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Atticus was finally out from under the couch and starting to explore his new surroundings and family members. This was a big step for him and I was so happy to see him wandering about. Unfortunately this happy moment was marred by three very concerning behaviors.

He Had The Fear

Atticus was hand and foot shy. If you moved a hand or foot near him with any speed he would flinch and collapse in on himself. Atticus was afraid we would hit him. Now sometimes you do have to give a cat a little smack but you never hit them hard, you tap them just enough to make them take notice.

Atticus was also afraid of being put on a couch or bed. If you tried to do it he would struggle and try to escape with his ears flat against his skull. if you tried to call him onto the bed he would put a paw up get very nervous then run away.

These two behavior and reactions pointed to someone both hitting him pretty hard and forbidding him from getting on furniture. I could not for the life of me figure out why anyone hit Atticus or forbid him from furniture, he was a very well behaved cat and responded really well to positive reinforcement. Then the third problem behavior reared its head and everything clicked into place.

Betrayal by Bladder

Once atticus moved out from under the couch we started to notice someone was having bathroom troubles. Either they were missing the litter box or they were peeing on any bundles of soft absorbent material. With minimal detective work the problem urinator was proven to be atticus. The more comfortable he became the more likely he would find a non litter box location to relieve himself.

Urination issue are often a difficult thing to work through with a cat. There could be any number of reasons for this behavior from severe health problems to social issues. Someone who doesn’t understand cats very well would almost certainly react by punishing the cat and keeping them off furniture. It would also cause excessive stress for the cat which can lead to fur loss from over-grooming. It’s also likely the real reason that Atticus was given away.

To Pee or not To Pee

I’m going to take a minute to explain some things about why cats pee on your stuff because understanding why they have these issues is so important to their health and well being..

Here are some of the basic reasons a cat will not use their litter box

• They don’t feel safe where the litter box is located
• The litter box is in too enclosed of a space so the smell drives them away
• You just don’t clean it enough
• They don’t like a lid on their litter box
• You recently changed the litter brand you use and they don’t like the new stuff
• They have a bladder infection
• They have crystals forming in their bladder
• They have a sensitive bladder
• Going to the bathroom hurts them and they have associated that pain with the litter box so seek other places.

Here are the two reasons a cat will pee on your stuff

• Dominance issue
• It hurts them to pee so they seek out your stuff because the scent makes them feel safe.

Here are a list of items that can help you deal with this problem

• Feliway: a pheromone spray you get as a wall plugin or spray bottle. It is the cat pheromone for feeling safe and happy. It can reduce stress and make your cat feel safer which can solve behavioral bathroom issues
• Nature’s Miracle: They offer enzymatic cleaning products for cat messes. With a normal cleaning product the scent markers and pheromones from cats remain in places they have urinated which shows the cat it’s a good spot to pee. Nature’s miracle breaks down the markers and is a good way to prevent a non-litter box locations being reused.
• Transition to a Cat Attract Litter product. We use Dr. Elsey’s
• Unlid your litter box
• Try moving the litter box (make sure to show the cat where it is)
• Clean your litter box more often. 
• If the issue is recurring for more than a month or goes away and comes back take your cat to a vet.

Poor Big Fellow Atticus

We spent six months going through behavioral steps to see if we could correct his peeing issue. None of them worked although he did become more comfortable around us and always made the attempt to use the litter box first. It was time to take Atticus to the vet. The first vet told us they wouldn’t perform the test to check if he had a bladder infection. The vet told us that in male cats urination issues are 99% behavioral issues. We tried to explain what we had already done but the vet didn’t seem to listen so we sought out a second opinion.

The second vet we took Atticus too listened to everything we had done and ordered the test right away. Atticus ended up being diagnosed with a very severe bladder infection, it had been left for so long it was forming crystals which can lead to death. A round of antibiotics later and the infection and crystals cleared right up. However, every 3 months he would still have an accident. 

The Mysterious not an Infection

When your vet takes urine to confirm a bladder infection for a cat they don’t actually run a culture they simply check for white blood cells. This saves time and money but recently it was being discovered that most male cats who have white blood cells in their urine didn’t show any infection when a culture was done. We returned with Atticus to the vet and got a culture done. Low and behold there was no infection, there was simply something aggravating his bladder. 

The solution to this was the easiest thing in the world. Atticus needed to drink more water. Every morning and evening he now gets kibbles mixed with about a quarter cup of water. He hasn’t had an accident since. One issue down, two to go.

To be Continued….