13 yr old cat behavioral problem

Question

My 13 yr old cat has been peeing on my rugs non stop. When I was younger, he was an outside/inside cat, so he basically went anywhere he pleased. Sometimes inside the house without me or my parent's knowing of it. He is now only an inside cat. For the past year (even before I moved) he had been peeing on my area rugs, my living room rugs and bathroom rug at least 1x's a month. I clean out his box 3x's a day. He uses his box just fine during the day and seems to like the litter. He practically plays in his litter. We even give him positive reinforcement when he does use the box. It's ONLY AT NIGHT TIME that he decides not to use the box.

I have RULED OUT his peeing outside of the box as being a medical problem. The vet gave him a clear bill of heath and even said that it is behavioral. Since then, I have had to confine him to one room with 2 litter boxes, and he has still been peeing outside of the box! I also have a feliway defuser, feliway spray and I have used enzime products on the spots where he has gone. I can't smell anything on those spots anymore. But, he just finds a new spot to pee in- even on top of his toys.

Does anyone have any advice other then taking the cat to the vet for medical issues, since that is not what it is? My husband thinks that we should confine him into a crate with his litter box and food, But I think that is a little too much for an older cat. Help!!

Answer 1

Put the litter box on top of the rugs that he is peeing on, then move it slowly outside as the days progress.

Answer 2

Do the rugs have a rubber backing?  Sometimes the rubber backing on some rugs attracts cats to pee on them - it's something about the scent.  If they do, try changing them out for rugs without any backing.  

Since he's using his boxes OK in the day, it may be worthwhile to put him up at night only, perhaps in a room where there are no rugs.  Provide him with a small cat tree to climb, a litterbox, a bed, and fresh water and food and he should be OK, so long as you give him some attention before putting him to bed each night.

If you do put him in a crate, you can find large crates with enough room for a bed, a litterbox, and food and water (away from the box) to put him in at night.  If it's just at night and he has the run of the house during the day, it's not so bad.

13 is old for a cat, but it's not ancient - many live longer than that, even up to 16 to 20+ years.  He is a senior cat, though, so it's possible his vision and sense of smell could be deteriorating with age.  It may help to put in some night lights, and put another box near where he normally sleeps at night with a nightlight nearby, so he doesn't have to look far to find it at night.

When your veterinarian examined your cat, did he or she just check for a bladder infection and crystals, or did they also check your cat for diabetes and kidney problems?  Diabetes and kidney problems are common in older cats and usually require blood tests and urine tests to diagnose.  Both problems can cause excessive urination, which can make it difficult for a sleepy cat to reliably make it to the litterbox.  If your vet didn't do a comprehensive senior blood profile, I'd strongly recommend asking about it.  Diabetes and kidney problems can both be managed with diet and medication.  

You may also wish to consider a feline behavior consultant or cat vet specialist.   The links below are to help find a cat vet (in the US) and a behavior specialist.

You're a good person to put so much care into your sweet old cat!

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Take him to a vet!  I recommend it!

Answer 4

my cat started doing the same at 14 years of age. His kidneys were starting to fail. I would take him to another vet and get a second opinion. Also do you have any other animals in the house? He could be marking his territory. They become less tolerant of other animals as they get older.  

Answer 5

He might want attention.. but since he is old he may have just stopped caring about going into the litter box. My cat is almost 16 years old and she goes all over the place. She had a UTI (urinary tract infaction) once but that was corrected. I think when they get old it becomes more uncontrollable like people. They make kitty diapers! ;-) Good luck

Answer 6

Old age, there is nothing you can do..

Answer 7

If your cat was used to peeing outside then maybe now he thinks that peeing anywhere is okay! That's what usually happens with outdoor cats. I would get another opinion from a different vet just to make sure it isn't health related. Confining him to a crate at his age sounds really cruel especially if you made him an outdoor cat. You would be the one to blame for his problem! My oldest cat is 15 years old going on 16 and has NEVER pee'd/pooped outside his litter box. He has always been an indoor cat only!

Answer 8

for a 13 year old cat the proper behavior is death. just be happy that furball is stilll kickin.

Answer 9

Your husband is right. Just like you can't teach an old dog a new trick you can't teach an old cat unless you do something drastic.

I was going to say the same thing as your husband.

I was going to suggest that you rub the cats nose in pee when it goes where it is not to go.

I had a 22 year old cat, but her problem was kidney failure.

Answer 10

put him outside at night with the litter box to teach him a lesson  and he will get use to it not only once do it for like 2 weeks and when he learns then you can bring him back in good luck!!!!!!

Answer 11

Cats are very tempermental animals. They do not like change. If you have moved to a new location or even sometimes moved the funiture in your house the cat will get a feeling of discomfort. Causing it to pee on parts on the house and even sometimes not eat.

Answer 12

my cat does the same thing! drives me nuts...only way he will use the box is if it was just scooped and no poo/pee in the box ...make sure its clean and put a sprinkle of fresh littler on top b4 u close him in the room with the box

Answer 13

He is a male cat and male cats spray to mark their territory.  Get him neutered and it may help but he is 13 so he may be to old to be neutered now.

Answer 14

hey umm...you know cats taste really good...of course i am not saying you should eat your own 13 yr old cat who has been very naughty. but i am just saying cats taste really delicious. you dont need that cat do you. i mean cats are also animals which we eat daily like pigs, cows, chicken. yes i have eaten several cat/dog meat before. Hey nothing wrong with that. just giving you an idea...there is always an option of eating the cat.  

Answer 15

I hate to say it but when a cat is 13 its not too long before they go. 13 is really old for a cat and its good he's in perfect health. How long has he been an inside cat? If its not too long then he just might not be used to it yet. If hes been inside long then it might just be a sign of the old age and there might not be anything you can do about it. I'm sorry I can't offer much or help. But don't listen to your husband, putting the cat in a crate would just p**s him off.

Answer 16

i had a cat with the same problem but not pee it was poo. it think you should do your husbands idea when he pees on rugs, but if hes doing good let him roam.

Answer 17

Contrary to what people think, this is not unusual behavior for a cat.  Everyone thinks all cats uses their litter box exclusively and it just isnt true.  Just look at the several thousand articles with people who have had the same problem with their cat or cats.

Although it is true, some things can trigger it.  If the cat is very unhappy about something, with his environment, dirty cat box, sharing with other cats, litter box is too far where from her environment, health problems, etc the cat could begin behavior problems and peeing.  I dont argue with people who have solved these issues by ruling out these problems.

BUT I'm telling you I've had a few cats that just will not use the litter box all the time.  Once the smell gets into an area, they will also return to it.  I have an 8 year old persian female who has had the same problem.  She likes open boxes and towels in the bathroom.  When me and my wife had our baby, she also peed on the rugs for a while until she got use to the baby.  However, during all this I STOPPED giving her free access to the house.  After replacing carpet once and fixing damaged areas of the floor, I had enough.  Now she has a basement, and VERY big room off the basement to stay in.  For some reason she will not pee in these areas at all.  The litter box is in the basement.  Whenever I am home (which is a lot because my office is at home), I let her out.  So she is quite happy.  But when I'm away or sleeping, she returns to her area.  So now for a year it's fine!  She is a very loving cat and friendly so I havent had the heart to get rid of her.  But I know her well!  If she gets access to an open box or sneaks upstairs, she will hit the towels.  Nothing is going to change her.  So I accept her and have found solutions to keep her.  Best of luck to your situation!

Answer 18

put a peg on his p***s xD

Answer 19

try giving it advil