Automatic Litterbox Central

I've got a multi-pet household...

Prior to marriage, I had my 28lb Male Maine Coon and my Pointer/Spaniel/PitBull mix.
My wife brought along her two male DSH cats and Retriever/Border Collie Mix.

With three cats, we've used the Cat Genie automated litterbox. It's been going great for over two years.

One of the cats got a UTI and started peeing everywhere.
He got treated at the vet and was given a clean bill of health.

But he still pees everywhere, even in front of my wife and I.


I've tried all manner of cleaners and shampoos. "Natures Miracle" being the most recommended.
I've tried locking the cat in one room with the litterbox... I've even tried peeing on the cat and leaving cups of my own urine around to mark my territory.

Nothing seems to work. The cat has learned that anywhere is an acceptable place to pee.

I'm out of solutions except to kick the cat out where he's gonna get hit by a car. (Busy road) Take him to the local shelter where he'll get put to sleep because they have too many cats, or barbecuing him because I'm just frustrated.

Currently, I have little vibration alarms on the couches so that if he does get on them, I'll know... But they're not loud enough to scare him away. Not that it matters. The couch reeks anyhow and if I turn the blacklight on it, it glows like it was hit with a nuclear bomb.

HELP!

I would take him back to the Vet to determine if he is really cured. And then ... well, confine him to one area with the litter box ... Maybe his favorite litter box and favorite litter ... maybe in the bathroom or other area with no carpets, no wood floors to ruin and a closed door to keep him securely inside. Got a room like that? That becomes his permanent home until (a) he quits peeing everywhere else and/or b) you find another solution. Maybe the vet has some ideas. I had a 9-month old kitten die of kidney failure so I am sensitive about this issue and also about what vets sometimes miss.

Best of luck. This can't be easy!

He's clean... X-Ray says no stones, urinalysis says all normal.

I got some "Tattle Tale" vibration activated alarms and set them on the couch.
Looks like he quit using the couch now.

He's been using the upstairs tub (Which is acceptable... Turn on the water and it's gone.)

I think one of the main reasons he also started peeing elsewhere was a change in the cleaning solution used in the CatGenie... It changed the texture of the granules...

I think things are starting to go back to normal.

Glad to hear things are getting back to normal. Thanks for the up-date!

^

Yeah. And it's a good thing too. I don't think I could put him outside.
He's a good hunter, but prone to allergies so I don't think he'll survive in the wild.

Pele wrote:One of the cats got a UTI and started peeing everywhere.
He got treated at the vet and was given a clean bill of health.

But he still pees everywhere, even in front of my wife and I.

He is trying to tell you he is still sick. Regardless of what the vet and his tests tell you. If he can't find a solution, keep trying new vets.

Put aluminum foil on anything you don't want him to touch. Vinegar helps, too. But I guarantee it won't work, because it's not a behavior problem, he's sick.

I've been there, everything you describe. My cat died of kidney failure, and up until we took her to the hospital for her last few days of life, I had thoughts like you're having. It's horribly frustrating. And the guilt after she died--whew. You're obviously an animal person, realize that he's sick and make peace with this, just in case. Regardless of what the tests show.

I so agree that the cat could probably still be sick. I too lost my poor, sweet Allie to kidney failure at the tender age of 3. The vet never did blood work. Has your vet done blood work? Has your cat ever been given Metacam? Under NO circumstances should you let that cat get Metacam in the future. It will kill it. Metacam has a high incidence of kidney failure in felines. My poor Allie peed everywhere too. We did urine tests, got cat trees, you name it, we did it. Except no blood work because the vet never said to. I never even thought too. My poor angel was given Metacam and that was the end. Three days in the animal hospital and over $2000.00, and we still couldn't save her. I would have paid a million dollars if it would have saved her. I miss her everyday. Please, please, please take your cat to another vet so you both don't end up going through what we have. I found vinegar and Nature's Miracle worked best at getting the urine out. You might have to get an old fashioned litter box and use Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra litter to help your baby. That is the only place that Allie would go, other than on the furniture and bed, and rugs. But I tell you what, both my husband and I would rather clean up her pee everyday then watch her suffer and go through what she did at the end of her life. Vets don't know everything and they DO make mistakes. It is always worth getting another opinion at another vet.

