Urinating in my house

[Correll036]

I have had my cat for 3 yrs now and all of the sudden he is urinating on my rugs and kitchen floor. His litter box is scooped every few days and changed weekly. He is given attention and love and left alone a few hrs in the evening. What can I do to correct this. I've removed almost all of my rugs but he just wont stop.

[booktigger]

Have you had him checked for a UTI? Maybe scoop the trays more often, I do mine at least 3 times a day

[Ruth B]

I would certainly suggest starting with a vet check if you haven't already just to make sure there is no medical reason for his behaviour.

Assuming there isn't then certain things to try.

As Booktigger says, try cleaning the trays more often, it could be he doesn't like the smell, particularly with the hot weather arriving.
Try bigger trays, it could be he doesn't feel he has enough room to move around and find a good spot. If the trays are covered then try uncovering them.
Try a different litter, some cats can be fussy and if you have had him since a kitten he will be getting a lot bigger and heavier by 3 years old, if you use a pellet or large granular litter it could be it is hurting his paws to walk on it.
Where is the tray positioned, could something be disturbing him when he tries to go, have you tried trays in other locations to see if he is happier with those.
Does he have access to outside, and if he does is there any chance that another cat is coming in upsetting him meaning that he feels he has to mark his territory.

Finally, I have assumed he is neutered if not then this could be the reason.

Sorry for bombarding you with questions, but it isn't a simple problem and there can be a lot of different causes. I do know how upsetting it can be, like many other cat owners i have experienced a similar thing. I also once expected problems when my Mum had to go into a nursing home and i had her cat, who I was told would not use a litter tray and preferred to go outside what ever the weather. I knew i had to keep her in for several weeks, so was preparing for the worst. However when i got her out of the carrier after a two hour trip, put her near the litter tray i had provided in a vain hope she would use it, she did and was digging happily for several minutes before settling down to do her business. It seemed she just didn't like the wood pellet litter my Mum insisted on having, but a fine grained clay based litter she thought was wonderful. A small difference to us, but a major one for her.

Let us know how you get on and if anything seems to help.

[Correll036]

He is a adult male Maine Coon cat. Was dumped off at a shelter when I adopted him. They guessed he was around 3 years of age then so not sure if age has anything to do with it but theres no UTI. Hes always indoors and never goes outside, neutered also. Box has never been covered and I scoop more often and hes still urinating on my floor. It has to be a behavioral issue. It's easier to correct with a dog but how do you correct a cat.

[booktigger]

Did the vet check a urine sample to rule out a UTI?

[Ruth B]

It might be worth getting back in touch with the shelter he came from and asking them if he used the tray fine while he was with them, I would have hoped, if he hadn't, they would have tried to solve the problem before rehoming him, but it's worth a try, they might also be able to give you some advise on what the problem might be. Unfortunately you don't really 'correct' this type of behaviour in cats, you have to work out what is causing it and then correct that issue. As a final resort you might want to ask your vet about a referral to a behaviourist.

[Correll036]

Yes sample was checked and no uti. I've had him for 3 yrs from the shelter and hes just now doing this. Its slowed since removing the rugs and found out that the previous owner of the home had 3 dogs in the home that urinated on the new carpeting. We've shampooed it 3 times hoping that this will help. Thank you everyone