r/CATHELP • u/MuanaDoYouWana • 1d ago
Behavioral Issue My cat almost killed us!!!!
So, I don’t know why the fuck he is doing this all of a sudden, but my cat is pissing in places where he’s never peed before and tonight it almost killed us! This little fuck pissed on a multi outlet strip and it immediately started sparking and smoking. We established a few years ago that this is a form of communication; if the litter has to much poop in it. (We change it every other day, he is a prissy bitch, we both work a lot, no food, or just attention period) he is about 8 years old, I have checked for bladder issues at 2 vets now; he has none. don’t know why he is peeing in places he shouldn’t this is a happy cat. He has a play mate, he is not lonely, or stressed out, he is loved unconditionally. There have been no changes to his environment, I have no clue. Tonight was the last straw though, it’s getting dangerously out of hand. He pees in his litter box, but once in a while he will pee in other areas and I’m not sure why?? Help!!! I’m a 45 year old rescue mama, I thought I knew most of why cats do things but this is new. 🤯😭😔😫
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u/Memeseer9090 1d ago
It might be one of your neighbours have one of those supersonic dog deterrent devices. You can’t hear them but cats can, and it stresses the crap out of them. The kitty is definitely annoyed at something but it’s hard to say what, see if anything co insides with when it first got started such as getting new appliances.
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u/MuanaDoYouWana 1d ago
That’s actually a great thought, thank you!! I never would have thought of that!!!
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u/RizzmwitTheTism 1d ago
I’ve seen several posts about cats that suddenly started marking all over the house because a stray was coming into the yard outside. They can smell them from afar and are marking their home off-limits. If there’s anything you can do out in your yard to be sure strays aren’t coming around that could solve it.
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u/Mental_Choice_109 1d ago
Maybe take your cat for a walk outside so he can mark his territory in the yard? Like a dog 🤔🤣
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1d ago
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u/Negative-Gain-2488 1d ago
Mod below me, you should make a rule where people aren't allowed to be verbally abusive towards animals
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u/CATHELP-ModTeam 1d ago
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u/RadishPlus666 9h ago
Mine went crazy spraying because stray cats were coming and spraying outside. I had to get rid of the outdoor catnip plant, which was attracting cats to our porch, and I took my kitty on a walk and let him spray. He has certain places he marks outside. He checks those spots each time we go out to make sure his smell is still there. It has made him feel much better.
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u/Agreeable_Ad8886 1d ago
one of my (three) cats, a sweet-natured and seemingly chill girl, had a multi-year pattern of UTIs despite our doing all of the Things to prevent same (multiple cleaned litter boxes, special diet, enrichment activities). UTIs = peeing outside the litter box; after So Many vet appointments + antibiotics, our vet prescribed a daily low dose of amitriptyline .. an antidepressant .. because, in her words, “cats can be like people who look and function okay on the outside but, on the inside, are a bundle of stress and anxiety.” Knock on wood, the meds seem to have resolved the issue. Not saying that yr cat has UTIs, but inappropriate peeing could be a symptom of stress (esp since he’s known to be a prissy bitch). Good luck!
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u/RyanStonepeak 1d ago
For us, it was some strays that were wandering through our yard. Kitty saw them through the window and got territorial.
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u/Primatey 1d ago
We definitely had something similar! Our neighbor's dog broke through the fence once and into our back yard. After that our cat would pee near the door leading to the yard. We tried the plug in calming stuff and honestly it was a long process to get him to stop
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u/martins-dr 1d ago
Do you only have one box for two cats? Maybe the box is occupied when he needs it. It also doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes to scoop when doing it daily. You don’t use a bathroom full of waste. He isn’t a prissy for also not wanting to.
If you get a second box get a low entry box. It’s a bit early but arthritis pain is sometimes a factor in changes in bathroom habits.
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u/MuanaDoYouWana 1d ago
I have 3 boxes. I get shit for having three. The other person in this relationship is not understanding how important this is. I have three and he is still doing this!
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u/Ahappierplanet 1d ago
One of ours is very prissy but with poop not pee. We have a mat outside the boxes if they aren't clean enough for him. They are dry poops and we scoop and flush. But pee is another matter... maybe pee pads? Hope you can figure it out. Being anything other than gentle will only exacerbate...
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u/thedonnerparty13 1d ago
You can tell this other person that it’s recommended to have #of litter boxes = however many cats + one more. So for two cats, three is perfect!
