Elderly Cat peeing on floor

[Idontknowhatnametochoose]

Dcat is 15 and has ckd stage two. For context.

She has started peeing on the floor beside the trays or twice on the rug in the hall. She has two trays, both clean, both the same litter as always.

She will use the tray as soon as its been cleaned, but as soon she has peed in it she hates using it again, even though I scoop it out immediately.

She was previously resorting to climbing into the tray and peeing down the back of the tray (the stream went onto the floor) but now she simply goes on the floor.

I try to catch her in the act and place her in tray, which she dislikes but tolerates, but obviously I can't always. I have also carried her to the tray and told her to go, which she mostly does. She is a gentle but strong willed cat and v intelligent. There's no way that she doesn't understand what she's doing and how annoyed i am.

Today she avoided my gaze by quietly peeing just outside the lounge door, not near her trays at all.

I'm stressed, she's stressed. My home smells.

Ive ordered a paper based litter in case she doesnt like the current one any longer.

Any other ideas?

I'm going to phone vet on Monday in case her ckd is worse but she is eating and drinking and goes out as usual. She's currently roaming outside!

Fussy minx! I’d see if you can get a large plastic tray and put the litter tray on that. Then if she pees next to it it will be caught

Is it that the tray is now too difficult to climb into? Puppy pads all round the litter tray might make it easier to clean up anyway.

I’ve had 3 female cats who have all decided they don’t like litter in their trays to a lesser or greater extent as they have got older. Currently I have an 18 year old who has two large empty trays on large, washable puppy pads. She uses one to pee in and one for poo. She also has access to 3 trays with soft litter but will not use them so I’m sure it is sensory and linked to her arthritis as she wasn’t always like this.

I have to keep on top of washing and cleaning the trays, often 2-3 times a day, but it’s better that than peeing on the floor. Is that something you could explore and see if it helps?

Also, with CKD, is she on a renal diet? My girl also has CKD and won’t eat much renal wet food but she is ok about having dry and that’s helping control how much she pees. I do a mix of senior and renal wet food plus the dry renal food to tempt her to eat.

Puppy pads are your saviour here. I used to place the tray on a couple and then pad out the surrounding area and change as soon as I noticed. There’s very little you can do beyond checking they haven’t got an infection if they’re deciding to pee somewhere else. Sadly elderly cats like to keep you on your toes.

This is very interesting. I wonder if it's sensory with my cat too. It's also possible that her legs hurt although she can jump ok and still goes outside where there are stones. I could try putting puppy pads in a tray on their own and another with thr new litter perhaps.

Very true words! Yes I will have to pad everywhere. I put a nappy on my elderly dog but can't do that with a cat!

A mixture like yours. She will only tolerate the pro plan salmon flavour. Unfortunately she is allergic to chicken and most renal foods are chicken flavour. She has gained some weight on a mix of renal and her normal foods.

When our older cat started that he was diagnosed with diabetes. He was drinking a lot though

She definitely doesn't have that. Bloodwork is very recent. Thyroid issues are also ruled out.

Is she doing full wees outside the litter tray or small puddles .

Full large wees

Mine is 19 and I find a puppy pad outside the litter tray helps as she gets into the litter tray but doesn't go in completely so her hind bits out then she wees on the pad, not ideal but it works for us

Mine is 12 and started doing it on the bath mat,, on piles of washing I’d just got out the machine. Vet said she was stressed (over a period of time we adopted a kitten, moved house, neighbours cat coming in and chasing her). She was prescribed meds and I used feliway but nothing has worked. We just have to make sure she doesn’t have anything to wee on although the other day I caught her jumping into the laundry basket and doing it up the wall