So, a while ago I joked about our 18yo cat peeing in my shoes. This, and peeing on the doormat has now become a regular thing despite a series of telling offs.

Its at the point where he’ll squat and look at you while you are right there, no asking to go out at all. Clearly this has to stop.

Any advice?

Telling off cats doesn’t work. Have you asked a vet?

Maybe the cat isn’t comfortable going outside or has had its territory taken over so now has nowhere to go?

Might be time to consider a decent covered car litter tray?

I would take the poor chap to the vet, could be a sign of kidney trouble.

A litter tray might stop him peeing on your doormat or some sacrificial shoes..

I read this as an intercontinental cat and was expecting something like this.

Any advice?

Don’t tell him off, it’s completely pointless. Cats are naturally extremely hygienic however incontinence can, just as in humans, be a problem to older or unwell cats.

Stress can be an issue too and telling him off will simply increase his stress.

Does he have easy access to a litter tray? Peeing on the doormat suggests that in the past he did it outside? If so forget what he did in the past he is now a very old cat, your peeing needs might change when you are ninety too!

Provide easy accessable litter trays, maybe one next to the doormat, with litter that works for him. Good luck.

no asking to go out at all

There might be a new cat in the area which is stressing him out, so less keen to go out. Although I would have thought that old age was the most likely issue.

To be fair your cat is 18yo, ever thought it’s just old age.

Our 18 year old cat is now blind and deaf. When this first happened she was pissing on the doormat almost daily for a while but stopped and now pees in the litter tray.

However, she almost never shits in the tray now, but does every week or so, presumably just to let you know she knows exactly what she’s doing.

she was always an outdoor cat, and is still completely capable of finding the catflap, going out for a wander round the patio and coming back in. But she only does that if she’s felling sick to find some grass to eat. Then comes back in to vomit in the house.

It would be a plastic bag and a CO2 canister if I had my way.

Looks like a litter tray it is, although we really didn’t want that.

It would be a plastic bag and a CO2 canister if I had my way.

I shouldn’t laugh, but he’s due his annual injection in Feb and I did upset the Mrs by asking her if she wanted me to ask the vet if there was a choice of two…

Take it to a vet now rather than next month, bring a wee sample if you can. Littertrays and or incontinence mats can make life easier.
Telling the cat off will worsen the problem!
Cats can get bladderinfections, kidney failure and develop dementia among many other problems.

Lots of useful info here:
https://icatcare.org/advice/soiling-indoors/

As above, get kidneys checked and provide a tray.
If he won’t use the tray try a few kinds of litter, my step-cat for example refuses the wood pellet ones but is happy with the white gravelly stuff

He’s had a good innings ………

There might be a new cat in the area which is stressing him out, so less keen to go out. Although I would have thought that old age was the most likely issue.

A new cat in the area might also explain peeing, or marking the doormat.

When cats get stressed it can cause blockages if not caught early enough, the cat will be looking for comfortable places to pee rather than somewhere familiar that reminds them of pain. That’s an expensive trip to the vets if that happens. I suggested it was half a new bike for me, that didn’t go down well.

18 is a fair age tbh. You could try putting a bowl of food down on the may, they don’t like to toilet where they eat but it may just transfer the problem to somewhere else.

It might be something as simple as not wanting to go out in the colder weather; our 18 year old cat is happy to do his business in the garden in the summer but will only use his litter tray at this time of year. On the other hand it may be something more serious so a vet visit would be wise; ours has chronic kidney disease, for example, which we fortunately caught early. Not sure how you train an 18 year old cat to use a litter tray though, good luck with that!

Not sure how you train an 18 year old cat to use a litter tray

I would take some soil from where he usually pees and sprinkle it on the litter tray. The smell will give him a clue of where to pee.

Once the litter tray has been used and is no longer new it becomes straightforward as it will have a recognised smell.

The litter material can be an issue but that be delt with by mixing it and slowly introducing it so that he gets used to it.

Edit : I would definitely ask for a blood test when he is due for his jab, if not before, to check everything is okay, at 18 it’s highly likely that not everything is functioning quite as it should be.

Puppy training pads are the short term answer I’m afraid. There isn’t a long term answer.

We had an old cat, think he was 19. We’d had him 12 years, he was an indoor cat when we got him so he knew how to use his litter tray. Started peeing everywhere. I think he lasted two, maybe three months after that, then his legs went. MrsD had to take him on the final trip to the vet’s, I was working away 😥

my step-cat

Say what now?

Vet. Now.

Cats are prone to kidney issues and related problems and 18 is a good innings. My little girl was 18 when I had to make the final decision and it broke my heart. It still hits me now and that was 20 years ago.

