Hi guys, so this isn't the first time I have come here for help regarding peeing. I thought we had solved our issues last fall but apparently not...

So Finnegan is a 1.7year old fixed male bengal. I got him just over a year ago. Lately I have had an awful time with him, and I don't know how much longer I can go on like this. He has been peeing on my couch and bed for the past 2 weeks almost everyday and sometimes twice a day. So nothing has changed since the last time, we did move in February but everything was fine then. I have not changed my routines or anything of the sort, didn't even move furniture or the smallest change. We still work the same hours as we used to. We did change his food but not completely yet still in transition to a limited ingredient diet for his sensitive stomach ( had puking issues a few weeks ago none since the change of food)

I have taken in his pee sample and of course there is nothing wrong with it, I have an appointment for x-rays but not sure what they are for? To be honest I am hoping there is something wrong and curable because if this is a behavior issue I have no idea how to correct something of the sort. Nor am I sure I have the patience to anymore. I already need a new couch, and what if he continues on my new one? He even peed on the couch while my boyfriend was sitting on it right beside him? Now that seems very odd. I have no idea what to do and I am trying not to be frustrated with this but I am at the end of my rope.

Any advice or tests that you guys have had done for this sort of issue. Anyone have the same problems and was able to correct them? My boyfriend says if there are no results at the vets and he keeps it up he has one month or he has to go. And I am almost in agreement but that might be because I am so angry at this point over this whole situation. I am so heartbroken at this point and am looking for anything I can to try and make this work. I will post an update on friday about what kind of results these x-rays have.

Thanks so much in advance.

Stephanie, Aleya and Finnegan

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The little monsters 3

Hi, just wanted to say I've been there and I know how horrible it is. However hopeless you are starting to feel, you can solve this. Stress peeing is not an unusual behaviour in cats, don't give up on your cat for being a cat.

In the immediate, I would say to start managing the situation. This means you stop letting him go on the couch and the bed. I don't know what the layout of your house is, but close doors to stop access to these rooms, or put him in an area of the house where he can't get to them. Break the habit of peeing on the couch and bed for him. If you can keep him in an area of the house where there are few soft furnishings to pee on, good! His litter boxes need to be the best option.

Now, can you describe what the problem was last time and what you did to solve it?

What have you done so far to solve the problem this time?

Hi

I think I can remember your previous posts - wasn't he peeing on the spare bed or something? Did you get to the bottom of the reasons behind that - it would appear it was resolved if he's only started this again recently, but now on your couch and bed. How did you sort it last time?

You mentioned you changed his food because he was being sick - has this behaviour started since you changed the food? How long had he been on that food as it seems odd he started being sick suddenly? Was it all from the same batch as it could have been a dodgy batch or something? Hopefully you mentioned the being sick and food change to the vet as who knows if one hasn't led to the other. One of my two is occasionally sick after eating but that is usually because he has eaten it too fast.

I can only imagine how frustrating this all is for you and your boyfriend, but being angry will only make Finnegan more anxious and stressed. Something is going on and he needs your help, he isn't doing this out of spite to annoy you. How do you both react when he does this? Is he shouted at or anything? What is your boyfriends relationship like with Finnegan?? You haven't made any changes indoors but is there anything going on outside, ie a new animal in the area that may be stressing him out at all?

I was also wondering if any blood tests have been done? My boyfriend has a kidney issue and they don't just check his urine, they do blood tests to see how effective his kidneys are at filtering waste products. I have done quite a bit of research into this, and certain foods are better for kidneys than others due to their composition and thereby making the kidneys work harder, so you may find the food change has had some sort of impact.

I would be asking the vet about why he is having x-rays and what they are looking for, and if the vet recommended the food change if that could have had any impact on the peeing issue if it has only started since the food change.

Please don't give up on him yet or impose any time limits, he can't tell you what is wrong, but clearly something is and it may take time to get to the bottom of it, but he clearly needs your love and help right now.

