My 22-year-old male cat won't stop peeing all over the place - help needed

Axl's a sweet little old man, but he's developed this nasty habit about three months after Ginny died of peeing all over the place except for the litter box.

I also have a 2-3yo kitty named Banjo, so is this possibly a territory issue where Axl is trying to exhibit dominance? Or is there a possibility that he's going a little senile, and I should cut him some slack?

Right now, if I catch him in the act, I bellow "NO! Bad kitty!" and lock him in the bathroom for 15-20 minutes - no swatting or spanking. I'm afraid I'll have to resort to a spray bottle full of water to catch his attention, but I really don't want to resort to that.

Please help!

And he may indeed be a bit senile. You should definitely cut him some slack. Punishing him in any way, including using the spray bottle, won't solve the problem; a visit to the vet is probably in order.

Poor little guy. The thing is, I see him go in the litter box on a routine basis, but then there are a lot of times when he won't.

I can tell you that not too long ago, he tried to mooch a burger off of me, but he already had his kibble and fresh water. When I wouldn't let him steal my burger, he stood right in front of me, lifted his tail, and peed all over the carpet in front of me while staring me in the eyeballs. Not nice.

If he's gone 20+ years without misbehaving in this way, then he clearly knew the rules.

He may be troubled about something and this is his way of letting you know. Or, he just may be losing control of his bladder. Poor ol' fella.

Sorry I have no good advice about what to do; I went through this with a 21 year old cat myself, so I sympathize.

He spends most of his time sleeping on Ginny's favorite sofa. Axl comes to me for head scratches and general lovin', and I try not to neglect his emotional needs, but I wonder if Ginny's passing might have someting to do with this. He never pees on the sofa, though.

some sort of urinary infection or other problem that causes discomfort. I am in the middle of a problem with BMs outside of the box in a cat who never did this, but found that there is fresh blood when she has a movement. The vet tells me that she is not going in the box because (animal behaviorists believe) they are having pain when using the litter box, and they start to associate the box with the pain.

Is there an inexpensive vet around you? This could be easy to fix with cheap antibiotics.

I wish you well. And congratulations for getting a cat to 22 years old. That is quite an accomplishment and a testament to the way you care for him.

I'll see what I can do. It might also be worth my while to completely empty out the litter boxes once again and wash them thoroughly before filling them again in order to cut down on any residual nasties.

making changes to the litter box yet. But my vet suggested that when we get this bleeding stopped and my kitty is doing better, I should put more boxes out, with different kinds of litter. She tells me that sometimes, the cat will still associate that litter type with the pain, so options might help. I cannot attest to this yet.

probably having some age-related issues, poor guy. Definitely need to cut him some slack, and punishment at this age isn't going to do much of anything.

He might have a urinary tract infection (UTI)... do you have a regular vet? I have treated many feral cats with Clavamox before - sort of like kitty ampicillin (Clavamox is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used for treating a variety of bacterial infections in cats.)
- and the vet will just prescribe the drug to me in pill form w/o requiring an office visit (because catching ferals is so damn hard). Really not too $$, either, for a 2-week dose (if I remember correctly, about $14 for 2-weeks' worth). For the ferals, I grind up the pills and put them in with the wet food I give them but "my" cats are too canny for that and eat around any smashed pills, so I had to buy a pill syringe (works great).

And usually, giving a cat antibiotics is not going to do any harm - it will help with any UTI, and if there isn't one, no harm no foul.

kittehs would love that stuff, and it would knock those UTI's right out.

I have to go along with others who say that it may be a UTI or senility, though, or grief. I sympathize with the financial issues, maybe a vet could work with you on that, if you explain the situation? Best of luck, you seem like someone who really does love and care for their pet. Vibes to you and the old guy.

hitting the areas he's peeing in with a solution of water and vinegar. Best of luck.

One of two things is going on: 1) Your cat is too old to be able to be able to keep it in long enough to do his business in the litterbox. If this is the case, I'd pick up some doggy diapers (which would serve as kitty Depends) and use them on him; or 2) you might want to pick up additional litterboxes and put them out for your senior kitty-zen to use. A 22-year-old male cat is the feline equivalent of a 100+ -year-old man.

