Kitty troubles

[SourRoses]

I second the UTI. Blood in the urine is a big sign. They need antibiotics to clear it up. You should try a different vet since your current one missed something so common.
Urinating outside of the litter box is another common sign, because they start to associate the box with the pain of going.

What is she eating? She should be on a totally wet food diet, no kibble, to keep hydrated.
Save your money on anything that's not proven to work and instead address these proven solutions:
1. Wet food only for hydration
2. Cat Drinking Fountain (did wonders for my kitty)
3. Antibiotics

 

[Magda12]

Did the vet check for UTIs? I’m guessing they did but that’s a pretty common cause. Though if it seems to be from stress then maybe not. But worth looking into. Also how often do you clean the boxes? With mine, it has to be pristine, like cleaned multiple times a day or at the very least once daily, or she will start going outside the box. Also I got a bigger box which seemed to help. It’s also easy entry so she can get in easier since she’s a senior.

Vet checks for utis every time. Thing is, sometimes by the time I take her she has developed one (not always). She gets anti biotics, etc. Our boxes are cleaned at least once a day
She used them, it's not that. They both also drink lots of water and get lots of wet food.

I feel like it's not possible to explain the paradox of this cat... She's sweet and lovable and will lay on her back, expose her belly and let me touch it. Yet, at the slightest noise or movement or if she thinks she's being cornered (ie, more than one person is in the room) she takes off. It's been this way for 6 years. I feel like she lives in a constant state of fear for no reason. No one bothers her. I don't have small children that chase her or try to pick her up. But still the slightest noise or " wrong movement" sets her off. I almost feel bad, like she shouldn't have to live in constant fear, yet as I say this she jumped on the couch and rubbed against me (then jumped down just as fast).

I honestly think I am just looking for validation. I can live with a neurotic cat. What I can't live with is never knowing what she's peed on and having my home ruined by cat urine (seriously, try to get it out of 120 year old concrete ). I don't want her to go but I feel like I have no choice at this point. I can't live another 10+ years like this and it doesn't seem to be fixable.

 

[Magda12]

Did the vet check for UTIs? I’m guessing they did but that’s a pretty common cause. Though if it seems to be from stress then maybe not. But worth looking into. Also how often do you clean the boxes? With mine, it has to be pristine, like cleaned multiple times a day or at the very least once daily, or she will start going outside the box. Also I got a bigger box which seemed to help. It’s also easy entry so she can get in easier since she’s a senior.

She's not a senior, she's 6.

I have the biggest litter boxes available since I have an 18lbs Maine Coon

 

[Magda12]

I second the UTI. Blood in the urine is a big sign. They need antibiotics to clear it up. You should try a different vet since your current one missed something so common.
Urinating outside of the litter box is another common sign, because they start to associate the box with the pain of going.

What is she eating? She should be on a totally wet food diet, no kibble, to keep hydrated.
Save your money on anything that's not proven to work and instead address these proven solutions:
1. Wet food only for hydration
2. Cat Drinking Fountain (did wonders for my kitty)
3. Antibiotics

Vent found a UTI last time, not the time before, because she didn't have one. This urinating outside the box is an almost all the time thing. She's been on antibiotics multiple times, so she either has recurring utis for no reason or it's psychological or both. The vet we have is nothing short of thorough and amazing.

My cats have had a fountain for years. They also get both wet and dry food, a long with wet treats. They both drink plenty of water, I watch them. my 15-year-old cat is healthy as a horse. I have a feeling little black kitty's issues are more psychological.

Again, urinating outside the box has been going on in various forms for 3 years. She goes in the box too. It's definitely more territorial than an issue of pain. Especially since it's only when we put rugs down in certain places.

Vet even said she dumps glucose into her urine when stressed, which is a sign of stress, given that she's not diabetic. Her STRESS is causing the urine issues, not the other way.

 

[DLA]

Vet checks for utis every time. Thing is, sometimes by the time I take her she has developed one (not always). She gets anti biotics, etc. Our boxes are cleaned at least once a day
She used them, it's not that. They both also drink lots of water and get lots of wet food.