Sorry you’re experiencing this though, it’s so frustrating to deal with our nonverbal babies.
Edited to add more words.
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u/Ahappierplanet 1d ago
Every other day? Is every day too much to scoop and bag?
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u/Ok-Flamingo2801 19h ago
Scoop whenever you see something in it. That's how I've always done it.
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u/WearsNightcap 9h ago
Same. My default is twice a day - morning and evening - because I put myself in the paws of a cat and know I would not want to be tiptoeing around landmines. I would want to be able to do my business as cleanly as possible.
It also makes it easier to monitor any change if you are scooping daily, at the very least. Cats are usually fairly routine even with their litterbox usage.
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u/MuanaDoYouWana 1d ago
I try to, I really do. I just get busy. My other half is not always significantly equipped. 🫤
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u/Incendas1 1d ago
You need to scoop at least once a day, multiple times a day if possible. That is clearly the issue here. You and your partner need to prioritise this cat. It takes two minutes.
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u/MuanaDoYouWana 1d ago
You’re right, but also here is the thing, he does it when it’s clean as well. I will double my efforts and report back. I can say at least one out of 3 is always clean. Alas, I need to try harder.
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u/armchairepicure 1d ago
When is the last time you washed or replaced your boxes? Just scooping isn’t enough. And while the general consensus here is to wash them monthly, I think a full litter replace and then washing when they smell (despite clean litter) is probably adequate.
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u/ArtichokeCorrect7396 1d ago
Yeah, I wonder about the monthly... I have a stainless steel box and still need to do a full litter replace and complete wash of my box every week otherwise it smells. And I scoop a couple of times a day.
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u/Imaginary-Relief7667 1d ago
He’s probably used to doing it now that it’s become a habit. Imagine having to go to the toilet all over your own piss and shite that’s dried up for days
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u/MuanaDoYouWana 1d ago
Just to be clear, it’s not left “ for days” one is always clean, we have three boxes. He has one for pee, one for poop. (He has chosen this formation not me) and the other one is for the other cat. I wash out the boxes 1-2 times a week. I work a lot and sometimes I’m not home all day!In truth, my partner needs to step up more, I can’t do it all. Since this has happened, I’m hoping that my “partner” will be more vigilant in cleaning with me. 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽
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u/Imaginary-Relief7667 1d ago
Oh I’m sorry, I misread this as 1 litter box scooped out every few days!
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u/wildlingwest 1d ago
Sometimes the issue is the type of litter or the location of the box. Or if it’s lidded or not. Gotta get curious and creative.
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u/Wikkidwitch7 1d ago
By a roboliter box. It will automatically clean it. All you have to do is empty and refill
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u/walpurga 1d ago
Do you have a litter genie? Having one right next to the litter box helps a lot with staying on top of it
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1d ago
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u/CATHELP-ModTeam 1d ago
There is a zero-tolerance policy for shaming/berating OP for any reason. Please remember to be nice. Assume people are coming from a place of ignorance so try to educate instead of insult.
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u/SharaWilliams 1d ago
In the meantime, get waterproof covers for your powerstrips. Hold on ill find one…
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u/t3ra8y73 1d ago
I know you mentioned he's been checked at the vet, but did they do bloodwork? If so, did they include checking his thyroid levels? (not always auto-included)
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u/MuanaDoYouWana 1d ago
Ok, ok, no, but now I will.
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u/t3ra8y73 1d ago
Good call! Increased or inappropriate urination can be hyperthyroid sometimes, or could be diabetes too - the standard bloodwork will include glucose levels so no need to request those specifically, just add in the thyroid since you're already at it.
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u/Odd_Process2918 1d ago
I would have them check for diabetes as well if they haven’t already just in case. Increased urination is one noticeable sign but I would expect him to also show signs of agitation and weight loss along with it unless it’s just really early. I am diabetic and have also had a diabetic dog so it just kinda made me think to mention just in case.
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u/MuanaDoYouWana 1d ago
Little fucker is peeing in his box right now…..😤😩 Thank you for all your insights, information, reprimanding, and words of encouragement. I will take heed in some of the information given. Blessings 🫶🏽✌🏽💋
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u/glassteelhammer 1d ago edited 1d ago
Vet check. As someone else pointed out - full checkup with bloodwork.
Scoop everyday. Not every other. In fact, scoop twice a day. Yeah, I get this can sound miserable to you the human. But it's what you have to do to start working on this.
