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It does sound like the typical behavior of a cat with urinary tract issues. However, I think that the vet(s) would have found evidence of urinary tract issues (although it is always possible that they missed it).
If you are going to change his food, you need to do so slowly: start out with 3/4 of the old and 1/4 of the new for about 10 days, then 1/2 and 1/2 for 2-3 weeks, slowly reducing the old food and increasing the new until he is only eating the new food. I have a cat with urinary tract issues and he does well on Fromm Four Star (chicken) and Weruva wet. Stay away from anything fish-based, as it aggravates urinary tract conditions.
However, before you mess around with his food, I would contact an animal behavior specialist. The following article identifies many of the reasons why cats eliminate inappropriately:
As the article states, there can be a variety of reasons why your cat is eliminating inappropriately, including too few litter boxes; where the litter box is located; the litter box not being cleaned thoroughly/enough; territorial insecurity, which can be caused by other pets in the household and/or vicinity (such as strays coming around); too little attention and/or exercise and a host of other reasons; and, health issues. The list goes on and on, which is why I suggest a professional who will be able to pinpoint the issue quickly (if you have never seen the show My Cat From Hell, you should watch a few episodes, as the behaviorist works A LOT with cats who eliminate inappropriately). Without the help of a professional, you might go crazy trying to figure it out, as inappropriate elimination is a very complex issue.
Too bad cats can't talk. I could just ask him "why the heck are you peeing on the floor dummy?"
There are many good brands of wet food. Like another poster said, try pate, because they are lower in carbs. Some brands you can try are Fancy Feast classics (only the classics, not other types), Evo, Nature's Variety, and Natural Balance (the Limited Ingredient Diets). Look for ones that are grain free if possible.
Our male cat is 5 years old. We got him right before he turned 1. We found him roaming around our apartment complex and decided to bring him in. We were thinking he was someone's outdoor cat as he was very friendly. He was neutered shortly after we got him.
The bad news is that we've had a problem with him urinating outside of the litter box for as long as we've had him. He doesn't do it every day, and sometimes he will stop going on the floor for a few weeks before starting up again.
He's been to three different vets over the years and they all say that it's behavioral.
Has anyone had this issue before? How can I stop this from happening?
He could be "alerting" imagined predators that this is "his" territory, since he was an outdoor cat during the first year of his life. No doubt he had to learn some survival skills pretty quick as a youngster. This could especially be true if there are other cats around, even if they are all outside he can smell them and/or hear them, causing him some stress.
Keep the litter box pristine so he will be tempted to constantly mark it with his scent and make it his. If it is one of those with a lid, take it off so he won't feel trapped.
One way to speed up the transition to a quality canned food diet is to fast the cat for a few days on high calcium chicken broth. This is the recipe from
Anitra Frazier's books. I've used it for decades.
Make it yourself out of a roasted chicken that is then covered with good water and boiled, then simmered for 4 hours or more all the while you add filtered water to keep the chicken covered. Then you pour out the broth and cover the meat again with cool filtered water. When the meat has cooled down, take handfuls of it and squeeze out the last of the nutrition, then discard the meat. Strain this cloudy broth into the first batch of broth. Now take the bones that remain, break them into small pieces and simmer in a small pan with a tablespoon of tomato juice for at least a half hour, adding water if necessary. Then pour this bone broth into the other broth. Divide the broth up into containers and freeze. Defrost and use as needed.
Give the cat this broth only 3 or 4 times a day, as much as he wants instead of his food for 24 to 48 hours. You can also add some Vitamin C but no more than about 200 mgs because you don't want it to affect the flavor of the broth-- to it to help alkalyze his system and break down the crystals (or hardened lymph) in his urinary tract. This will give his body a chance to use all its energy to heal rather than to take half to try to break down food that may even be contributing to his problem. Give him as much s he wants of the broth 3-4 times a day.
Also with cats with urinary tract problems it is crucial to take their dishes up in between meals. Even the smell of food can affect the acid alkaline swing and it is crucial they do NOT have access to food in between meals. Be sure to avoid grains as long as this cat has this condition. I've had two cats who had this condition. My first vet told me for my first cat (back when I was clueless about natural medicine) to give the kitten dry Science Diet. It was the ABSOLUTE WORST ADVICE that could have been given to me about how to care for this cat. Cats need to get their water from their food. You should NEVER give a cat dry food. It shows how clueless vets are about health. It wasn't until I did a lot of what I'm recommending you do, for this cat, that he finally turned around.
Take this time to get some quality canned food or make your own home prepared.
The high quality canned I get comes from Halopet (halopet.com) and is grain free. I like the Impulse line the best with flavors like Rabbit guinea hen.