I feel like it's not possible to explain the paradox of this cat... She's sweet and lovable and will lay on her back, expose her belly and let me touch it. Yet, at the slightest noise or movement or if she thinks she's being cornered (ie, more than one person is in the room) she takes off. It's been this way for 6 years. I feel like she lives in a constant state of fear for no reason. No one bothers her. I don't have small children that chase her or try to pick her up. But still the slightest noise or " wrong movement" sets her off. I almost feel bad, like she shouldn't have to live in constant fear, yet as I say this she jumped on the couch and rubbed against me (then jumped down just as fast).

I honestly think I am just looking for validation. I can live with a neurotic cat. What I can't live with is never knowing what she's peed on and having my home ruined by cat urine (seriously, try to get it out of 120 year old concrete ). I don't want her to go but I feel like I have no choice at this point. I can't live another 10+ years like this and it doesn't seem to be fixable.

I have a cat that had problems with peeing like that, especially when he gets stressed and he's pretty skittish. It was due to crystals in his urine. I've got him on prescription urinary food (royal canin urinary so). It's way more expensive but it works where the over the counter urinary food and suppliments didn't and no problems anymore.

 

[SourRoses]

I don't want her to go but I feel like I have no choice at this point. I can't live another 10+ years like this and it doesn't seem to be fixable.

Since you're at the point of not being able to continue with her, please consider having her humanly put to sleep while she's still in your care and with your loving presence.
Shelters get so many cats, that many are put to sleep, only they go through a LOT of stress first. And even if she did get adopted, the new owners would likely be so frustrated with such an issue that she would have to deal with even more upheaval.
It's okay to put her to sleep when you can't make her better.

 

[Magda12]

Since you're at the point of not being able to continue with her, please consider having her humanly put to sleep while she's still in your care and with your loving presence.
Shelters get so many cats, that many are put to sleep, only they go through a LOT of stress first. And even if she did get adopted, the new owners would likely be so frustrated with such an issue that she would have to deal with even more upheaval.
It's okay to put her to sleep when you can't make her better.

I would never give her to a shelter. No one wants a cat who pees and with how fearful she already is, I would never make her live in a cage like that..euthanizing seems like such a more humane, if not more difficult, option to me. I'm also not a big fan of dumping my problems off onto someone else.

 

[Magda12]

I have a cat that had problems with peeing like that, especially when he gets stressed and he's pretty skittish. It was due to crystals in his urine. I've got him on prescription urinary food (royal canin urinary so). It's way more expensive but it works where the over the counter urinary food and suppliments didn't and no problems anymore.

She's had full workups at th vet, blood, X-rays, physicals, etc. Nothing has shown up.

 

[ShrekDawg]

She's not a senior, she's 6.

I have the biggest litter boxes available since I have an 18lbs Maine Coon

I meant mine was a senior, sorry. That’s good though. And oh wow

 

[ShrekDawg]

Vet checks for utis every time. Thing is, sometimes by the time I take her she has developed one (not always). She gets anti biotics, etc. Our boxes are cleaned at least once a day
She used them, it's not that. They both also drink lots of water and get lots of wet food.

I feel like it's not possible to explain the paradox of this cat... She's sweet and lovable and will lay on her back, expose her belly and let me touch it. Yet, at the slightest noise or movement or if she thinks she's being cornered (ie, more than one person is in the room) she takes off. It's been this way for 6 years. I feel like she lives in a constant state of fear for no reason. No one bothers her. I don't have small children that chase her or try to pick her up. But still the slightest noise or " wrong movement" sets her off. I almost feel bad, like she shouldn't have to live in constant fear, yet as I say this she jumped on the couch and rubbed against me (then jumped down just as fast).

I honestly think I am just looking for validation. I can live with a neurotic cat. What I can't live with is never knowing what she's peed on and having my home ruined by cat urine (seriously, try to get it out of 120 year old concrete ). I don't want her to go but I feel like I have no choice at this point. I can't live another 10+ years like this and it doesn't seem to be fixable.

Aww sorry. That sounds super stressful. And we had the same issue with the concrete. It was a nightmare trying to get it out when we moved. We STILL didn’t fully get it out despite trying like everything. I feel bad for the people that bought it.