Oh my, I too have a problem with a cat peeing everywhere. The cat belongs to my parents. This cat has had a stroke and quit using the litterbox at that time. It seemed to use bath mats exclusively until we relocated it because we moved the family to a different state. Now the cat, although confined to the master bed/bath area, urinates and defecates all over both rooms. It stinks horribly, has ruined the carpet, is digustingly unsanitary, and I fear causes health problems for my parents who are 86 and 76 and not really able to keep up with the constant messes. The cat also has quit grooming itself and Mom refuses to bathe it, insisting you cannot give a cat a bath. The cat has been declawed so turning it into a outdoor cat is not an option. We've started having pro carpet cleaning monthly, the home carpet shampooer just wasn't sufficient. It's not my cat, and Mom is against euthanasia. She would agree to a no kill shelter though, but I read on this forum while looking for such a shelter that they won't accept cats who won't use a litter box. My parents are also unable to drive anymore so they mostly homebound. Suggestions or ideas anyone?

Since we have this topic, has anyone ever tried this stuff? http://www.rescueproducts.com/firstalert.html Rescue First Alert Urinary Tract Infection Detector Cat Litter

Anyone know if it's any good? Not that I completely trust my pet's health to something like this, but anything that could indicate a problem could be helpful.

Welp, I'm done.

Three couches destroyed...
I've pulled up all carpets in the house and am walking on bare plywood flooring...
I've thrown out several pairs of shoes and a lot of laundry...

I just caught him peeing on plain wooden flooring...

Two vets have confirmed he's clean.

I've got $3000 worth of new living room furniture coming on Friday.
He's officially an outside cat.

He is not "clean". Even once the bacteria are gone, the urinary tract lining can remain very irritated. I can only hope you yourself get a bladder infection and resulting cystitis so you can understand how it feels.

Does your cat eat dry food? I bet he does. In case you haven't yet tossed him outside, here is some information for you:

http://catnet.stanford.edu/articles/litterbox.html

Hmmm ... This is a sad one, huh. I'm sorry the urine issue wasn't resolved. Another possible solution would be to rehome the cat -- barn cat, maybe. Or, as you did, officially let the kitty out into the world, preparing, perhaps, an outdoor home for him with some shelter on a porch or large confined space ... You might take a look at shelters for feral cats or cat enclosed yards. There's lots of stuff on the Web. Google "cat enclosures". Here's one of my favorites:

http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-enclosures.htm

(I know, I should be taking my own advice here considering my cat history!)

And, there's lots of information about outdoor cat houses from do-it-yourself homes made from large storage boxes to custom made winterized and heated homes. Here's another favorite link. (Hope this guy is still in business. I haven't looked these up in a while.)

http://robertschott.tripod.com/stabobspethouses/

Again, best of luck to you and your cat!

I think he was an outside cat for a few days before I felt sorry for him. He'd go under my tool shed and caterwaul... He did very little catting around.
We'd take him in at night and put him out during the day.

After a week or so, I was coming home from work and pulling up in front of the house. He came out of the storm drain right in front of my car.
Since then, he's back inside.

We've switched back to regular litter and that seems to be what he wanted.

Time to pitch the CatGenie I guess.

(... just another softee ...) Hope that litter change solves it for you.

Wow, had no idea UTI was so common and be so serious in cats till now. Have been cat owner for years
without major incidence of that sort. Had 2 adopted strays for a long time till one ran away and the other had a run in
with a car and lost. Went petless for a year till a co-worker talked my wife into adopting 2 precious kittens from
her barn cat. They were inseperable and we kept them inside to keep from experiencing runaway or run overs.
Skippy (1 year old) died quite unexpectedly and without warning maybe got ahold of a poisoned rat or something and ever since trixy has been forgoing the litter box and peeing on the carpet on ocassion. I thought it was stress due to her missing her brother, but now rethinking it. We've tried vinegar and enzyimes and shampooers and at witts end. House smells and carpet is probably going to get replaced soon. We have had some success with mylar ballons placed in problem area tied to table legs and fan blowing them around. She eventually learned to ignore the ballons and the stink is coming back. She is going to a vet tomarrow. Also going off dry food diet.