For all you cat lovers

ksg68

ksg68

Cathlete
I need some advice. We have a male cat (neutered) who looks like he's peeing on the carpet, but there is no wet spot. Is he marking his territory with his scent? There is a strong odor of cat but there's never a wet spot. Is this possible? If so, how do you stop a cat from doing this?

Thanks!
 
Sometimes even nutered males still try to spray. I can't remember off hand what to do if that's the case but did want to make sure that he is not just straining to pee. Is he also Using the litter box normally? If not he needs to get to a vet asap.
 
Funny that you mentioned that; my DH was trying to figure out where the smell was coming and went to the litter box. It was completely dry. But this has been going on for a few weeks. Does he still need to be seen?
 
My advice is to get him to a vet ASAP. We just went through this with a male neutered cat. They are highly susceptible to urinary tract blockages, which cause them to squat everywhere. Sometimes they are able to get a few drops out (the smell you may be noticing), but yours may be unable to void his bladder (nothing in the litterbox and no wet spots). If he is unable to void, toxins build up in the kidneys and eventually (it takes only about 48 hours), the kidneys shut down. What I learned from my vet is that this condition impacts a huge number of male cats, and is the number one cause of death for them. So if you are at all unsure, get him to a vet immediately.
 
Awww the poor thing... I say the same, please take him to the vet inmmediately. Also, as for finding where the odor is coming form, you may find useful one of those UV light lamps. They sell them in Petsmart. Good investment for cat owners, IMO.
 
My sister's cat has urinary blockage issues. I kept him once while she was out of town and he'd squat in the litterbox but no pee. He constantly paced back and forth to the box trying to go but he couldn't. Long story short I took him to the emergency vet and according to the vet I got him there 'just in time'. It's a very serious condition that requires IMMEDIATE attention. I hope since he's been doing this for some weeks that it's a behavior issue, not a medical one. Please take him in as soon as you can. Only a vet can give you a proper diagnosis. Good luck! Poor guy!
 
I hope you took your kitty to the vet. Like others have said urinary tract problems are very common and very dangerous for male cats. My male kitten has had some UT issues, but thankfully no blockages, though I'm always watching to make sure he's okay. He did have crystals and blood in his urine, and wasn't using his box.

If your kitty has a UT problem you may have to make some changes. With our cat the antiobiotics didn't seem to help as much as the changes we made. We switched him to mostly wet food/some dry food and that helped. He also eats Wellness food, which is a bit pricey but is high quality and especially good for cats with UT issues. You can find it for the best price at Petco. I add some water to the wet food to make it even more hydrating. We got one of those fancy water-fountain thingies for cats to encourage him to drink more, and he loves it. And I also give him a once-a-day UT support vitamin, which he loves because it's disguised as a treat. It seems like he is staying healthy this way. When he was sick his whiskers all fell out, and they've now grown back and his coat is beautiful and he has tons of kitten-energy. I noticed that when I tried to feed him less wet food he started having issues again, so I think he needs to stick with 2 wet meals a day with dry food grazing in between. Some people say that cats like him shouldn't be given any dry food, but he seems okay with a little (and it's also Wellness which helps).

Sorry to ramble--just wanted to let you know what worked for us in case your boy is also dealing with yucky UT problems. Good luck!

Amy
 
We've moved his kitty litter to the laundry room to closely monitor his habits. Engery-wise he's normal and he doesn't appear to be sick. Could this be behavorial? We have two dogs as well and they all play like good buddies. If he's been fixed, could he be marking his territory because of the dogs?
 
It can be hard to judge based on behavior as sometimes animals act "fine" even though they are suffering. When my kitten was at his sickest, he still played some. When he got well, I noticed he had more energy, but at the time it wasn't a very noticable difference.

If when you monitor him you notice him struggling to pee (circling and/or digging a lot, crying, getting in and out of the box, etc.) he needs to go to the vet. It's a good idea to bring a urine sample too if you can, though this can be hard to do. One trick is to cover the box with plastic wrap, but if he's not using the box then forget it. My kitty liked to go on hard surfaces when he was sick so I could just use a syringe from the vet to get a sample. Also, wherever he goes, look to see if the urine is dark yellow or brown in color (this indicates highly concentrated urine and/or blood in urine). Also try to feel it and see if it feels grainy, which would indicate crystals. The crystals are very painful but can also block the urethra which calls for an emergency trip to the vet.

Hopefully it is behavioral, but if you suspect at all that it isn't, he really needs to go in because if he does have a UTI or a blockage it is a serious situtation that needs to be addressed immediately.