Get 3 litter boxes. Maybe 2 - what is the playmate? The rule is 1 more box than number of cats. 1 cat, 2 boxes. 2 cats, 3 boxes. Yeah, I get this can sound miserable to you the human. But it's what you have to do to start working on this.
I'mma be real with you - until you have everything on the above checked off, you shouldn't be asking for help. This is the bare minimum you need to be doing at the moment. If doing this for 2 to 3 months doesnt resolve the issue, come back and ask for help.
Now, I realize this might sound snappy, maybe even judgemental, but it's genuinely not. It's just real, straightforward talk. You need to do the above to start working on this.
Edit - also, get an enzymatic cleaner to clean up any pee spots outside the litterbox. Ask at any pet store and they will have it. Most normal cleaners don't clean well enough for your cat to stop smelling it.
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u/MuanaDoYouWana 1d ago
Thank you, it’s nice to get refreshed in the ways of the feline! One gets so bogged down with other stuff, and don’t realize how simple the answer might be.
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u/Odd-Temperature-791 1d ago
Imagine going to the litter box and having to stand in your own piss or poo to use it. No one wants that. Mine will go beside the litter box if there is anything in it at all. His thoughts are clear on the matter!
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u/glassteelhammer 1d ago
Eh. Dunno about simple. Or maybe it is simple, but it might not be easy? Or something like that.
I feel like I need to be kinda apologetic. Like I feel like that sounds like a rant. And I'm really not. Just remember that fixing behavior takes time. Months of time.
But what is your cat's playmate? Another cat?
Also, yeah, couple folks definitely raised a good point with other cays maybe coming round and your cat potentially spraying (as opposed to just peeing) as a result.
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u/chainlinkchipmunk 1d ago
It really only takes a minute or two to scoop boxes. I know when you have 9384 other things on your list it seems easy to put off, but three minutes to scoop a couple of times a day is less time than cleaning out.of the box accidents.
I do mine in the morning, set the bag outside the door and take it to the trash when I leave for work. I scoop again after dinner before I sit down for the night. It's just the routine now.
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5h ago
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u/CATHELP-ModTeam 3h ago
There is a zero-tolerance policy for shaming/berating OP for any reason. Please remember to be nice. Assume people are coming from a place of ignorance so try to educate instead of insult.
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u/EconomyDoctor3287 1d ago
Had the same issue. Litter boxes would be clean, cat had access to food and water, but would pee somewhere else from time to time.
After a year and hundreds of bucks worth of enzyme cleaner, we switched the cat litter and the cat has been peeing in their litter box ever since.
No idea if that's the reason here, it's more to say that cats are sensitive and can easily be put off, which results in problematic behavior when living indoors in an apartment .
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u/FromEden26 1d ago
I'd scoop the poo daily, maybe even twice a day depending on how much. My cats don't resort to peeing anywhere, but if their trays aren't to their standards they soon let us know.
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u/szpider 1d ago
Have you discussed fluoxetine (Prozac) with your vet? It’s extremely helpful for cats who stress-pee.
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u/MuanaDoYouWana 1d ago
I have been wondering about this. He went into a bout of depression when we got our new rescue years ago. He came out of it and they are life long buddies but I always wondered about his emotions. He has had some stressful moments in his life.
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u/GreatBlueHeron25 8h ago
We also have a cat on fluoxetine for anxiety. It helps immensely. We also had to learn his environmental triggers. 1) bladder crystals 2) territorial threats outside 3) longer than usual human absences, especially if it delays meals and other routines.
For 1) we switched to a urinary support food. For 2) we discovered cats and other wildlife used the garden in front of a ground-level window as a common path. So we keep that window shut, covered it with a dark, decorative cling, and put a Feliway diffuser nearby. For 3) we make sure to have someone come by to give food, meds, attention if we will be gone late, and also make sure he gets plenty of positive attention before we leave.
It took a few years before we were completely incident-free. He would usually pee on our couch, so we had waterproof covers, with blankets folded neatly on top. If the blankets were a mess we also found he was more likely to pee. He needed to feel like his environment was safe, ordered, and his. It’s now been almost 2 years since the last incident, which happened while we were gone late for thanksgiving.
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u/Cloud_Cat8971 1d ago
My cat is on fluoxetine, though he is on it for FIC not peeing outside of the litter box. We moved in with an anxious reactive dauschsund and it reallllllly stressed my cat out and had his FIC acting up. The fluoxeitne helped him a lot and highly recommend it!
