Mine was just marking his territory. He grew out of it.

quote:

Originally posted by KevinCW:
... I just want to be able to teach him how to "cat"

As odd as it sounds, when I was a kid, we got a kitten that was likely taken from her mother too early. She honestly didn't know how to "cat" until new neighbors moved in next door that had an older fixed male cat. Being that they were both outdoor cats (it was the 80's) they hung out, got along, and she eventually learned how to "cat" and got pretty darn good at it as such things can be judged.

She was still fairly psycho, but hey...Siamese...it happens.

As already said, UTI and possibly not liking the litter. Went through this with the wife's 5 cats

quote:

Originally posted by KevinCW:
He has a automatic "catgenie" litter box that self cleans 10 minutes after it detects the cat in it.

If you are able to rule out anything physical, try getting two regular litter boxes and do not put any top on them.

Scoop whenever there is anything in the boxes. That may mean you scoop several times a day, but so what. You already have poop bags for the dogs. You can use the same bags for the cat litter.

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
As already said, UTI and possibly not liking the litter. Went through this with the wife's 5 cats

Those would be my best guesses, too.

We bought a couple of these as well, they work great. I pull them out when they have been places where they are not supposed to be.

https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe...s&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1

quote:

Originally posted by KevinCW:
He has a automatic "catgenie" litter box that self cleans 10 minutes after it detects the cat in it.

Cats are exceedingly clean animals. Ever since I retired, litter box cleaning duty has become mine. I know what it takes to maintain a clean litter box. I find it hard to believe one of those automatic things could possibly do an adequate job. Coupled with its mechanical action, I suspect the litter box is the problem.

My cats absolutely hate the automatic boxes and refuse to use them. His instinct to bury his poop may override his dislike enough to use it for that but not enough for pee. Or it’s a uti. I’ve got a dog that went from would not pee in the house under any circumstances to peeing on the bed right in front of me when she got one.

An easy test may be to get any container you know the cat can fit into, fill the bottom with an inch or two of litter and set it next to the catgenie thing.

If the cat uses it then you may have solved your problem.

You may also want to find the plainest, clumping cat litter you can find. No scents. No baking power.

There is also the approach of retribution.

Every time he pees on something, find him and pee on him.

I do think this approach hasn't been thought through well enough.

One thing to do is to remove the scent from where he's been peeing. They use the scent as an "OK, this is the spot" signal.

Find something at the pet store that has the specific enzyme that neutralizes cat urine scent.
"Nature's Miracle" for cats does very well - not sure how widely sold that one is, but your pet store should have one or more choices.

If you get the past places, and keep up with any new ones, eventually this 'pee-here' scent signal will go away, except in the litter box.

It won't fix any health-related issues, and it won't re-gruntle a disgruntled cat, but at least he won't be doing it on autopilot.

He probably does have FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease) or FUS (feline urologic syndrome), or whatever new name the newest generation of vets calls feline sterile cystitis. Whatever they call it, it isn't so much fun.

Another thought, though, is that if you're seeing any outdoor cats that come around your place, he could be marking in reaction to their presence. Cats are generally extremely territorial, and will go to great lengths to let it be known whose turf it is. Even if you aren't seeing them, maybe a motion activated camera outside would shed some light on the matter?

Lastly, you might get a few Feliway dispensers. They kinda calm the kitteh and make him not wanna spray pee all over God's creation.

Add another, open cat box. Keep it pristine. My young male started this. He just didn’t like covered cat boxes.

Any updates since the Vet trip, Kevin?

I tamed a feral kitten that has grown into a great indoor cat. He didn't understand the whole peeing in the litter thing; never had a problem pooping in the box. He had always peed in the flower bed in the dirt and pine bark. Soooo, i went outside and filled a walmart sack half full with leaves, pine bark and dirt. Mixed it in with his litter. Dumped it on top of his litter and mixed it in a bit with the scoop. Little shit hopped right in and took a leak. Over the next week or two, the bark and leaves got strained out as I scooped the box. No problems since using just plain litter.