Amy
 
Good news!

He went and everything looked/acted normal. Thank goodness!! Do you think there is still a physical issue or behavorial? If it's behavorial, how do you fix/cure that?
 
when a male cat marks, they do not squat like they do in the litter box. They just back their bum up to a surface and squirt - sometimes this is accompanied by a little tushy/tail shake. The urine can be a small spritz to a larger stream.

By what you've described, it sounds as though your boy can't pee. This is serious and needs medical intervention right away. you will probably find that he will need antibiotics and a diet change.

Do not delay - they can die from a urinary blockage because kidneys will shut down.
 
ksg68 said:
We've moved his kitty litter to the laundry room to closely monitor his habits. Engery-wise he's normal and he doesn't appear to be sick. Could this be behavorial? We have two dogs as well and they all play like good buddies. If he's been fixed, could he be marking his territory because of the dogs?
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His behavior isn't territorial from what you've described. It sounds as though he is sick - please do not delay. To die like this would be very painful for him.
 
Terri,

I have a neutered male cat that insists on marking my house. If he looks like he is trying to pee and is near a vertical surface (i.e. a wall) check the wall for the wet mark not the floor. We finally had to move our cat outside, to a pen w/ an insulated house and heat (can you say spoiled), because we just could not get him to stop.
 
ksg68 said:
He went and everything looked/acted normal. Thank goodness!! Do you think there is still a physical issue or behavorial? If it's behavorial, how do you fix/cure that?
Click to expand...

I would still take him to the vet for a check up. They can analyze his urine to see if crystals are present or if there is a problem. From what you described he is sick.

I know you said he seems fine energy wise, but allow me to share a story about my Yoohoo. Yoohoo had a tail injury - I personally think he was in the road and someone ran over his tail because he wouldn't get up when cars came. By the time I saw it, apparently several days had passed (I didn't always see him every day because he was part of my outside clan that are ferals). Anyway, I could tell there was a break about 4 inches from the tip of his tail and then on one side the fur and flesh was scraped away showing raw skin.

To look at him, you would never even know he was in pain. But we rushed him to the vet that evening. When the vet assessed him, they confirmed his tail was broken, but also that he had a high fever and there were maggots in his tail already. had I waited even until the following morning, he would have died.

To look at his face, he seemed completely normal and he was eating like nothing was wrong. They are masters at diguising their pain.

Based on your description of his behavior, I do not believe what you are dealing with is territorial - and cats typically don't show territorial behavior towards dogs - they spray to mark territory for other male cats and to attract females.
 
Take him to the vet ASAP.

Better safe than sorry, and as others have said, urinary blockages are VERY serious in male cats (their urethras are narrower than that of females, so they can have a total blockage very quickly, and even die from it). He also may have problems with crystals in his urine, which can be very painful.

None of us here can diagnose the problem over the internet, and since it might be life threatening, get him to the vet.

I know you probably want to save the cost of a vet visit by figuring this out yourself, but if it is a urinary problem, letting it go could mean kitty needs catheterization (sp!) and hospitalization, which will cost quite a bit more than just a check-up.
 
I'm glad he seemed able to go, but it's possible that he goes "normally" sometimes and still has an infection. The fact that the litterbox was completely dry, and you can't find any urine but can smell it doesn't sound like territorial behavior. It really really sounds like he's sick. I hope he isn't, but it's very risky to let it go. Like Kathryn said, he could end up needing to be catheterized and hospitalized if you wait it out. Some male cats even have to be surgically turned into "female" cats!

Amy
 
O.k. I my first response was short because I was using my iPod. Your cat needs to see a vet. In a case like this physical problems need to be eliminated before assuming it's a behavioral issue. If it is a urinary problem and you find out sooner rather than later all the better. If it's not physical your vet should have same suggestions. Like others have said if he is squatting that is not how male cats spray. I have a male cat that does the shakey tail thing and he does not squat, he stands (luckily he doesn't actually spray). It seems pretty much everyone here has told you the same thing, get him to a vet, please.
 
I agree he needs to go to a vet ASAP. This can be very serious. I noticed my cat was doing this one morning before work so i took him in that same morning. He had a blockage and the vet said if I would have waited until that evening he could have died.
 
He's got an appointment this evening at 5:30. I'm very concerned after reading all the posts; I hope he's okay.
 
keep us posted

I'm really glad you have an appointment today. We waited too long to get mine to the vet, and after a year of surgeries (including the sex change that a previous post referred to), we just lost him 2 weeks ago. So I have been following this post closely. Please let us know what happens with the vet. Good luck!

Melclear
 
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