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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Cat suddenly wee ing

15 replies

thestealthwee · 19/01/2023 19:46

I have 4 cats, all similar ages - around 9. One male cat has in the last month started wearing outside the litter box - I caught him weeing on a rug and had to hire a carpet cleaner to get the smell out of the carpets and had to throw the rug. He's now done it again on one of the children's beds - he must have crawled under the duvet to do it as honestly I didn't see that the duvet was all messed up and out of place IYSWIM

Thing is whilst I had been out all day for work - which isn't unusual - I let him out when I got home for about 20 mins - he's pretty much a house cat these days since a lot of new cats moved into the neighbourhood last year - there are several litter boxes which I changed the other day he could use

I'm just not sure why he's suddenly started doing it - ive never had this problem before?

OP posts:

Toddlerteaplease · 19/01/2023 22:42

Stress? Take him to the vet if it's out of character.

Readybrek999 · 19/01/2023 22:44

Our male cat developed crystals which caused blockages making it difficult to wee so he had to go when and where he could.
They can be dangerous if the cat can't empty it's bladder.

Original poster

thestealthwee · 20/01/2023 05:39

He can definitely empty his bladder as the wet patches are very big and very wet

I thought about stress but there has been no change or upheaval really for the last few months

OP posts:

Confitofduckand · 20/01/2023 06:05

This can be quite serious in an older car. You might not be right about there not being blockages. Go to the vet.

ifonly4 · 20/01/2023 14:57

I think I'd get him checked out. Firstly to ensure he hasn't got crystals, whicha re very painful and could cause a blockage. Also, if he's doing large puddles, I wouldn't want to rule out kidney disease. Is he eating ok and the same weight?

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 20/01/2023 16:19

Sounds like infection.

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 20/01/2023 16:33

He needs to see the vet ASAP.

ShellsOnTheBeach · 20/01/2023 16:37

Agree he needs to be seen by his vet as a matter of urgency.

If a cat starts weeing outside the litter box, something is wrong. It could be an infection or sign of impaired kidney function or even diabetes.

Please don't delay.

Original poster

thestealthwee · 20/01/2023 18:31

Thanks all.
Even if it's not every day he's doing it? I'd say he's done it a couple of times around Xmas time which is when I noticed the rug and then again yesterday so doesn't seem like a consistent thing? He hasn't done any wee ing where he shouldn't today? I've been WFH today so let him out - he didn't stay out long but long enough I'd say to get a wee in. I've washed all the bedding he wee'd on and the mattress so it doesn't smell like a place he should see on

I do have 3 young children and wondering if they've just been noisier than usual and it's spooked him going to the litter? Plus his sister been in a lot more than usual and he's been grumpier with her so maybe she's blocked him?

OP posts:

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 20/01/2023 19:15

Yeah, he needs to see a vet. Even if it's not happening all the time, it's still a sign that something isn't quite right.

I've had two male cats with urinary issues and the sooner they're seen by a vet, the better. It's not something to mess about with as blockages in males can be fatal if not treated quickly.

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 20/01/2023 20:24

Yep. I took a urine sample off our bengal to the vets expecting the all clear and it was infected.

Our moggy girl was acting odd one morning, she scratched the bed, and I stroked her hind quarters and urine literally exploded out of her onto the duvet. That was infection too.

Reluctantadult · 20/01/2023 20:27

My 15yo male cat did 3 random wees on the carpet. He had a uti. Easily treated with antibiotics.

Original poster

thestealthwee · 20/01/2023 21:59

Thanks all - is there any other symptoms I should look out for? I have 3 male cats and other than spotting the one definitely mid act a few weeks ago the wee yesterday could have been any one of the others? I don't really want to take all 3 to the vets? They are all behaving normally today 🤔 one of them does have a habit of doing a protest wee in the bath when he's got back from the cattery / I've been away for a few days and they've had a sitter? When my eldest was born there was spate of wees on the baby's things too so they have been known to have revenge wees!

OP posts:

ifonly4 · 23/01/2023 15:13

If you've got carpets, one thing that might be worth doing it literally crawling around on your hands and knees (especially in corners of rooms or behind furniture) to see if there are any damp patches - once the liquid has soaked, you won't see the patches. I think there is a special torch that highlights wee, but in first instance going around with some papertowels/towels is easy. Also, listen out for scratching - they sometimes do this if they've wee'd on mats/carpets.

Any sign he isn't right, has a temperature, off food and especially if you see pink urine or blood in it, get him checked out immediately.

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 23/01/2023 18:03

Thanks all - is there any other symptoms I should look out for?

For us, the key symptoms have been:

Frequent visits to the litter tray - normally doing lots of tiny wees.
Over-grooming on the stomach (leading to bald patches).
Increased vocalisation.
Inappropriate urination (normally in the bath, but a previous cat tried to pee in my handbag).
Lethargy
Blood in the urine.
Lack of appetite.

Mine was diagnosed with crystals and he now has a special urinary food as well as a couple of daily supplements which seems to have helped massively - he's not been to the vets for his issues in over a year now :)

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