[o0Raille0o]

Well, I wasn't expecting to have to post asking for advice so soon, but- here I go! I'm going to give you some background so maybe it will help answer the question I have now.

To start, my husband and I have two kitties. One we named Silo, and adopted back in June from the local animal shelter when he was three months old. He was a very playful and generally well behaved "only kitty" up until about two weeks ago. Our newest kitty- Mellow who is a very mellow and loving little golden kitty- we adopted as a stray from around our apartment complex two weeks ago.

Silo wasn't very happy the first day, but by day two his curiosity won out, and by day three they were sleeping together on the couch and playing together. I've introduced cats before, so that they were so friendly by day three was rather miraculous to me. I thought it was meant to be- we have been trying to give Silo the amount of attention he wants, but we both have to leave for work and school for long hours during the day, so all of our hours at home were spent giving him attention, and it left time for little else. Since Mellow has come, he just hasn't needed us as much as he did before. However, we've had a few issues with Mellow since he's come.

Mellow is an unneutered tom (not for long!) and his urine smells positively awful. We're just grateful that he doesn't spray. Since he's come he has been well behaved in almost all ways except one- eliminating in the litter box. It started with what I began to call the "stink wars". Both kitties began using eachothers' boxes. Of course, when it came to dominant smell Silo had no chance. My husband has always cleaned the cat litter daily, and we would change the whole litter maybe every 2 weeks-month depending on whether it appeared to need it. Silo wasn't a smelly cat. However, Mellow is. He decided that both boxes were his, however we've noticed he prefers Silo's to his own. After 5 days, with daily scooping of litter boxes, he decided the carpet of our apartment was a better place to pee. I immediately changed the litter with a new brand that was supposed to be better for odor control with an added antimicrobial (Ever Clean was suggested so we used that) and it works amazingly with odor control (I don't think I'm going back). However this morning (the new litter's been there two days and we're still scooping daily) he AGAIN tried to use the carpet (in a different area/room, and he waited until we woke up and came out of the bedroom to do it). My husband immediately went to check the litter boxes, and found that he never even used his litter box, while Silo's had a few pats of buried kitty poo and a spot of kitty pee.

At this point I'm a little fed up. The issue obviously isn't that he's bothered by his own smell, and he never even used a completely clean litter box! I can't scoop the litter any more frequently and I'm pregnant to boot. I also can't afford to completely change the cats' litter every day (One box of Ever Clean is $20 at Petsmart and we use almost a whole box to fill both pans). I took him to the clean litter box at least 10 times this morning and made him go in/scratch before I had to leave for school. Can anyone give me any advice?

 

[NOLAKitties]

He needs to be neutered ASAP. Unneutered male cats are notorious for spraying. You need enzymatic cleaner (I recommend: Nature's Miracle) to clean everything that he peed on to make sure all clean and use UV light to make sure you don't miss a spot. Also retrain him to use litter box after he is neutered.

 

[Marcia]

Yes, neuter him ASAP. Now let me ask a few more questions:

1. Are the boxes covered or uncovered?
2. Are the boxes separated from one another by several feet/meters or side by side?
3. Are you using scoopable litter?
4. Are you using dust masks and gloves when you scoop yourself?

 

[Shybail]

He needs to be neutered ASAP. Unneutered male cats are notorious for spraying. You need enzymatic cleaner (I recommend: Nature's Miracle) to clean everything that he peed on to make sure all clean and use UV light to make sure you don't miss a spot. Also retrain him to use litter box after he is neutered.

I second this. Think it's cuz he is not neutered and trying to take over. The sooner you get him fixed the sooner it should stop the problem. I am not sure if it would become habit if you wait too long.

 

[Shybail]

About being pregnant, read up on toxoplasmosis. Its not as bad as they make it sound, just be a bit more careful than usual. I scooped my cats box during both pregnancies and never had an issue. If you read up on it, it will put your mind at ease.

 

[o0Raille0o]

Mellow is scheduled for a neuter in about a week-week and a half's time. We have kept the boxes covered traditionally, generally to contain the mess and give the cats privacy, although I know that they say the kitty may not appreciate the smells trapped inside. Silo has never had issue with it. Since we've changed the litter, you can't really smell their mess even when you take the lid off. Their litter boxes have about 3-4 feet between them. In fact, we put Mellow's box in a more secluded area in a corner, thinking he would like that better. The litter is scoopable. I have only scooped the litter once, and I used gloves at the time. I've been careful. I'm just lucky to have such a wonderful husband who is willing to scoop every day.

