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June 22, 2010 12:47 p.m. Cotton HalfDork

Couple of things. We have an older cat who has started having litter box problems. She gets near it, then pees, but on the floor. Sometimes she even gets her front paws on the box....just doesn't make it in. We started putting towels around the litter box and she seems to always hit those, so we just wash/replace them when needed.

We also have an outside cat, well three if you count two that eat the food but won't let us near them. She has lived outside for years and has gotten in some fights etc. She probably wouldn't have made it if she didn't have her claws. She isn't confined to a small area though. We have 10 acres and she roams all over that as well as the neighbors land. We do try and get her inside at night though.
June 22, 2010 1:46 p.m. Lesley SuperDork

I share my house with a ridiculously silly but scary intelligent declawed siamese that's also had an ongoing "pee issue". After replacing two mattresses and steam-cleaning the couch, I was at the end of my rope with him, despite the fact that I love this crazy cat like a child. He didn't appear to be suffering from any urinary tract problems, but on the vet's suggestion I started keeping a bowl of fresh water upstairs where he spends most of his time. I figured if it's right there, he'd drink more, less chance of discomfort. That, and the fact that I got rid of all the furniture "throws" so he can't "scratch and bury" and keep the door to my bedroom closed if I go away for a few days... seems to be working (fingers crossed). In his case, I think a lot of it is psychological - siamese are pretty weird complex critters who need a lot of attention. He puts up one hell of a fuss when I go out for my nightly run - chattering like a cross between a monkey and a demented chicken. So I put him on a leash and take him walking while I cool down. Here are some pretty cool alternative ideas:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/garden/17catio.html?pagewanted=1
June 22, 2010 4:01 p.m. poopshovel SuperDork

and keep the door to my bedroom closed if I go away for a few days... seems to be working (fingers crossed). In his case, I think a lot of it is psychological - siamese are pretty weird complex critters who need a lot of attention. He puts up one hell of a fuss when I go out for my nightly run - chattering like a cross between a monkey and a demented chicken.

^^^this too. Our house is like that creepy "But I am your daughter" Nicole Kidman flic that I can't remember the name of right now; all the bed/bath doors stay closed all the time. It's a tremendous pain in the ass, but we do it all for the one bad apple in the bunch ('Lil Elian Gonzales) that occassionally gets all riled up, freaked out, and pees on something. See also: We don't have "things" on "surfaces" that can get knocked over, and we have futons (removable covers for cleaning purposes/replacement matresses are cheaper than a new couch,) in lieu of a nice, comfy couch :(

"This is why we can't have nice things."

Lesley: I dunno if you saw my other post, but we give pee-pee boy an amitriptyline every day, and it's helped tremendously. His behavior sounds similar to your siamese, and the vet chalked it up to "seperation anxiety" (I know, this is all really hilarious, right?) Might be worth looking into. It saved pee-pee boy from being thrown out to the wolves.
June 22, 2010 5:08 p.m. Lesley SuperDork

It's worth looking into, thanks. Not that I will ever get rid of him, it's like having a small, hairy, problem child.
June 22, 2010 9:00 p.m. fastmiata Reader

We've had a series of outdoor cats that hang out in the garage in the last 30 yrs. We keep a window partially open during the day and close them up at night. We have found that it keeps the various small rodents, snakes and other vermin that you find in rural east tennessee away from the house(except for the ones that are caught in the field and brought in to be played with). One was even named Renoo for the SR that she stayed on top of to get away from the dogs that my wife prefers.
Aging cats usually develop kidney issues so peeing in inappropriate places is not unusual. 8yo is kinda early for such issues to develop imo but I am not a vet. I would have to wonder if it is a sign of other issues ie emotional. As an interesting aside, we lost one of the cats when a storm came up as we were loading the car for a race weekend and went inside to wait it out. Lightning hit a nearby tree and ran into the house on a route that ran under the truck/trailer where the cat had taken refuge. One fried cat!
June 23, 2010 10:19 a.m. psteav Reader

Lesley wrote:

I share my house with a ridiculously silly but scary intelligent declawed siamese that's also had an ongoing "pee issue". After replacing two mattresses and steam-cleaning the couch, I was at the end of my rope with him, despite the fact that I love this crazy cat like a child. He didn't appear to be suffering from any urinary tract problems, but on the vet's suggestion I started keeping a bowl of fresh water upstairs where he spends most of his time. I figured if it's right there, he'd drink more, less chance of discomfort. That, and the fact that I got rid of all the furniture "throws" so he can't "scratch and bury" and keep the door to my bedroom closed if I go away for a few days... seems to be working (fingers crossed). In his case, I think a lot of it is psychological - siamese are pretty weird complex critters who need a lot of attention. He puts up one hell of a fuss when I go out for my nightly run - chattering like a cross between a monkey and a demented chicken. So I put him on a leash and take him walking while I cool down. Here are some pretty cool alternative ideas:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/garden/17catio.html?pagewanted=1

I neglected to mention that the cat in question (his name is Batman) is a Siamese-Manx mix. He's very handsome....traditional Siamese coloring with no tail.

The gf and I are moving as of this weekend to a new house...with new carpets. I've got a steam cleaner, so we'll see what we can do to keep after him for now.

Vet scans have been negative for kidney stones, cancer, anal gland problems, and all of the other usual suspects. We don't think anxiety is the problem, because he uses the litterbox when he's awake. The problem is he usually pees when he sleeps. If he gets up on your lap and sits for ten minutes, he'll get off and you'll have a damp spot the size of a quarter. He's not doing it on purpose, and he knows he's been bad when he wakes up in a puddle.

I guess we could try the amitryptiline. At this point, we're kind of out of ideas for what the problem might be.

I don't think we're going to put him outside, with us or with anyone else. We don't have any good way to isolate him and he's kind of a pansy (smallish, as well). The more I think about it, the more I think we either need to suck it up and clean up after him or find a no-kill shelter or rescue to take him.

Thanks for the input, everyone. It really did help.
June 23, 2010 2:35 p.m. Lesley SuperDork

Good luck, I hope it works out. If he's anything like my Spider, it will be worth the effort.
June 23, 2010 3:52 p.m. mndsm HalfDork

He's automatically worth it. He's a siamese, and he's a manx. Both excellent breeds. Add the fact that the cats name is frickin BATMAN.... and it's a lock.
June 23, 2010 7:56 p.m. Lesley SuperDork

Too funny. I had one called "Kato"
June 23, 2010 8:26 p.m. fastmiata Reader

Just look at it as having a messy uncle or other older family member. I never allowed an animal to sleep in or on our bed until my 18yo male cat started sleeping on the foot of the bed. I figured any animal that can survive that long should be allowed a few privileges. He wheezed; he smelled and he snored but he was called "Little Bit" because we found him in a dumpster where someone had dumped a litter. In his prime he weighed 16lbs but we could hold him in one hand and had to feed him with a dropper when we first found him.
June 23, 2010 9:11 p.m. vwcorvette Reader

I applaud your courage to choose to keep the cat. Not easy I know. We have greyhounds and they are prone to osteosarcoma (bone cancer). Our oldest was diagnosed over 3 years ago. We went through a lot of soul searching and determined what was best for us in our situation for her. Whatever you choose it will be right for you and the cat given the circumstances. BTW, Ellie is still running around the backyard barking at our other two on three legs no less.

And she's still faster than most dogs!

Good luck with (looks both ways) the Batman!
June 23, 2010 9:14 p.m. oldsaw Dork

fastmiata wrote:

Just look at it as having a messy uncle or other older family member. I never allowed an animal to sleep in or on our bed until my 18yo male cat started sleeping on the foot of the bed. I figured any animal that can survive that long should be allowed a few privileges. He wheezed; he smelled and he snored but he was called "Little Bit" because we found him in a dumpster where someone had dumped a litter. In his prime he weighed 16lbs but we could hold him in one hand and had to feed him with a dropper when we first found him.

OTOH, I wonder "what's going on?" if one or both my cats don't jump on the bed at night. Then again, these are cats that walk around with erect tails (like little periscopes) when I'm around, jump in my lap whenever they decide and start purring if I just look at them.

As for random urination, pets are subject to physical and psychological issues, just like people. If you care enough, you'll find a way to deal with the situation without putting them at more risk.

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