two 5 month kittens peeing where they're not meant to!

[GlomOfNit]

They seem to be happy, well adjusted cats (both boys) and have fitted in really well into our household. They're really affectionate towards us, and spend bursts of time playing/play-fighting manically and then hours and hours asleep, ie, normal cats! They have the run of the house but haven't been let outside yet. They were neutered a week or so ago and that's all settled down, no issues toileting afterwards.

Our big issue - they are peeing in inappropriate places! They now have three litter trays (did have two) and the litter is changed every 48 hours, which is costing a fortune. We did transition them onto wood pellets because I don't think they smell as much as the Catsan they were used to. They seem to have accepted the change, but almost every day now I'll come across one of them trying to have, or just finishing, a pee on: a rug, an empty bag on the floor, a cardboard box, some paper, inside a hat.... Yes, we have an extremely messy house and I'm now very mindful of not leaving things on the floor if at all possible, if it looks pissable. I spray the enzyme spray where they've done it, but they remain really interested in the pee site.

It's both of them and they drink plenty of water and seem healthy, so I don't suspect a UTI. They were doing this a bit before their castrations so I'm not sure it's connected to that. We have a fairly rambunctious son with LDs who can be noisy, but they seem fine with him and are healthily wary of him. They're really very confident, happy cats! I do keep a Feliway plugged in upstairs just in case.

Our whole house probably reeks now, doesn't it? I can't smell it (I can smell the horrible enzyme spray which I hate) and have a very acute sense of smell, but you get used to household smells so fast.

We can't be on top of them 24/7. Is there ANYTHING we can do about this? Do you reckon it'll improve once they're allowed outside? (They seem so small still and though we live in a quiet area I'm very nervous about letting them out, but I'm a firm believer in cats being able to live natural lives, so they will go out eventually.)

I would go for a litter that's kinder on their paws and stop emptying the trays out so often. As weird as it sounds, cats (especially kittens or elderly cats) need the scent of "toilet" to encourage them to go in the right place.

I'd also make sure you're cleaning up the accidents with a proper enzyme spray to make sure you're eliminating any smells - things like bleach only encourage them further due to the ammonia.

I'd also look at making sure they have lots of space away from your DS as while they may not appear stressed, his behaviour could be confusing to them and upsetting - cats generally aren't a fan of loud noises or unpredictable movements.

The location (and type) of litter trays is also really important- are they somewhere quiet so they can toilet with privacy? It could also be worth looking at a different style or size of tray too.