Suddenly going to the toilet in the house was one of the signs – she always went outside – along with rapidly accelerating arthritis. Hopefully you’ll catch whatever it is quickly enough and he’ll be fine but, god it kills me to say this, be prepared not to bring her home again.

Dusty in here. Furry little bastards.

Just because.

Bobby

Cat’s general health ? Going out ?

Had piddling with a young cat, just clean up with floral cleaner, no ‘telling off’ – it stops. Litter needs to be clean.

As an older cat you need to look into health conditions. Our old cat was wobbly on her feet, blind, but still managed the litter tray. When she stopped getting there it was time, unfortunately. The other four respecte dthe fact she was old, but we kept an eye on eating and toileting habbits.

Vets for infection check up.

If you tell a cat off for piddling it get’s worse.

my step-cat

Say what now?

He’s my girlfriend’s cat, so we know him as my step cat (or Weird Step Cat Thing to give him his full title)
.
https://www.instagram.com/merlinthebookwormcat/

Just because.

She was lovely.

We had to put our car to sleep mid lockdown, it was sudden in the night and I held her as she made her final breath. I know one day I’ll probably have to do it again but it kills me every time I think about it.

RIP Phoebe. 😞

We had the same issue. Our cat is 14 and just didn’t like going out in cold anymore so was peeing next to the door rather than using her cat flap. Went with a litter tray and used a cat deodoriser at the door so she forgets using that area to pee. We also changed over to senior dry food from wet. It’s worked great and happy cat without pee everywhere.

We had to put our car to sleep mid lockdown

That must have been wheely hard for you.

Yes he’s in generally good health at his last checkup 6 months ago. Teeth A1, weight good, heart and lungs sounded ok. He does meow when curling around to lie down though and does waking very slowly in the main, Vet said this maybe be arthritis setting in.

Since we found his sister mauled by a fox a couple of years back he’s pretty much turned into the proverbial old man. He’s lazy – won’t widen ajar doors any more, leaves drips of water on his chin, is taken less care of himself leaving us to brush him more regularly, sits on his cushion between us in the evenings and farts regularly, moans when said tainted cushion is washed. Think Father Ted…

I’m actually not sure if I’m falling for an elaborate cat scam to become his butler tbh.

Still, he annoys me so much – together with the above he’s not a very comforting cat – I can’t see an emotional moment ahead, but we’ll, ya know…

I’m actually not sure if I’m falling for an elaborate cat scam to become his butler tbh.

Gordon came in limping one day. He got a few treats to make him feel better. And again the next day.
He hated the vet so we weren’t sure whether to take him. He continued to recived more than usual fuss and attention and treats.
After about 4 or 5 days we thought we really should take him to the vet.
Then we saw him out of the window chasing a rabbit in the garden, absolutely flat out, no problem sprinting or changing direction.
Then He limped back into the house.
He was only limping in front of us, cheeky bugger.
I suspect it had started genuine but he very quickly learnt to walk funny to get a treat!

Lol^

Ours does have some genuine tricks e.g. when we want him to go out he sits with his head in his water bowl while we wait for him to finish – it took us some time to realise he wasn’t drinking anything just sitting there staring into the water and delaying the inevitable.

I hope some of the comments above are just Friday drink related otherwise there are some really awful human beings in this place.

Cats are really good at hiding illness, this could have been brewing for a while. It was 6 weeks between us noticing ours was drinking more to taking her for her final visit to the vets. Keep an eye on water consumption, any increase is a major warning of kidney bladder problems.

Our old boy is 15 and has started to use the indoor trays on colder nights. Get a couple of litter trays and change the litter regularly.

Not sure how you train an 18 year old cat to use a litter tray though, good luck with that!

Cats are amazing. A few years ago we moved from a house with a catflap to a third floor flat around the corner. After a short while Moolie was waiting by the flat door and we were walking her down to the ground floor and letting her out. She’d then come sit on the front path when she wanted to be let back in. Then 2 years on a busy road so she was a house cat. When we moved back to a house we taped cardboard over the cat flap to keep her in for a few days. She found the catflap in about 10 minutes and pulled off the cardboard.

If there’s a tray she uses it. If not she goes (went) out. Despite being blind she still goes up and down the (open tread) stairs

Vet says she’s got a “one level below dead” heart murmur and failing kidneys (rather than diabetes). But she’s not in pain and still seems happy.

Not sure how you train an 18 year old cat

You can teach a cat to do anything it wants to do.

Was expecting this to be a new band, very disappointed.

Thread juxtaposition just now:

It’s a bit Skynet when the forum is creating its own answers.

Cat nappies, of course if your using nappies you’ll also need……..