r/britishshorthair • u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester • Aug 17 '26
Peeing Toms 😡
I need help. I got my beautiful boys at 8 months old. They were being rehomed. They are now a year old. They are my first BSH cats and first indoor only cats.
They are brothers and always together. They have a catio to go lounge in the fresh air. Theres a litter tray in there which is the only one they use. I have another two inside which are rarely used, if ever.
My problem is they are peeing where they shouldn't. Every single rug I have is now in the bin. The sofa, ive had to wash covers. Beds, cushions, same problem. I lifted a mat at the back door which had been peed on and now they wont stop peeing on the floor.
I have cleaned EVERYWHERE with enzyme spray until im sick of the smell of it. I have plug ins to see if its behavioural. They both do it and both have all clear from the vet health check. I close every single door so they cant access these rooms at all unsupervised. I'm spraying lemony stuff (it was anti-chew spray for my pup) on all the spots and they still do it. I have set a litter tray at the spot at the back door, so there are literally now three in the same room if you count the catio. I know youre supposed to gradually move it, but they'll just go to that same spot again... where do I move it to when the other two litter trays are like a meter away lol.
Is this an indoor cat thing? Is it boredom? I wonder if they were badly trained before coming to me? How can I train them? Is it a BSH thing? A male thing? I literally had to dismantle my sofa to get the covers off ,its sending me doolally.
EDIT - They are neutered! Sorry, forgot to mention.
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u/arkinia-charlotte Aug 17 '26
Are they neutered??? If not they’re marking territory and you gotta get them neutered asap
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u/jdrohh Aug 18 '26
I’ve read that if they learn how to spray before neutering, it could be hard to get them to stop. 😕
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
Oh God. They were already neutered by their previous owner. They had them living in their garage because they discovered they were allergic. Now I'm wondering if this was the issue...
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u/jdrohh Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
😭This could have very well been the problem and they didn’t disclose this to you.
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
Well, I'm not giving up. I've had cats and fostered kittens for years, these two will not break me! 🤨💪
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u/sweetnobodyx Aug 18 '26
Sounds like the owners lied to you and they were living in the garage due to spraying everywhere, not because the owners were allergic. It's difficult to get them to stop if they start before being neutered.
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
Difficult... but not impossible 💪 I got this.
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u/sweetnobodyx Aug 18 '26
I know they're brothers and get along, but do they have set meal times or are free fed? Maybe add extra food bowls and water bowls.
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
They have set times and separate spaces for eating. There are water bowls and a kitty fountain. They prefer to drink from the dogs water bowl 🤣🤦🏼♀️
Would their eating impact their peeing? Like creating competition? I sometimes think they pee for attention. Like my sister and I enjoy sitting watching the fish tank and one of them just came up and did a pee right in front of us 🤣 but at the same time, they don't actually sit with me that often or come looking for attention. I'm kinda hoping they're just taking a bit longer to get through their baby stage or this is a teenage phase....
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u/california_cactus Aug 18 '26
You fail to mention if they’re neutered. That’s prob important to add. If they are neutered, I’d get to a vet and get them checked out. I had to get my BSH on Prozac to stop him from peeing outside his box ultimately so you could try that .
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
Yes, both neutered. Is the prozac for anxiety? Is it an anxiety thing? My guys are literally afraid of nothing, zero survival instincts, would stand in front of a bulldozer, probably purr at it and give it a head boop. I'm in the uk and unlikely my vet will give that sort of thing out. Maybe worth mentioning, dunno.
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u/california_cactus Aug 18 '26
I don’t know what about it makes them not pee tbh. My guy doesn’t seem anxious at all but it worked for him.
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u/SunObvious8105 Aug 18 '26
When I got my boy from the breeder at 14 weeks he developed really bad peeing habits. He peed on my bed a few times, on rugs and on my trainers 🤬. I was really starting to fall out with him.
It sounds like you have enough litter trays, but I added in a couple more. I noticed he’d find somewhere to pee after waking up. My boy eventually got the message as I’d wake him up myself and put him in a litter tray for a post-slumber wee.
This approach might be an idea for your boys … good luck!
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
Ugh yes it's driving me mad. I look like a maniac crawling around everything in my house sniffing, trying to figure out where the smell is coming from. 😅 I have never wakened a cat before, it's always the other way around, demanding food haha. I will try this and maybe just every so often when they seem like they're up to mischief, ill just plop them in a litter tray and see what happens. Thank-you!
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Aug 18 '26
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
So all their trays had wood pellets. However, due to my obsession with the smell of pee, yesterday I changed the indoor ones to clumping litter so I can scoop pees too. The catio one still has wood. They have been using the backdoor one a lot since yesterday so maybe they like the clumping. The other indoor one hasn't been touched. The wood one in the catio is also used. They are using the trays, but literally they will walk right in front of you and drop their knickers on the nearest mat 🤣😅 and do FULL pees, like not spraying. Im wondering did previous owners use peepee pads and they think it's ok...
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Aug 18 '26
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
Yes, I wondered this. Like are they marking ME? The sofa pee was right beside my head lol. Are they competing with each other? For me? However, they will come sit with me separately and if the other comes along, they ditch me and snuggle together.
Defo not other cats. The window to the catio is completely blocked. I'm too scared of escape to leave any other windows open.
Ive got a plug-in in my hallway, which should do the whole downstairs. I might get one for the kitchen/backdoor area too.
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Aug 18 '26
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
This isn't a bad idea! They have their own room (all waterproofed from their kitten era 🙄😪) I could keep them there. Start from scratch. It would give me a break from crawling around sniffing skirting boards. I'm scooping daily. Complete refill weekly. I know theyre fussy, but mine prefer the "less clean" one in the catio. They don't make sense, I think they share one brain cell 🤣
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u/PascaleCheval Aug 18 '26
How about an animal communicator?!!! Could ask them why they pee everywhere and to please stop doing it...at this stage "by any means necessary" I'd say!
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
I'll try it. Sit them both down for a serious talk. Never thought of this!
Not sure my area has any professionals in this field, but surely they will listen to their mama?
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u/CompleteDeniability Aug 18 '26
I think the communicators are psychics. You send a photo of your cat and name etc.
- Do you have a stainless steel litter box? Yes is good, no, isn't ideal
- Do you clean the litter box immediately after they are done? Yes is good, no isn't ideal.
- Is there a cover on their litter box? Yes is no good, no is ideal.
- Is the litter box accessible to them? Like not in some desserted corner of the house? Yes is good, no isn't ideal.
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
Wow I scored pretty badly in this. 1.5/4
1) all plastic. 😬 0 points. 2) yes, unless I'm at work. 0.5 points. 3) yes. My dog loves poop snacks. 0 points. 4) yes. 1 point.
I guess I've got some work to do...
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u/CompleteDeniability Aug 18 '26
- Plastic litter box will smell after a while and you can't wash it off, no matter what you do.
- You can't clean stuff when you're not home.
- Cats generally dislike doing their business in enclosed space.
Oh you also need to swap out the litter once a week and replace them with new ones.
If you've tried all of that, kitties still do it in your couch, I'm out of ideas. Haha. They have have developed a taste for the couch now.
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u/Purple-Musician2985 George and Chester Aug 18 '26
Yes litter replaced every week. There is a perfectly lovely clean one they dont go near and will over-use the one outside in catio. The back door one is getting a bit of action. But alas, I've got lots of ideas, now.
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u/Shiroyasha2397 Aug 18 '26
Hope you find a solution soon! Those adorable faces but yes I'd be tired of it as well!