12 year old cat won’t use litter tray

[Ameygee]

Hello,
Looking for any help at all really.
We have three cats which have all lived together since they were kittens (12, 10 & 10).
My 12 year old male cat Peppy has pooped intermittently around the home for around 4 years, but would still use the litter tray at times. Until around a year ago when he would just poop in favourite spots, one in particular was behind the front door. Not pleasant as you walked into it.

As we have a 22 month old we decided to move the cats into our large sun room to stop the risk to our son and try and contain the poop, this was about 6 months ago.
He is now peeing outside of the litter tray, approx 2-3 times a day, good amounts.

He has been to the vets, bloods checked and given the all clear.

We have tried different litter trays, different litter, plug ins, different cleaners. We now have puppy pads down for the urine.

We’re moving house soon and don’t have the sun room so the cats would stay in the kitchen/diner. Our 22 month old can open doors and I’m 34 weeks pregnant so I’m not coping with the urine in the house, I’m concerned about the risk for the children.

The vets have made an appointment to put him to sleep as there is little else they can suggest. I don’t know anyone who would rehome him, and I refuse to rehome him with a stranger/shelter.
I’m literally so torn and just don’t know what to do. I know we can’t continue with him peeing outside of the tray and my heart is breaking thinking of him being put to sleep.

How sad 😞
Is there absolutely no-one who would take him on? We have a cat who just doesn’t like young children and the stress can cause urinary tract problems. So we don’t have young children in the house. Obviously this isn’t an option for you!

Have you tried putting it on social media? Maybe a friend of a friend would have him?

Good luck

Are they locked in one room all the time? That’s no way to keep cats, how awful
for them.
You aren’t providing them with an adequate environment, they should have most of, if not all of a house. The behavioural issues can be addressed, but the source is very likely to
be connected to your child.

Yes they shouldn’t be shut in one room. Are they allowed outside? Has vet ruled out pain from arthritis etc? Do you have multiple trays? Have you tried different material in the tray? You do sound like you’re rushing into PTS.

Our sun room is a huge room. They have plenty of toys and beds in there. Our downstairs is open plan, so it’s safer than our son accidentally finding faeces if we are coming home for example.
They have never been outdoor cats, but they go in the garden when we sit outside, we have tried giving Peppy more time outside but he always gets himself stuck in places and distressed, so it’s not great for him.
Peppy was pooping in the house before our son came along, and they have a great relationship. When their room is cleaned our son plays with the cats supervised etc.

We have multiple trays yes. And I am 1000% not rushing into anything. I have had him since a kitten. I think it’s sad you’ve read my post and got that assumption.

He has recently had his older cat review and arthritis didn’t seem to be a concern.

You say in your post it deteriorated a year ago and your child is 22 months, and at that time you changed it so they are in the “sun room”. So there is very likely a connection to going from a baby to a toddler in the home and the disruption. Our cats were fine with our baby but much less happy once she was a mobile person. They did play etc and it wasn’t all negative but they all displayed stress behaviours nonetheless.

When you move you say they will just have a kitchen/diner. Doesn’t sound at all suitable for that many cats, they get no opportunity to be apart, which is an absolute basic for a multi cat household. They usually like to have separate “territories”. Our 3 shared the kitchen and sitting room but other spaces and bedrooms were clearly not shared.

I should add on the poop isn’t actually the problem. That has been managed for years. It’s the urine which we are struggling with.

Our Zelda was rehomed by us from a home where a 3 year old lived. She also peed all over the place (at the time she was 4) Once living in a quiet home and she settled in after a few weeks we had no problems with her urinating outside of her litter tray. Please rehome your poor cat.

Thank you for your response.
Even when they had full access to the house - all bedrooms etc. they were always together in one room anyway.
But I appreciate it isn’t ideal.

We are in a huge predicament hence trying to seek advice from anywhere. I have to ensure the health and safety of my son before anything and it was increasingly worrying that he would step or find the faeces if we hadn’t had the opportunity to clean it.

There will be someone who will rehome for sure. Try an ad on Facebook or preloved.

Please find a new vet. I hate the thought that one would be willing to euthanise a healthy cat!!

Trust me, I do feel your pain! I had a ginger guy who used to do the same, and I had a baby too (did it long before baby). I adored him so I tolerated it - never did get to the bottom of it though.

However, we moved house just before baby turned 1. It was the weirdest thing - the indoor weeing just stopped! Never happened again! So I can only presume that there was something about the environment that he found stressful.

I'd probably try a lower tray - maybe he does have aches and pains and just can't be bothered? I searched for one for my elderly boy when he became incontinent towards the end of his life (he was 20 when he died) and the only place I could find what I was looking for was in the US and they wouldn't ship it! I ended up getting it sent to a contact in NY.

I've since seen large seed trays in a garden centre that would probably have done the job but I didn't think of it at the time.

Maybe see how he does when you move but if you can't cope with him (and I get that, totally - after months of shoving a mop under the ass of an incontinent cat while mid-pee, and the rest!!) please try to rehome him x

Are people really going to rehome a 12 year old incontinent cat when there are loads of younger non incontinent cats in shelters? We had our elderly dog put down when he started weeing all round the house and the vet didn't know why. It's just so difficult to be constantly dealing with when you have young children and the animals are often unhappy about it too if they were previously house trained. I would have him put down, the average life span of a cat is 12 - 18 so he's had a good innings and your sons health has to come first.

Superdupes 12 years is not too old for cat. This one sounds stressed out by being around a very young child. Our DC came to us under similar circumstances and although younger than OPs, settled down fine in a quiet all adult home.