Hi

I'm new to this forum, and in general don't use forums, but just don't know where else to turn for advice.

We've had our lovely Bengal cat (Oscar) since a kitten, and he's now just under 9 years old.

Recently he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, and thankfully he is responding perfectly to the medication.
It feels like around this time he stopped using his litter tray to urinate in, instead preferring to urinate on the side of it, or down stairs next to a cupboard in the hall. We have removed this cupboard and he is still repeating. Its always in either of these two spots.

I have attached a sleepy photo of him, this was about 6 months ago, during the early stages of his hyperthyroidism medication

With the trips to the vet regarding his hyperthyroidism we have spoken to the vet about this and have tried everything suggested to no avail. He has been tested for urinary tract infections, as well as other conditions and he's ok. I am not entirely sure if its spraying or urinating, as he usually does it in the middle of the night, or shortly before someone comes home (he's a house cat due to proximity to busy roads)

Things we have tried so far:

1. Adding a 2nd litter tray, and putting it near where he urinates - he urinated next to it, but was quite happy going "number 2" in it
2. Moving the litter tray somewhere else not associated with his normal daily routine - no difference
2. Cleaning all urinated surfaces with firstly biological washing liquid and then rinsing, then treating the surface with surgical spirit, then spraying it with Feliway spray - He usually urinates again in the same spot within 6-36 hours. He tends just to move along a little to an untreated / unused spot as well.
3. Moving the Feliway diffuser we have to different locations - no change
4. Switching to the new Feliway diffuser - no change
5. Making sure he can't see outside (in our hallway) as there are other cats in the neighbourhood
6. Placing cat repellent posts by the front door to keep other cats away

During all of this we have tried to be as calm as possible so not to stress him. It might be that he gets bored, but he does have things to play with. If you saw him he looks and behaves perfectly normal, and aside from his hyperthyroidism he is 100% healthy.

We have just ran out of ideas and would welcome your thoughts and questions? I am starting to wonder if the usual treatments for cats don't work with Bengals...

Cheers for any input,

Rob

Rob, welcome to the forum. Hopefully, the members here can offer some suggestions that you may not have tried or even thought of. Oscar is a super handsome kitty!

Illnesses in cats can completely change their behavior and you say the urinating outside the litter box started around this time. I see where you set a second litter box near the area where he was urinating. It should have gone EXACTLY where he was urinating. The type of litter box makes a difference as well. Covered or open? Most prefer open litter boxes. Type of litter! You can try one that attracts the cat to the box.

Marking is a territorial thing. Do you have other cats in the household? Feliway diffusers can help, but there is also a spray you can use to reach all areas.

You think he may be bored! Have you thought about training him to walk on a harness and leash and take him outside for walks? Raiden does his marking out there and will sometimes stop to pee. This may help relieve Oscar's desire to mark in the house. You say you have other cats in the area. It's not just seeing the cats, but Oscar can SMELL the cats. He's defining his territory inside the house since he can't define it outside.

Raiden is really good at raising his behind while he is urinating in his litter ox, so I use large, black plastic trash bags and tape it up on the wall to catch anything that he might put up there. His box lays on part of the plastic bag so it traps the litter that he throws out. I find that easier than trying to clean a wall constantly.

Usually going outside of the litter box is a sign of stress in the cat. Even though you say the medication is working, we don't know how the cat feels inside. The best thing is to observe Oscar as much as possible and try to understand what he's seeing, smelling and feeling. There is also a ton of information on the internet that you might want to read up on when you get the chance.

You've done a lot of things, and they haven't worked, so now you move on to try something else. And keep trying until you hit on something. If there is an area where you do not want him to urinate, a member here mentioned "scat mats" which are available online that deter a cat from going somewhere you don't want him to go.

Have patience (lots of it) and give this some time. Make it a priority to work on this daily -- it's hard to try to think like a cat, but just by watching him, he may give you some clues. Good luck.

It sounds like you've tried many things. You might want to give this a try, I've heard good things about it:

http://www.preciouscat.com/cat-attract/

I guess one of the symptoms of hyperthyroid is increased urination. Perhaps that is a connection? Have you considered getting that radioiodine treatment?

Does he ever use a litterbox when he urinates? You say that he urinates on the side of the box, are you using exclusively hooded boxes? If so, definitely try some non-hooded ones. Also, how large are the boxes you are using? Big male bengals need BIG boxes. Many people resort to making their own because the commercial ones sold in pet stores are too small by 50% or more. I bought the biggest ones I can find, and say they are barely big enough for my females, which are much smaller cats than your big guy, judging from the picture.

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The little monsters 3