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I've heard of other cats doing that sort of thing when they were coming down with an UTI. It's their way of trying to say something is wrong. Maybe a trip to the dread vet would be in order?
We had the same issue. The tough part is to figure out who has the UTI and who is just playing copy cat.
OK, I have 6 cats. For one year I had three, 2 males, 1 female, all fixed. No problems. I moved to S.C. and took them with me. I started working with rescues and adoptions & TNRs. I took in 3 more cats, 2 females and 1 male. All my cats are fixed and get along, no fights, they sleep together, etc. I have 4 litter boxes and scoop them immediately after they go (I'm retired). All of a sudden my 1 yr old female started peeing and pooping in the bathroom tub, then in the sink. I had to keep the door closed. Then she started to do it on the rug next to the litter box. I took her to the vets and she had no infection. So I put plastic sheet over the rug where the litter box was and put an cheep carpet over it. If the pee goes through it will not pass the plastic sheet onto my wall to wall rug. I then put dirt in a litter box next to the other box wondering if this is what she prefers. There was pee and poop in the dirt but I did not see her do it. I think it was one of the others. I caught her a few times cratching on my coffie table like she does the litter and chased her away. Yes, she did! I woke up one morning and found the table full of urin that got on everything that was on there. She started jumping on the kitchen counter tops. She never did this since I've had her. Another morning I discovered she peed on my glass top stove and it ran under the pans sitting there. I congered up a solution of putting a peice of cardboard over a plastic sheet on the stove and put some pan lids upside down on it that would tilt and make a noise if she got on them. It worked for a few days then she did it again. At least it did not go on the stove.
I consulted my friends at the shelters and they said this: Put her in a cage with litter box when she is not being supervised. Expecially at bedtime. She will learn to use the box again. I have a big dog cage I will put her in and see how it goes.
I think if you put water in the sink or tub they will just find another place to do their business.
I've heard of other cats doing that sort of thing when they were coming down with an UTI. It's their way of trying to say something is wrong. Maybe a trip to the dread vet would be in order?
Yes, absolutely. My Sons cat Sassy would occasionally do this, and it was when she was coming down with a urinary tract infection. Sometimes there was blood in the urine. Have them checked out because it is very painful for the cat.
About how long ago did this kitty come into your household? And about how long ago did she start using anything but the litterbox?
A common theme I'm seeing is that, except for the rug by the box and in the bathtub, she's choosing spots that are up. Rather than choosing a ground-level place, like a corner, she's up on things like tables, counters, stove tops. What that says, I'm not sure.
About how long ago did this kitty come into your household? And about how long ago did she start using anything but the litterbox?
A common theme I'm seeing is that, except for the rug by the box and in the bathtub, she's choosing spots that are up. Rather than choosing a ground-level place, like a corner, she's up on things like tables, counters, stove tops. What that says, I'm not sure.
I adopted her (Foxy) last December as a 4 mo. kitten. I also had 3 adult cats at the time. They all got along. A month after I adopted a Torti about the same age and they both played together since they were the same youthful age. No problems with not using the litter box. Just since Foxy is almost 1 yr old she began to pee in the sink or tub. I had her checked out for infection. The vet said she could not see any cystitis in the urine but gave her a convenient injection of meds. It did not stop her from the habbit. We closed the bathroom doors so she jumps in the kitten sink , then one day on our smooth top stove. I think she likes to hear the noise of the scraping of her nails against the smooth surface.
Then my older female cat (Daisy) started pooping just outside the litter box. Maybe she smelled where Foxy might have done it. I changed one litter to walnut and one to Cedar, Pine and Corn. They are not chemicals to keep down the order like some clumbing litters do. Cats are suppose to like them better. I also had one box with dirt. They seem to like the dirt best, the walnut next and did not like the mixture of #3.
Since we had a big rain storm recently it seemed to bring out the fleas. They go onto the screen porch and somehow they got fleas. They never had fleas before. I had fur and flea dirt on my tables from them scratching. I gave the Revolution but they were still scratching. They seem to want to stay up on the furniture or on the tables instead of the floor like they use to. They would not sleep in their beds. I have 2 cat trees and they are all up on them or on the talbes. I think they are afraid of getting more fleas on the floor. I bought Diatomaceous Earth to put on the rugs and pet beds and Flea & Tick Wipes and a flea comb. I have been checking them for fleas and only find one or two on them. The fleas should be dieing off since the Revolution. I just bought Capstar for them, they should get rid of the last flea. Maybe then they will stop living on the tables and act like they use to. The two females are still going outside the box.
Oh, yes, I tride putting her in a cage for 3 hrs. when I caught her scratching like she was going to pee. She did not pee in the litter box I had in the cage. Putting her in there did no good.
Last edited by aires; 11-19-2015 at 03:28 PM..
Reason: forgot to reply to a question.
I lost a big walk in bathroom closet that was GREAT for the boxes when we moved into this house. I bought 2 big cover boxes-one for upstairs & one for downstairs. What I did with the smaller boxes was put it outside the big one as a stepping stone so to speak to help with tracking. (It worked.) Had just Electra & Elvira and there wasn't an issue.
Enter Josette.
First she started pooping in the tub. We filled it up with water. Then she started pooping in the sink. The first time we took her to the vet, they told us she was constipated. So, we figured that was the issue. She started taking to pooping in the small box (what we were using as a stepping stone). She would poop AND pee in there. And the box was clean. At least she stopped pooping in the tub & sink. Oh, and a third box has gone into the upstairs bathroom. I know I should have one more but I don't.
