Should I rehome my cat or is there more I could do?

[FuckminsterBullerene]

My cat is 5 and has a long history of urinating where he shouldn't. We have tried everything we can think of. Feliway diffusers, extra litter trays, specific cat litter, special spray to remove the smell when he does it, changing carpet to hard floor, a bloody pet psychologist. It eased off for a few months but it's back with a vengeance.

If I rehome him am I an awful person? What would happen to him? He is otherwise pretty happy, affectionate, great with the kids. Desperate for some more suggestions.

Is he indoor or outdoor? Are there other cats that are coming into his territory? What did the cat psychologist say?

Has he been checked by the vet? Appreciate it's a pain but rehoming him would be horrible - and maybe difficult due to his history. Where does he pee in the house?

Has the vet ruled out cystitis?.

There was a bbc show with a cat like this on it and they got a huge 150l storage box filled with ultra clumping litter for him to wee in and it stopped.

Does he go outside?.

He has access to outside, we have a cat flap so he pops in and out whenever he fancies.

I think it probably is a territorial thing. He fights a lot. There are a lot of other cats around, although less so over the last few weeks due to the weather but the urinating seems to have got worse. He has a brother from the same litter. They scrap occasionally but generally ok. I sometimes wonder if they were separated he'd be ok.

The pet psychologist gave loads of suggestions, most of which we followed: they have their own little room (cupboard under the stairs) where their tray is so very quiet. Food and water bowls moved to quiet places, installing a cat flap, changing to Felipur cat litter, putting beds up high for them to retreat to. Generally he's very confident though.

The problem is there’s not much demand for cats who wee where they shouldn’t.

He was seen by a vet the last time it peaked and they couldn't find anything wrong with him. I haven't taken him yet this time. It's worth ruling out.

@Fluffycloudland77 that's my worry. I can't stand the thought of him spending the rest of his life in a shelter.

Mines been offered a low dose of anti depressants if he gets a uti again, he’s also a very territorial cat who defends his patch a lot.

I put cystease in his food to stop him being sore.

Google Jackson Galaxy as he is a cat behaviourist and you might find info to help.

Is he neutered? Can you confine his access to the house to limit damage?

Do your cats share a litter tray? We have two for ours as one was fussy about using it if the other had.

Or is it spraying rather than using anywhere as a cat loo?

Have you tried the anti crystal urinary care food? Our fella got a bit of cystitis and started peeing everywhere, and this sorted him out

Does the other cat do it as well or just him? He may need a separate litter area away from the other cat as his 'smell' is getting lost. I have 2 brothers who are quite territorial but thankfully go outside. They enjoy their own space inside though!

You may have already tried this but have you acknowledging him ("hello [pussy name]") each time you see him? Sorted our cat out. Also, is it safe to put him out overnight where you are?

What do you feed him?

Looks like its territorial markings. There is an episode of my cat from hell with that exact problem.
They made some changes in the house and the markings were gone. YouTube it before you try to rehome. Your cat won't do well as nobody it's going to want him.

More than one cat =more than one litter box.
We had an issue with the cats peeing on the bed(even if we were in the bed).
We kept them out of the bedrooms and got more litter boxes, tried several different cat litters etc no more issues

We're having this debate about our cat at the moment. We got her as a feral, skitty kitten and since then have had children and a dog. She hates noise and is on edge all the time around family life and fights constantly with the local toms. She has feline acne, a scabby back and wees on my husband's clothes, all of which are stress related. But I know no one would have her because of these issues and I hate the idea of her stuck in a shelter. We're currently extending (Not helping the situation) and I'm hoping I can just move her in to the utility with a high bed, food and cat flap so she doesn't have to come in to contact or even eye sight of toddlers.
Can you do anything similar, even if it's a shed?

Thanks for all the suggestions. They share a tray. We used to have three, as I heard you should have one per cat plus one, but they only used one so we gradually filtered down. It's spraying, but it's big puddles. I caught him today peeing on the curtains. No pre-cursor.

He has mixture of wet and dry food, as the other has cystitis once so wary of just dry. The brand varies, supermarket own usually.

The weird thing is he's so sociable. He's not fussed by strangers, dogs, children. He chooses to sit on the sofa most of the time, or sneaks into my son's room to sleep on his bed.

Trying to answer all the questions, sorry! His brother has done it on occasion, but usually due to anxiety e.g. if we have a house full of people. He hasn't done it for ages though.

I have looked up the cat whisperer before, definitely worth a revisit!

Interesting about acknowledging him. That's easy enough to try. Thanks!

Does he wee on your sons bed/in his room? Is there somewhere where he absolutely doesn't spray? If so, maybe try and reverse engineer from there? Know it's so difficult but would be upsetting to rehome when he sounds such a lovely chap!

He is neutered but sometimes I wonder if they left something behind!

He has never peed in our bedroom, the spare room or the bathroom. But lounge, hall, dining room are almost daily now. He has a couple of times in my sons room, on all his cuddly toys!

Stupid question! Were both testicles descended? Was he done late?

@Wolfiefan I have no idea! He was about 6 months, they never mentioned any complications!