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Totally agree with the above. I have also been in this situation but with cat peeing in corners of rooms and spraying walls. First of all, yes try as much as humanly possible to calm down and de stress yourself as cats pick up on it. This is the time you need to be as loving as possible with your cat. Plug feliway diffusers on each floor you have in the rooms he pees. Restrict access to your bedroom or if you don't want to do that then put a litter tray in there. You need litter trays in all the rooms he pees ( I had five I think at one point and now three) I think you can get cat attract litter? not used it myself but people on this forum seem to rate it. Keep litter trays extremely clean and make sure you have large trays that the cat is comfortable to use. It seems strange that he is suddenly peeing inappropriately again. Any neighbourhood cats upsetting him? Is your boyfriend a new one? Just throwing out ideas and I don't mean to be at all rude by asking about your boyfriend! I have heard of cats who are stressed and pee to put their mark on their owners, there is a Jackson Galaxy episode which covers just that - think it was a Siamese or one of those hairless sphinx cats who peed on absolutely everything. It would be worth tracking that episode down. I also put lots of little dishes of cat biscuits where my cat peed as they won't pee where they eat.

I understand your frustration and my husband also was at the end of his tether, however, he would never ask me to choose between him or the cat as he knows what my answer would be

Good luck and hope you get is sorted

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

Just looked back at your previous posts on this subject, and I get the impression that last time this was due to a neighbourhood cat? Keep an eye on what is going on outside but your posts also indicated that you used Feliway and extra litter boxes and things improved. Have you done this again yet? I would do the bowls of dry food as well, like Melissa suggested.

Hope the x-rays go okay and look forward to an update on Friday, as there is still the link with the vomiting etc so it may be something totally different this time, who knows. Cats are very complicated creatures!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

If peeing outside the litter box is not health related, then it's usually due to stress! You've been given terrific advice -- starting with adding more litter boxes. The main thing is that you stop stressing out so much as Finn can sense this as well. Cats aren't doing this to get back at an owner. There is a real reason why they prefer urinating outside the litter box. We usually recommend trying a new litter, removing a cover if it's a covered box, etc. But you've been through this before. Finn's environment is everything to him. You say nothing has changed -- but something has! You've got to be observant and think like a cat. There's always the possibility of another animal roaming around the outside of your home. You can't see or smell them, but Finn can.

Your vet is obviously looking for other medical signs -- (either that, or he's ordering tests that may not be necessary), but you really have to rule out that there is nothing health related.

It's difficult to close off your living area to him, but placing a litter box near there might help. Jackson Galaxy had an episode of My Cat From Hell and had the owners place a litter box every where the cat peed. These people had like 7 of them. Then they were to put a piece of tape on the box every time it was used. The least used box was removed after a week, and repeated the following week, until they were down to just a couple of litter boxes.

I know this is the WORST problem in the world!!!! It's hard not to yell and scream at the cat.

Brian was quick to recommend rehoming Finn. This is easier said then done because you love Finn. You can spend hours Googling this problem and reading solutions from other cat owners. Good luck again. I hope you can get to the bottom of the problem this time. Keep us informed.

Alright thank you so much everyone. Sorry I know I said I would update on Friday but its been a busy week/weekend. We have family from both sides in town so my time alone has been near to none. Thanks for all the reply and suggestions. If I miss anything just let me know and I will answer sometime today :)

So one of the questions was his food. Yes the vet did recommend the change in food to see if he had a sensitive stomach and so far so good. Though I am not certain on the brand. Has anyone ever heard of Natural Balance? The duck and pea kind? So far so good on the food change, he actually takes the food as treats he really likes it.

So now as for the last time he was peeing, to be honest I'm not entirely sure how it was resolved. We just added extra litter boxes, since I had only two, and the third helped. I also closed off the second bedroom on which he was peeing. Cleaned everything well and poof he just stopped.

Also, as for the mention of getting rid of Finnegan, I would have to be absolutely desperate to do that, I love him so much, and am so attached, the thought of getting rid of him just breaks my heart. I did talk to my boyfriend about it and he said he was just joking about the deadline, but I guess I take things a little to seriously when I'm stressed out. (that was pretty mean) Also yes, it has been the same boyfriend since I had Finn we got him a little over a year ago and we have all lived together the entire time. So no changes to stress him out there. ( but he does love new people, as in chases them down the streets when I take him out, and loves company so I dont think that would have done it for him.)