 

[Heather72754]

We have our new cat's box in a completely different area of the house from our existing cat's box and that has seemed to work well. Our new little girl was initially given a 'safe room' though, so of course her box had to be in there. Each cat knows their own potty place and so far each keeps to their own.

If Mellow is marking his territory though by using Silo's box then it wouldn't help no matter where you put it, I imagine.

 

[librarychick]

The only thing to do until he's fixed is to confine him to a small room (bathrooms work best) with his own box. The more he gets to practice this bad habit (aka the longer he's free in the house and has the ability to go where he shouldn't) the more risk you have of this changing from an unneutered tom marking to a bad habit that continues.

Short story? Lock him up! It's not mean as long as he has everything he needs in there and you go in and give him attention, and it's WAY better than risking life long litter box issues!

 

[howsefrau32]

It's not fair to be aggravated with Mellow. I'm not sure how old he is, but until he is neutered, and even then, his hormone level will still be up for some time before he starts to come down to that of a neutered male, he is just being a male cat. He is obviously upset by a new cat in his territory, and I would guess that is why he is marking. You can also use white vinegar and water and baking soda, cheaper than Nature's Miracle and I think it works great, but you HAVE to be get the area super clean. I have literally poured straight vinegar and hot water onto a carpet and scrubbed it, and then used washing soda and hot water, it works great. It's really hard to have an intact male inside and expect them to not want to mark their territory, it's what they do outside when they want to show the other cats around that this is THEIR spot. I'm not trying to yell, I just don't want your frustration to be on him. And now that he's doing it, it probably has become a habit. So you will have to make sure you get all of that pee smell out of the carpet and any area he has gone.

And the extra litter box thing, yes you need AT LEAST as many boxes per cat, but it's not like you can keep one cat to one box....that is not realistic to expect that, most cats will use each other's litter box, but having extra boxes around to me is worth it, I'd rather have to clean more litter boxes out of a box than clean pee out of the rug, although in this case, I'm thinking he would prob still pee on the rug or somewhere else. I have 3 cats and four litter boxes. I want them to have plenty of options. And to be honest, only one box is the "main" box that they love to pee in, and I use a giant rubbermaid container, I leave it open, and I put 40 pounds of tidy cat in it and scoop it and keep adding litter to it as they use it.

One thing that helped me, when we added a new cat into our mix, we have the new kitten time outs away from the other cat, to give the older cat a break. It is obviously somewhat stressful for Mellow, I think, if he is resorting to this behavior.

I just think you can't fix this situation until he is fixed, and even then, you will have to give him some time to recover and his hormones to adjust. About the litter box, you could wear rubber gloves when you scoop and wash your hands really well, I did that when I was pregnant both times, I mean, obviously it is best for hubby to do it, but if you had to, you could use gloves.

GOod luck! Don't give up on him and get angry or frustrated, he's just being a boy, a boy who needs to fixed, real soon.

 

[10cats2dogs]

Reading your post, I noticed that Mellow isn't spraying...
He also was using the litter box before...

If he waited till you got up, before peeing on the rug, so you could see him....

It sounds more like a trip to the Vet sooner! He may very well be experiencing a urinary problem!!

Very often, that is the first sign that something is wrong!
Urinary problems can be brought on by changes (he's only been with you two weeks) Stress and what they are being
fed, etc...

Its true that an unfixed cats pee is smelly!
It's also true that if he has an infection, it could cause his pee to smell 'Stronger'...

If Mellow has a urinary infection, it needs to be treated ASAP! Before it turns into a blockage!

RULE OUT a Physical Problem FIRST!

I've have/had male cats, so this is an issue I'm familiar with!!

 

[soccergrl76]

That really stinks having to deal with that. Hopefully, having him neutered will make him stop the inappropriate urination.


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[10cats2dogs]

Mellow is NOT Spraying! It sounds like he may have a urinary infection!
WHICH AGAIN...Needs to be RULED OUT FIRST!
I've had a lot of first hand experience with this!
If the poster waits to long to have him checked for this...
It doesn't bode well for Mellow!
PLEASE get Mellow checked ASAP!

If a urinary infection is ruled out, than it becomes a behavior issue!