Just last week I replaced the small box with a mat and held my breath. So far, there has been nothing in the tub or the sink and she hasn't used the mat either. I am also seeing her using the the ones upstairs more, too. I am SOOOO hoping that that problem is solved. Keep your fingers crossed.
I think you should sanitize the sink and eliminate all odors.
Once you do so, and train them use the litterbox, you might not have that problem.
My kitten used to pee right under the outlet on the wall, but I sanitized the place and febrezed the place.
and trained him. He no longer has that problem
I adopted her (Foxy) last December as a 4 mo. kitten. I also had 3 adult cats at the time. They all got along. A month after I adopted a Torti about the same age and they both played together since they were the same youthful age. No problems with not using the litter box. Just since Foxy is almost 1 yr old she began to pee in the sink or tub. I had her checked out for infection. The vet said she could not see any cystitis in the urine but gave her a convenient injection of meds. It did not stop her from the habbit. We closed the bathroom doors so she jumps in the kitten sink , then one day on our smooth top stove. I think she likes to hear the noise of the scraping of her nails against the smooth surface.
Then my older female cat (Daisy) started pooping just outside the litter box. Maybe she smelled where Foxy might have done it. I changed one litter to walnut and one to Cedar, Pine and Corn. They are not chemicals to keep down the order like some clumbing litters do. Cats are suppose to like them better. I also had one box with dirt. They seem to like the dirt best, the walnut next and did not like the mixture of #3.
Since we had a big rain storm recently it seemed to bring out the fleas. They go onto the screen porch and somehow they got fleas. They never had fleas before. I had fur and flea dirt on my tables from them scratching. I gave the Revolution but they were still scratching. They seem to want to stay up on the furniture or on the tables instead of the floor like they use to. They would not sleep in their beds. I have 2 cat trees and they are all up on them or on the talbes. I think they are afraid of getting more fleas on the floor. I bought Diatomaceous Earth to put on the rugs and pet beds and Flea & Tick Wipes and a flea comb. I have been checking them for fleas and only find one or two on them. The fleas should be dieing off since the Revolution. I just bought Capstar for them, they should get rid of the last flea. Maybe then they will stop living on the tables and act like they use to. The two females are still going outside the box.
Oh, yes, I tride putting her in a cage for 3 hrs. when I caught her scratching like she was going to pee. She did not pee in the litter box I had in the cage. Putting her in there did no good.
What's fantastic is you're proactive and "attacking" issues as they appear.
Flea issue: stay with all you're doing. Capstar to get rid of the live fleas on the body; Revolution to kill the fleas, eggs, larvae; anything that can go into the washing machine, wash (I squirt some cat flea shampoo in with my laundry detergent); vacuum the heck out of everything that can't be washed on a daily basis for now (or as much as possible) - put some flea powder in the vacuum bag or in the dirt-catcher if it's bagless. All this washing and vacuuming applies to inside the house AND the screen porch. I've had success with Adams products - spraying it along baseboards gets to the dang fleas that hide from a vacuum.
The war against fleas is time-consuming and tedious, but worth doing because it is not long in duration. Once the current invading army is gone, any new invaders meet up with Revolution and become history fast. The cats will tell you when you've won - they will start spending time in their favorite places again.
Outside-the-litterbox problem: a bit more complex. Cats shouldn't like hard smooth surfaces, but sometimes they do when they're sending a message. What that message is, could be a number of things.
Perhaps start from square one. 1) Empty all the litterboxes and clean them thoroughly inside and out. My favorite go-to product is hydrogen peroxide. Its "bubbling" properties when it hits organic matter really helps. 2) Then thoroughly clean every surface, nook and cranny, sinks, bathtub, etc., and if you can use hydrogen peroxide on these surfaces, all the better. You can follow up with a cleaning product formulated for odor elimination - Natures Miracle is one, and there are others. I do strongly suggest getting a black light to check for pee residue -- what may have looked like a 5" puddle could have had an invisible spray spreading out more than 12" beyond the puddle.
I'm not sure how many litterboxes you have, but can you add more? Rule of thumb - one box per cat plus one. Also, stick with the litter that you know they like.
Since they go out on the screen porch, has that perhaps drawn any outdoor cats to your property? Foxy might not be having issues with her indoor cat friends, but responding to an intruder who lurks outside.
My first thought was that kitty is trying to tell you something.
My big black boy kitty pees on whatever he can find that is plastic when he is trying to tell me something. The first time he did it, there was blood in his urine so I took him to the vet and we discovered he had crystals... so he has been on prescription food ever since. He then peed on plastic another time when one of his ears was clogged with a lot of wax. We couldn't see it when we were looking but at the vet they looked with one of the instruments (stethoscope?) and saw all the wax gunked up in his ear so they cleaned his ear out and he was fine. He peed another time when he had stepped in something sticky and couldn't wash it off his paws (we are still curious about what that substance was... it was like tree sap - but he is an indoor-only kitty!??) Anyway - when he pees on plastic we know to give him a thorough work-over checking him out in tiny detail and then if we can't figure it out, we take him straight to the vet.
Anyway - he is a good kitty who always uses his litterbox when he feels good and healthy, which thankfully is most of the time. But when he pees on plastic we know now to take him to the vet because that is his way of tell us something is wrong.
Good luck with your kitties and hopefully nothing is wrong, maybe they just have found that they prefer a clean sink to do their business in! Silly cats.
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The first time we took her to the vet, they told us she was constipated. 
So, we figured that was the issue. She started taking to pooping in the small box (what we were using as a stepping stone). She would poop AND pee in there. And the box was clean. At least she stopped pooping in the tub & sink. Oh, and a third box has gone into the upstairs bathroom. I know I should have one more but I don't. 