Now what does the vet think? And what have we done so far? So we had a urine analysis test done. The vet says its near perfect, and after a lot of talking and explaining our situation, she also seems to think it is behavioral. We had physical exam and spent almost 45 minutes with the vet and tech. I brought my little black book with all the days and times and places Finn's peed, what we did surrounding those times. So we have come up with a plan. The bedroom is always closed off unless we are sleeping in the bed. I got rid of the old couch since it smelled horrible and bought a futon put a waterproof cover on it and am just using 5 dollar sheets so anytime he pees we throw it out, so there is no smell left at all. ( no peeing since thursday morning so far ) Also anytime we leave the house he gets locked up in the bathroom, with toys and food and litter, a comfy bed and his own personal lamp. We are to make it a good experience for him so of course treats are involved. (but also loves his new food so I just give him that instead half of the time. ) There is also a Feliway diffusee in the bathroom. He is praised and welcomed out when we get home. I am happy he and Aleya aren't that close and they don't seem to mind the separation. If we are only leaving for an hour or so sometimes I lock Aleya with him so they can spend some quality time together. Now if he starts to pee anywhere in the bathroom or on the couch again when we are home, we are going to schedule an xray to see if it is stones, or kidney related (but she doesn't think so since there is usually signs of kidney issues in the urin test.) The vet also thinks it may be anxiety so we will keep a close eye on him for that also.

Side note, I have also taken the hoods off my litter trays and he seems to like that better since he likes standing on the sides of the boxes when he pees. He still does try and cover the litter and scratches the wall so the litter behind the couch is soon going to be a big Tupperware container twice the size. Found some on sale but are all out, shipment should be in next week. I did change their litter while this whole thing was in full swing since I found our old litter smelled bad, and bought some arm and hammer litter and I find it smells much nicer and doesn't stick to their paws so much.

One other thing we found was he always crys to go outside he loves outside so much its seems to be an addiction. So I make sure to make time at least 30 minutes during the day or evening to bring him outside, and he seems to be a little bit happier, I have been doing good with the two of them listening so I don't need to wait for my boyfriend to take one and I the other. Aleya seems to be enjoying this time more and more, they actually started to run and chase me outside so its pretty fun.

All in all I think I covered all your questions and if I missed any feel free to let me know. Also any other suggestions I am open to them.

Thank you so so much everyone! I really appreciate the support you guys have shown and your tips are and stories are great to hear.

Stephanie, Aleya and Finnegan

Cats definitely have their preference as to which type of litter box they want to use -- most prefer the open kind. So, good that you've taken the hoods off. You try anything that you thing will make a difference and stop the behavior. Taking him outside is good as well, as long as he's supervised the entire time. You can always try training him to walk on a harness and leash and he can step outside the boundaries of your home. That could help as well. As I mentioned, stress plays a huge role. You may not sense the stress, but Finn knows it's there within him and he's acting out. I'm glad things are going better at the moment and you're doing all you can to get this problem solved. Keep us updated and continued good luck.

It sounds like you are doing everything right, good luck to you and Finn.

I do have them on harness and leash, they are getting much better at listening and following. :)

Steph, you're doing all the right things ... just hope the problem solves itself.

So here I thought all was going great. Cats spent an hour and a half outside with me, great start to the day. Then I go to pick up coffees while my boyfriend showers and I get home to pee on the couch again

Every time I walk close to the door he follows me meowing like its time to go back out.. So I'm assuming its because I left him.. I'll call the vets tomorrow.. I think I may have to restrict outside time to nights so that I don't leave the house again after he has had his outside time?

I guess we'll see what the vet says when I call on Monday.. Sigh.. I think he knows too because when I went to go pet him when I walked in the house he ran away from me and he never does that unless he's peed.. He's always so happy to see us and immediately wants attention..

Just know that cats really do prefer to use a litter box, so something is up with Finn. Have you tried a different cat litter? A trip to the vet is never fun for either you or Finn, but it's better to rule out any type of health issue! I don't know if Jackson Galaxy has any spirit essences that can help in your situation. I know how aggravating this is. Bad Finn!

Thanks. I have tried the safe space for cats. Maybe that was one of the things that worked last time. I still have the bottle somewhere so maybe we will start that again. But I will call the vets and see what she says