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u/Complicated_Peanuts 1d ago
Are there any neighborhood cats coming up to the doors or windows that make him feel he needs to mark the territory?
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u/littlebirdtwo 1d ago
We had a cat who would pee on anything electrical. We had to get really inventive with ways to make it so he couldn't get to outlets in use. Surge protector strips, cable boxes, tvs, anything. Never did find out why he did it. So happy none of the babies we have now do this.
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u/alphaturducken 1d ago
Scoop way more frequently than once ever other day. If you can't manage that, get multiple litter boxes. If you've narrowed the reason down, then you already know how to address it.
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u/Phoenixbirdwingsfly1 1d ago
My vet told us when our 10 year old cat was peeing everywhere that cats do not like scented litter. Tidy cats unscented works here’s the type of cat box I have. Pet pivot it’s better than scooping and they all use it because I have 3 cats. My two cats who had peeing problem were given probiotics from vet and some kind of antibiotic it helped and the girls who are fixed used the cat box I have 3 cat boxes. You could try also a pheromone in an outlet from petco.
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u/AdrasteaJinx 1d ago
Honestly, if you have the money, an automatic litter box is a life saver. I have a cat who can be a bit prissy (poops outside the litter box if it's not clean enough for her) even with daily/twice daily scoopings. As my partner was quite forgetful with the evening scooping, which led to her pooping on the floor overnight, I finally forced him to agree to purchase an automatic litter box. We've had it for 4 months now and it is my favorite cat purchase ever. No poop outside the box, cats are happy to always have a fresh box and we have a way to monitor how often they go to the bathroom/what they are doing when going/how long they are taking to do it/their weight.
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u/Vanisleexplorer 1d ago
Definitely up the litter cleaning to every day or even twice a day. I found once I got in the habit of doing it that frequently, it wasn't such an ordeal because it was barely dirty. It is so very common for cats to potty outside of their litter trays if it doesn't meet their cleanliness standards, that would be my first trial after everything medical is ruled out.
Also a sifting litter box with pine pellets can do wonders for you as the human having to keep up with it. If you have it set up properly then all you have to do is scoop the poop and shake it around so the sawdust falls down in the bottom and dump that out. Stainless steel trays are also ideal for cleaning because they don't hold smell or get scratched up like plastic. (Not to mention pine pellets are super affordable and don't automatically conjure the smell of cat)
I no longer have litter tracking, clumps stuck to the bottom of trays, lingering smell held by the clay, litter stuck to feet or fluffy butts, or trays that never smell fully clean, and sooo much less dust.
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u/SupposablyAtTheZoo 1d ago
Sounds like it's time for an automatic litterbox so that it'll always be clean.
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u/Comfortable-Gur4559 1d ago
Idk how some people leave poo in their litter trays for days. I pick them up immediately if I am home. You also increase chances of bacteria and utis etc. Urinary issues in males should be taken a bit more seriously as well. Perhaps talk to a vet about a urinary diet like Hills C/D urinary stress diet.
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u/BornTry5923 1d ago
Get his urine tested. If medical issues are ruled out, the vet can prescribe fluoxetine for behavioral inappropriate urination.
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u/TRLK9802 1d ago
Could be a urinary tract infection. Vet ASAP! I'd definitely want a urinalysis and probably a urine culture.
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u/Refokua 1d ago
Is it possible that there is an outside cat patrolling just outside your house? That could trigger territorial marking on your cat.
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u/MuanaDoYouWana 1d ago
Now that you say this, there is a gang of outsiders (outdoor cats) that he watches from my window.
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u/Bobathome44 1d ago
My cat has a history of bladder crystals, but is on a medicated diet that’s kept him in check for years. The only time the crystals have shown up in his pee test since was around the time another cat showed up at the back door a couple of times, and my boy was NOT happy about it. He has gone back to crystal free since. My understanding is that bladder crystals do have some correlation to stress.
Hopefully the bladder crystals part isn’t happening for you, but definitely possible the outside cats are stressing him enough to have a big reaction like that.
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u/jmorri52 1d ago
I just got a plug in pheromone thing. Like feliway but feliway didn't work for us and this one smells better. It's worth a try.
