I had a cat that I loved dearly and she started to pee on the carpet..I took her to the vet and they could find nothing wrong and told me it was a behavior problem....She was my first cat and about year after I had her I got a second cat...well she wasn't happy about it at all but the peeing didn't start until DH and I were married and we moved in together and he had a cat..so now she was really mad and thats when she started peeing...I did everything I could to make her stop and spent so many hours cleaning up cat pee! Once she picked a rug that was it no matter how many times I washed it or tried to get it clean she would pee on it, they can smell the pee no matter what IMO and will pee on it forever..so eventually we had no rugs in the house and she started on the carpet...any time we wanted to have the in laws down we would have to rent a rug doctor and clean the carpet I tried keeping her separated from the other cats in our bedroom and that did work for awhile but in the end she started again...this past september we moved into a new house and I told my husband that we would give it a shot, I loved her so much..she was my Hailey but about two weeks after we moved in I caught her peeing on the BRAND new carpet...It was clear to me she wasn't happy not being the only cat and there was nothing I was going to do to change that and I wasn't going to have this brand new house ruined too...so I found a nice lady that had no other cats to take her and I get updates all the time and she has not once used that bathroom outside of her litter box...It's hard to deal with believe me I know....I hate to say it but you might need to get rid of the rug or at least put it away until you can get the cat back to inlaws. I wish you luck and 's!! Keep us posted.

 

[Jadie]

I barely post anymore but I always read the threads but I had to answer yours "Your" kitty sounds kinds like mine, and I completely understand your frustration! There are many things to consider, cats are soo sensitive.
1) I would start with a vet visit, at his age the start of renal failure is absolutely possible(he is showing the signs, urinating outside the box, vomiting). Monitor how much he's peeing, if he starts meowing like he's in pain while peeing. It could also be the start of urinary crystals, also sure common with older male cats. Both things can "easily" be fixed/helped if caught early enough. Renal failure if left will bring them down quickly.
As you already know Meow Mix is crap, which could be the cause of his peepee toubles.
2)Unfortunately you will probably have to dump the rug (*hugs*) no matter how much you clean it now, if he's peed on it before, kitty will always smell it and go back there to pee.
3) So if all the medical stuff is clear than it's probably a behaviour thing. Cats become attached to their home, not necessary the people in it lol, he could be peeing out of unhappiness, or stress of being moved from one home to another. They make a spray or plug in called Feliway (does not have a strong odour) you can spray around the house that releases pheromones which makes the cat feel more comfortable. A lot of people use this and claim it works pretty well! They even make cat litter with stuff in the litter to attract them to go in it.
4) Check the type of litter and litter box he is used to using, has it changed? I read that his litter boxes are in the laundry room? Some cats get scared by the sounds of the machine. If this happens while eliminating in the litter, they associate the two and can stop using the box. You can also try adding more litter boxes if you have the space, they rule is one per cat plus one (I had 4 boxes for 2 cats lol).
5) As for the throwing up, it can be part of something medical or it can be that he is developing an allergy to the meow mix. This would cause him to throw up every day. Another thing to consider is when the last time this cat has has a hairball...sometimes the hair ball sits there and food cannot pass causing them to throw up.
Phew I think thats it! When I moved to Ontario from my parents house, my cat was much happier I guess because he stopped peeing! And I am down to one litter box (whoohoo!).
Wherever this kitty ends up, he'll probably need some help or training. Good luck my dear I know how hard it is to get that pee smell out of the house. I think it's wrong that your MIL didn't tell you guys about kittys problems. Don't let anyone take advantage of your great love of animals.

 

[Dana Lee]

I know how you feel. My family has a 17 yr old cat (my husband and I live upstairs in my parents home). She is pretty senile and defecates outside the litter box a few times a day now. We've been cleaning up after her, thankfully she hasn't gone on the rug. My mom and I are going to be taking her to the vet soon to see if she is ok. 17 yrs though is a great life for a cat, I brought her my freshman year of high school and bottle fed her, she was that little. Some old man had found her abandoned on his lawn. I was walking home from school and he told me if I didn't take the kitten he was going to throw her away! So she's been an indoor cat living with my family ever since.

 

[Holiday]

As a former vet tech, back in my youth, and as the long-time owner of a number of cats since childhood, I have to agree with what others have posted. When a cat urinates outside the box (assuming that the box is clean, and the cat hasn't rejected it for sanitary reasons--not trying to insult, just saying), it is often the sign of a urinary tract infection. Urination becomes painful for these cats, and they associate the pain with the litter box, so they pee elsewhere to try to "escape" from the discomfort. Proneness to this can also be the sign of an underlying more serious health concern, such as diabetes. In the case of an older, male cat, it is almost certainly health-related. Males are far more prone to UTIs than females.

Good luck! I know how frustrating this issue can be

 

[Sharpie]

I didn't read the suggestions this far because they won't change what I'll say:

Get thee and thy cat to the vet.

You can scrub and nature's miracle and change the litter all you want, but if he has an underlying medical condition, which is quite possible in a 14 year old cat, it won't do any good. For what it's worth, what you described is inappropriate urination, NOT spraying or marking, which tend to be more behavioral.

I wouldn't leave him loose unsupervised in the house until you have been to the vet and have a plan in place- too much trouble he can get into. Also- the digestive issues are common in cats, but it is certainly NOT at all normal. Just like plucking in gray's- common, but not normal. Your vet may be able to help you out a lot there too. It's quite common for cats to have allergies/food sensitivities and he may only be able to tolerate hydrolyzed (vet allergy) foods or something that is a limited, novel (completely new to him) ingredient diet. No fish, chicken, beef, turkey or pork for most sensitive kitties.

ETA: Even if you DO decide to send him back from whence he came, he still NEEDS a vet visit first! He may have a medical problem and just sending him back and ignoring it is not an ethical option.