Neutered male cat urinating in multiple rooms

by Charmaine Robinson
(New Zealand)

Our one and a half year old male cat we have had since a kitten has started to urinate in our lounge, the dining room and under my bed in the bedroom.

He even urinated in the plastic laundry basket I placed on the spot he was urinating on in the lounge.

I wondered if he is stressed as we have a big tom cat that hangs around our place which we have tried to discourage daily, but it has decided our place is his.

Is it worth trying to trap the tom (cage)? We have checked with all our neighbors and he doesn't belong to them. Of the two cats, he is the more nervous one.

I will get stuck in and cleanse affected areas with vinegar, water, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide as this works really well to eliminate odor but how do I get him back to his toilet trained state again?

---

My thoughts:

I'm sorry to hear about your cat's troubles. I'd say it's very possible that it's the stress from the outside cat.

It could be a fear response or it could be a territorial tit for tat. The outside cat urinates and your cat responds in kind. Often we see spraying behavior and not urination, but one or the other or both are possible.

I'm assuming he's completely healthy and none of this is caused by a medical problem.

If it's a reaction to the tom cat outside, my suspicion is that it will be very difficult to get him to stop unless that cat moves on, or they come to terms.

If that tom is a stray or a feral and he's not being vaccinated, he's a potential health risk. In my area, we have animal control for strays, but that's hit or miss. So, trapping with a humane trap is definitely an option.

In the meantime, since he's going all over the house, I'd confine your cat to a room for isolation retraining. If that doesn't work, make the area smaller.

In some cases, you have to go as small as a large dog crate with a water bowl and a litter box to get them back on track.

How long do you confine him? There are varying recommendations, but it's often a week for each month the problem has been going on. So, if it's been happening for a couple of months, two weeks should do it. Some cats need longer, but some come around sooner.

Here's a very specific retraining plan with a schedule.

I hope that helps. Please let us know how he comes along.
-Kurt

P.S. Please ask any questions or leave feedback in the comments, and as always, share this page so that we can reach a wider audience. We often get the best input and ideas from other visitors.