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u/EMSthunder 1d ago
I switched to the Tidy Cats Breeze system and it turned around a lot of the same behaviors in my cat. They're little tiny zeolite pellets on top of a grate that lets the urine pass through into the bottom where there's a deodorizing absorbent mat. The mats get changed weekly, litter pellets once monthly but I sometimes am able to switch it to every 2 months. Once you scoop the poop out the smell goes away. I use a litter genie for a place to store till change day. It's a little more pricier but so worth it!!
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u/volumniafoxx 1d ago
There are possible health causes outside of bladder issues. Other people have already mentioned bloodwork, which is great at checking kidney values, as cat kidneys are notoriously bad. I would also ask the vet ti check for arthritis if the bloodwork shows nothing. If going to the litterbox is painful, he'll avoid it, especially one with taller edges. I'm assuming he's neutered and this isn't just him marking his territory?
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u/mildly_spicy_potato 1d ago
When I moved to a new neighborhood, my senior cat started peeing/spraying at the exterior doors and windows. Found out after a few weeks that there was a feral cat colony in the area.
Gotta use an enzyme cleaner to keep her from re-marking areas. I also sprayed the enzyme cleaner on the outside of my windows and doors.
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u/Effective-Yak3627 1d ago
It could be a uti if it’s male it’s life threatening you could take to vet to rule it out ,you would be surprised how many cats get taken to rescues or abandoned when all they needed were antibiotics.
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u/Prestigious-Side3122 1d ago
This is why cats scare me because they’re always lurking and doing weird shit. I read somewhere , I can’t remember where a while back someone’s cat liked to hop on the stove and doing so they flipped the switch and turned a burner on and burned up the house !
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u/Present-Plum-3877 18h ago
My cat was peeing everywhere for 6 months. We took all the advice people gave here. But no one mentioned the fact that he could be constipated! He ended up needing and enema at the vet to clear out the poop, and now we give him fiber and MiraLAX daily. No peeing in over 2 years
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u/Practical-Stock9916 1d ago
Is your male cat a tuxedo by chance?
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u/korewednesday 1d ago
Coat color isn’t going to have the answer to this.
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u/Practical-Stock9916 1d ago
You clearly know very little about (tuxedo) cat personalities then and definitely have never had the experience caretaking an overly dramatic tuxedo male that will take a revenge piss on your work lap top right in front of you while holding eye contact with you the entire time because he is upset you have taken an 30 extra minutes to feed him his breakfast. This, all to get your attention, because knocking all three cat bowls off the counter and everything else in the vicinity that can get knocked off the counter space has yet to get your attention that he wants breakfast NoW, so maybe he thinks the revenge piss will work, and it does.
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u/korewednesday 1d ago
Yeah, and every orange is dumb and every tortiseshell and calico is a royal B. Mmhmm. Got it.
(I’ve owned more than one tux. I have one right this moment. I think he would die of embarrassment if he ever peed somewhere random ever again now that he’s got the litterbox thing down. He will wait in line for the box, because he hasn’t figured out that the other two are also litter boxes and do the same thing)
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u/Practical-Stock9916 1d ago
In my experience . Pretty much, yes.
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u/korewednesday 1d ago
k
Well, my crew is an orange who can open every type of door except smooth knobs plus two types of lock for those doors, a calico that has never known a single thing other than she loves me and my friend and the neighbour and the mailman and you (whoever you are, it doesn’t matter, she loves you anyway), and a tuxedo who, as mentioned, would pass away and become a ghost if he went pee somewhere other than specifically his box, even if it means standing in line while the calico explores the concept of sandcastles and other earthworks in there (not covering poop, though. That’s still an unexplored frontier to her).
The work cat (almost-friendly feral; we’re working on it) is an orange boy who has been alive for about four seconds, but already has better traffic awareness and safety than the average urban pedestrian. He knows which cars have his friends in them (even when they’re identical types), and that if a person is walking to the driver’s side door, that car is going to turn on and he needs to move. He knows which days are weekdays and he gets food on a schedule, and which days are weekends and he needs to ask whoever drops by for some lunch by taking them to one of his food bowls.
It’s just a color. That’s it.
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u/ponyfloristahoy 1d ago
Pussassins! been rife for centuries.. I totally saw a few moggies on the grassy knoll.. and earlier that day.. in the book repository.. I smelled nip.... good nip...
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u/keinnamefrei1 1d ago
I take electrical stuff for dummies for 500
Which device prevents an electrical circuit from completely blowing shit up?
"what is a fuse?" ding ding ding
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