To make your own, if you do what Anitra Frazier recommends which is what I do, take 4 parts ground raw meat, one part boiled vegetable like broccoli, squash, carrots and add one teaspoon bone meal per pound of meat. To add the bone meal, she recommends flattening each pound of meat down to a half inch thick or so pancake shape. Sprinkle the bone meal over it all. Then roll it up and then press it down again to mix the bone meal in with the meat. Then put it in a bowl. Boil the veggies in water until cooked through and soft, then chop the veggies in a food processor. Add the cooked veggies and some of the cooking water to the meat. Mix it all together. Put it in separate containers and freeze. Defrost as needed. I give my cats 1/4 cup each twice a day for their food.
After fasting the cat for a few days on the broth, you may be able to switch him immediately over to the new food as he will have an edge to his appetite and will have had his palate cleansed and may be open to something new. Give him the new food straight. If he won't touch it even on an empty stomach mix in half of his old food and over the next few days put in less and less of the old food.
I have had a cat completely blocked. He was trying repeatedly to go to the litter and pee and couldn't. By giving him some warm water with 500 mgs of Vitamin C in a syringe with some Rescue Remedy--as I was waiting on hold for a vet-- he laid down and fell asleep. I told the vet what I'd done and that he was now asleep. The vet said, "Well if he is asleep, it doesn't sound like too much of an emergency". He was right. The next morning there was a full pee deposit in the litter. That was another potentially expensive and stressful vet visit avoided -- saved by natural medicine.
For a few weeks I think I'd be adding 250 mgs vitamin C with bioflavenoids into the first few bites of his food. Get good vitamins from a health food store -- not Walmart or a drug store. Give him just the first bites with the Vitamins to make sure he eats it. Then give him the rest sans vitamins. Even better would be to alternate vitamin C one day and sea vegetable flakes the next day. Sea veggies are loaded with minerals and absorb toxins.
All of the vets we've taken him to say there is nothing wrong with him medically and that it's a behavior issue.
* We've tried Tidy Cats clumping, and a few non clumping litters. We use Fresh Step clumping now because of convenience. The litter didn't seem to make a difference in the peeing.
Which enzymatic cleaner would you recommend?
We feed our cats blue buffalo wilderness chicken. We give them canned blue buffalo a few times a week. The male cat doesn't seem to like it as much as the female cat, especially when it's been in the fridge.
Those who only feed with wet food, do you feed them twice a day or just leave food out?
Please stop using the scented litters ! * It's unhealthy junk. Cats are very sensitive to perfume odors. You may think the scent is appealing, but the cat doesn't. Fresh, clean, best you can afford - non-scented ! no crystal crap, dust free litter, is worth the few extra dollars. Plus it lasts longer. Cats will urinate or deficate outside the box to tell you something. Kinda' like pi$$ on you. If he is otherwise healthy, no urinary issues, and you keep the litter box very clean, that's your answer.
Please stop using the scented litters ! * It's unhealthy junk. Cats are very sensitive to perfume odors. You may think the scent is appealing, but the cat doesn't. Fresh, clean, best you can afford - non-scented ! no crystal crap, dust free litter, is worth the few extra dollars. Plus it lasts longer. Cats will urinate or deficate outside the box to tell you something. Kinda' like pi$$ on you. If he is otherwise healthy, no urinary issues, and you keep the litter box very clean, that's your answer.
Amen! I use a wheat-based litter (literally called "The World's Best Cat Litter"), which I really like b/c 1. there is no horrible perfume smell; 2. there is less tracking (i.e. when the cat exits the box, he/she doesn't get a lot of litter stuck in his/her paws, which gets "tracked" all over the house); 3. when the cat pees, the litter doesn't turn into cement that adheres to the bottom of the pan (like Tidy Cats).
I also second the recommendation not to use a covered box, as a lot of cats don't like them b/c it makes them feel more vulnerable because they cannot see around themselves when they are urinating/defecating, which is a pretty vulnerable position. This might especially be relevant if you have a cat that started out on the streets, as he will be much more sensitive to issues re: territory and personal safety.
I used the World's Best Cat Litter for a long time also. I switched to Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat litter about 3 years ago because the WBCL get 'mushy' ... even though it is clean every day.
Not sure if I missed you mentioning his environment but everyone else already brought up the diet and litter issue. What about his home? Are there other pets? Othet cats? Where is box located? Does it have a lid? How many boxes do you have? Does the cat have to travel far to his box? When he misses his box, were you guys doing something different recently (change of schedule, new smells, etc).
It's frustrating when a cat pees outside the box. Besides the physical stuff, you have to be a cat detective and investigate why he did what he did.
I used the World's Best Cat Litter for a long time also. I switched to Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat litter about 3 years ago because the WBCL get 'mushy' ... even though it is clean every day.
I think I know what you're talking about; I have had that happen to me but not very often, so I don't mind it so much. What kind of litter (wheat, clay, etc.) is Dr. Elsey's?
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If he is otherwise healthy, no urinary issues, and you keep the litter box very clean, that's your answer.