At any rate, a 2-3 year old young, healthy cat is highly likely to dominiate a senior cat 10 times his age. Both factors may be at work, so I'd go with both the kitty diapers and the extra litterboxes.

Try puppy pads. We have an old lady kitty who had started to pee next to the box. She'll use puppy pads, though. The vet says that sometimes older cats get a bit of arthritis in their paws and find that scratching in litter hurts. Putting the puppy pads in litter boxes prevents runoff and keeps things neat. Only thing, though, is that she demands a fresh pad every time, so we have a whole lineup of litter boxes lined with puppy pads.

YOU MUST take him to the vet.

Would you treat your grandfather that way?? he's old and probably in pain and you are PUNISHING him???

And I've only gotten on his case three times. Believe me, I understand his plumbing may not work as well as it once did, which explains why I'm trying to back off.

Besides, there's some good news - no new puddles in a few days! At least not since the OP.

Please get him to a vet.

Urgency and Frequency are symptoms- "Gotta go NOW!", and more often than usual.

Your old boy may have this same problem.

When my cats pee in the wrong place, it generally means a urinary tract infection. On the advice of our vet, I give my cats about a tablespoon a day for a week or so. This usually clears things up fast. It worked for my dog last week too.

Can't stress that enough, especially at his age.

cranberry pills I had at home for my urinary tract infection. He stopped peeing everywhere after the 1st or 2nd pill.

It is a supplement that is widely available. Look at your vitamin aisle in your grocery store or drug store. If that doesn't help, take him to the vet.

However I'm more inclined to say it's likely a medical issue. I hate to say this and hope I'm wrong, but it could be diabetes. Have you noticed him drinking more water then usual?

Another medical issue your elderly cat may be experiencing is Cystitis. It's more common in male cats and their diet has alot to do w/it. Most dry cat food, even the expensive stuff, has a high ash content in it which can cause cystitis. Alot of the symptoms you've described sound like it. We had a male cat that lived to be almost 20 (and I THAT was old) He peed everywhere too (which was not normal behavior for him) until the vet diagnosed it as cystitis.

Here is some very good info I've found on cystitis. It gives some pretty good suggestions as to what to do.
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-treat-common-cat-diseases5.htm

Whatever is going on w/your cat, I wish you (and him) the best of luck with it!

Might sound strange but give it a try.

Sorry, but no thanks. He's 22 years old, fer cryin' out loud.

The problem is starting to resolve itself, but I'm keeping an eye on things just in case. Axl's due for a trip to the vet in a month or two, anyway.

People and animals die from many causes but this is a first.

of crystals in his urine. Ultimately, he blocked completely and needed surgery. Good luck with your guy!

Mainly because he started doing it after your other cat died, plus he peed when you pissed him off by not giving him some of your hamburger. (Been there, have had that done to me! Gotta love cats with attitude. :eyes:)

So if it's behavioral (still, have Axl checked out at the vet to be sure), no amount of discipline is going to work. Again, it's that cattitude.

I have a cat who refuses to use the litter boxes--we had her checked out at the vet and there's nothing physically wrong with her. Apparently there's a whole lot mentally wrong with her though. She's VERY neurotic. It's totally behavioral with her (she thinks our other cat is going to attack her if she takes the time to squat in the litter box--and you know, she might be right--Jasmine can be a bit of a bully and views her as a chew toy when she's bored), so we have to (sigh) accommodate her neuroses.

We've had a bit of success with puppy pads, both in litter boxes and taped to the wall/on the floor in certain places she tends to pee. However, lately she's been ornery and has peed right NEXT TO a litter box with a puppy pad in it (twice), so now there is a puppy pad taped to the wall next to the box and another on the floor, under the litter box and extending out next to it. Sheesh. Yeah, our dining room has some very unusual decor these days.

If Axl refuses to use puppy pads and the vet says there's nothing physically wrong with him, you might have to resort to doggy diapers. I've done the research for Clover, and I've found they come in extra-small, which would fit a cat nicely.

Good luck--and bless you for not removing Axl from this earthly plane just because he's become difficult in his dotage.