I am an experienced owner of 3 cats. The youngest was adopted from a shelter and has a very serious issue with urinating and defecating on beds and all over the house to mark his territory. I have tried all of the popular solutions to this problem; additional litterboxes, pristine litterboxes, complete removal of waste odor, all to no avail.
I was all set to take him to a shelter and leave him, but didn't have the heart. The problem is, I don't think he's adoptable. If anyone did adopt him they would have the same problem with him, and then what would happen to him? He has the potential to be abused or abandoned.
I am wondering if the merciful thing to do is take him to the vet and have him put down. I just couldn't leave him at a shelter and always wonder if he was starving somewhere or being abused. I have also considered making him an outdoor cat, but he has never been out and I know the dangers. I can just imagine being hit by a car or hurt in other ways. What to do?
Answers:
I hope no one blasts you because it seems to me you want the best for this guy. So if anyone does, just remember that.
First, if you did take him back to a shelter, by all means let them know of his issues. It's certainly possible that someone out there will know what to do about his problems and could deal with them.
Second, if you want to try dealing with it yourself, have you started with a vet? I assume you did even if you don't mention it. There's usually a reason why cats go outside the box and it often has to do with pain.
You could also check into flower essences. I don't know offhand if there's one to deal with this but I'm pretty sure there is. They might be worth trying.
Did you every think maybe, he has a problem with his kidneys?
I would not put him down. I would try to turn him into an out door cat if I were you, unless you can teach him to use the litterbox. Just let him out side a few times a day maybe. He might go to the bathroom outside instead, like my cat does. Hopefully if you call him in after only a short time he wont get as adventurous as to cross the road.
I would talk to a vet first before you take any drastic measures. Could be he has medical problems or that he needs to be fixed. He or she could give you some advice and possibly give you alternatives or things to try first. I would do this first and leave putting him down as a last resort.
Good luck.
Making him an outdoor cat at least allows him to go on living. Think about how you sound! You're right, at the shelter, he probably wouldn't even make it to someone else's house, he'd probably be put down the same day you drop him off, especially if you inform them about his inappropriate elimination issues. Have you tried keeping him isolated alone in a small room or crate with only his food and litterbox to see if he uses it then? If you can get him in the habit of using the box by isolating him, you may then be able to allow him more freedom in the house. Have you visited the vet at least once? There are medical issues that can cause this behavior. I doubt you have exhausted all these options - and you should, since you obviously care about the cat.
having him nutured will help, there is also a spray for that problem, ask your vet...
I would take him to a no kill shelter in your area. If he doesn't get adopted, they will still take care of him and he will get the attention he needs. If you take him to a no kill shelter, usually if they're adopted, they tell you they are willing to take him back if you're unable to take care of him any longer. I had a cat I had to take back because she was mean to everyone in the house. They took her back no problem. And she's currently up for adoption. I would tell them up front what the deal is with him and why you're unable to take care of him anymore.
Do you know anyone who lives on a farm and might take a cat? If so, call them up and see if they will take him. Maybe he can live outside?
Maybe he has a urinary tract infection. You said you got him from a shelter so I am assuming he was fixed. If you don't have the heart to bring him back to the shelter, and your vet says that he is healthy, why not find a person who has a large piece of land or farm with a barn or something. He could live his life chasing mice and rats. Good for the cat, and good for the other person, and good for your beds.
I have had cats for years- right now I've got six- and there's very little I won't put up with or try to resolve- but I have to say that's just horrible.
I'm assuming he's "fixed".
There is a litter called cat attract you could try, along with some Feliway spray (a pheromone mimic that really calms %26 is worth the $) But if I was in your shoes I'd probably put him to sleep. It takes a rare %26 special person to put up with stuff like that long enough to try and resolve the problem, and unfortunately I don't think the kitty is going to meet up with anyone else like you.
So my answer would be an honest and knowledgeable "yes".
Save a different kitty, that will be everything a pet should be.
Being a responsible pet person includes having to do hard
things sometimes. I don't think it would be good for anybody to keep passing the cat around out of guilt.
First thing, neuter the cat, that will solve the 'marking territory' problem, then get him to a vet and see if there's a medical problem causing his behaviour. If these simple things don't help then unfortunately it's a learned behaviour, and you need to train him out of it.
Please don't even consider putting him down just because he doesn't fit into your way of life, take him to a shelter who will care for him until they find an appropriate home. All homes are checked before any animal is allowed to be adopted, and he can find a caring home with someone who has the time to train and care for him.
Maybe he needs to be in an ONLY-cat household. Maybe he is doing this because he is scared of the dominance of the other two cats.
I have seen this before.
I suggest putting him in a separate room for awhile. See if he uses the litterbox then. If so, then he needs to be an only-cat and you could get him adopted to a family that only wants one cat.
Hi.
Did you speak with the vet?
I had the same issue with my cat who was also a male cat. He would not use the litter box for #2 and sometimes would urinate else where. I found out later that he was sick and was trying to tell me or make me aware. He had thyroid problems and I ended up giving him a pill a day until his last day. Later he did urinate else where (like on my boyfriend's clothing)but only to show his displeasure. I would seriously have him tested for a lot of things just to be sure.
Also, ordindary vets were not able to pinpoint much. I had to go to a cat clinic here in Chicago. This is the place where they only treat cats and know cat psychology and symptoms. You should really consider this option.
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If you haven't tried it yet, I would put him in a room by himself with his food and litter and some toys and that's it. Be sure to give him plenty of attention but doing this should help retrain him to use the litter box. When you see that he is using it pretty well, start spraying all his old pee places with feliway spray and put feliway plugins in all the rooms where he used to spray. Also, it sounds like he has a liking for "soft surface urination" so try to keep anything soft out of his reach. Cover his old pee spots with foil when you are not right there and keep a close eye on him. If he starts to pee on something, pick him up and tell him no, take him to his box and set him in front of it. He should then think "Oh, right, this is where I pee." Since he is peeing on high things like the beds, it does sound like a territorial thing. The things I've mentioned above worked for me when I got a new kitten recently. Now she is 25 days without an accident. I really hope you can fix this so you can keep your baby.
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