Behavioural weeing on the floor - help!

[sandbeachgalore]

Our cat (7yo female) has got this habit which is driving us crazy. She habitually wees on the floor in a fairly specific place at least 1 or 2 times in a 24 hour period. The rest of the time she quite happily goes outside in the garden. We've never had litter trays, she's always gone outside with no issues. There's cats in the local area but nothing new. Lived here all her life.

What we've tried....

Vets - no issues. Says it's behavioural. It happened for a while similarly a few years ago and going in the cattery made her forget and stop. Likely behavioural type cystitis (rather than due to medical reasons)

Litter tray - she wees on the floor next to it and won't use it.

Cleaning the area with all the products / enzyme cleaners etc - no change

Covering the area - wees on top of what ever covers it.

Can't keep her away from the area as her area of choice is the main through passage through the house so impossible to avoid.

We're all tearing our hair out. It stinks despite cleaning. It's getting into the wood. You never know when you might step in random wee (it's at the bottom of stairs)

We've got visitors coming for Xmas soon and I honestly don't know what to do. It's disgusting and we're all miserable dealing with it. Kids hate it. Husband wants to get rid of the cat.

It's really expensive to stick her in the cattery for 2 weeks like last time and it might not even stop her this time.....

Help, please!

We've also tried different foods - more wet, less wet etc. drinks plenty.

Generally very happy cat with no complaints we can see.

Just habitually wees in the same rough spot whenever she feels like it.

Writing this down has made me realise how much we're all struggling and need it to stop. I just don't know how.

Have you put the litter tray where she pees?

My girl was doing this when she had a bladder problem. She would wee on the back door mat.

We had this and the only semi solution we found was to put an empty laundry basket on the spot. He would still wee on the spot, but in the basket. The one we had had a channel round the edge so the wee ended up in there and not on his feet.

A friend had a similar issue. She tried the laundry basket suggestion too but her cat shunned it initially as it liked a soft surface. So she got some of the fleeces people use in guinea pig cages that are designed to be washed and it started going there.

Obviously not ideal. But easier to clean than the floor.

We put the litter tray where she wees, next to where she wees, of different places to where she wees....makes no difference. She doesn't use it and goes on the floor either where she goes normally or next to the litter tray if it's in her usual spot.

Rest of the time she quite happily goes outside.

Tbh, washing blankets and washing up baskets multiple times a day seems just as stressful. And it's at the bottom of stairs so a trip hazard too.

We need it to stop. We can't go on like this.

We've got children with SEN who really can't handle the wee surprises every day.

Did it stop at some point?

What kind of bladder problem did she have? Was it something that could be treated or worked on?

If she'll just go in the basket it's really not that bad. I just tipped it down the loo and sprayed it with antibacterial spray. But the trip hazard is trickier.

You could try Zylkene and/or Feliway if you've not already?

Yes eventually. Once he was established using it we very gradually moved the basket to a more convenient location a bit more out the way. He'd use it once in a blue moon for a while, and then eventually stopped.

We've tried all the different sprays we can find. Hasn't changed anything.

If there's fabric on the floor, she'll go on that but then we're left with wet fabric everywhere seeing about the place. Loads of washing and a trip issue.

Anything hard is ignored. Or she'll do 1 weeks overnight in one spot and then a second one next to it away from the first but in the same area. Then the children can't get past down the stairs and get upset.

I just can't do this anymore!

We have this.

cat is 100% happy and healthy. Vet approved(!) Just likes to piss at the foot of the stairs.

ignores a litter tray and will piss next to it.

we’ve gone for a similar solution to @Wibblywobblybobbly s friend. An off cut of Lino, with puppy pads on top. And we keep some kitchen roll, and pet friendly wipes on the shelf nearby.

The only thing we haven't tried yet is locking her out at night as that tends to be when she does it more, although not always, it can happen at any time. Just to see if it breaks the habit.

But seems cruel without some sort of comfy hole for her to sleep in over night.

Sounds the same then.

Ours is seeping in to wood and the bottom stair carpet. It stinks.

The area is tricky as it's lower ground floors stairs so not like hallway. The walls extend longer either side so it's really dangerous to have anything there. Kids have SEN etc. need to get past but won't / can't - get upset etc.

How long has it been going on for or has it resolved?

It's been months here.

Can you get a little kennel for overnight use? We inherited a disused but almost new rabbit hutch when we moved house — the cats swiftly took it over as a night time nap pod. We don’t usually leave them out overnight, but if it’s a clear night with a bright moon the little buggers go AWOL and in our old house it used to stress me out that they didn’t have somewhere safe to hole up in our garden

What about puppy pads you can dispose of each time?

I've tried all the enzyme products, but the most effective thing for cleaning in my opinion is hot water with washing up liquid and bleach.

I'd confine the car to 1-2 rooms plus outdoors.

You should rehome her. Not all animal behaviours are manageable. You sound very distressed and not in a place to accept this situation.

Puppy pads, incontinence bed sheets and Mad Lemon spray are your friends. We too have a floor wetting girl cat and use them.

Try her out at night - our cat is a big lump and so we got her a small dog kennel and it’s packed out nicely so she’s warm and we’ve put it on a bench facing out to garden so she feels safe.

good luck.we had her peeing everywhere and vet gave drugs to keep her super calm.

Months, unfortunately.

ours used to go on the bottom step, but we slowly migrated the pisspatch onto the hall floor next to the step, using tinfoil to discourage her from the steps themselves.

we have a feliway plug in nearby, and I use catnip spray around the area which seems to reduce it. I’m taking the view she likes peeing in the house, and the hall is probably the least worst place. At least it isn’t the sofa or a bed.

and I do leave her outside when I’ve had enough sometimes. She is already very much an outdoor cat and It’s a farming environment so she’s very happy to be out. I’m just soppy and like them to be indoors overnight. ETA so I used to spend ages luring her in in the winter, especially. But now she has shelter in the garden. I’m less fussed.

We tried puppy pads but inevitably she'll go on the edge or next to them and then dealing with wet pads and a wet floor usually.

We have to hot soapy scrub after every wee as the smell is getting so bad. We have to scrub at the grout between the tiles etc.

My daughter has a cat that used to pee everywhere until very recently. On the sofa, on clothes, on the floor ... he's much better now she's using Feliway religiously, the plug in one. You need enough to cover the whole area. He's being territorial and marking his territory. Feliway should make him feel more secure, so that he doesn't to do this all the time.

It's just how long it's gone on for. Months of dealing with it over and over and there's no help as it's not medical. Nothing seems to work.

I think she will have to be given to cats protection sadly if it doesn't stop. But that means splitting her up from her sister (who is no bother at all)

I'd forgot about feliway. We've got those plugged in all over the house as well.

Thing is, she doesn't seems stressed or anxious in any way. Just that weeing on the floor is completely normal. Can't see inside their heads though I guess.