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Cat standing on hind legs to pee - any ideas?

(19 Posts)
B9exchange Sun 02-Aug-20 00:28:56

Sincere apologies to any of you eating and Gransnetting at the same time. One of our boy cats stands up to pee with his front paws resting on the rim of the litter tray, as a result it goes over the top and the floor underneath is awash. When he first started we called the plumber out because we thought the loo was leaking, before catching him in the act!

I have tried getting him a higher sided tray, he just stands further upright. Tried putting foil over the rim, on the grounds that cats aren't supposed to like treading on foil, but he hasn't read those instructions, and leaves a pool of pee on the foil!

When we first got him as a kitten he looked so cute doing it, but fortunately soon stopped. However four years later he has started up again. Cat lovers, any ideas?

FoghornLeghorn Sun 02-Aug-20 00:33:27

Have you tried a covered tray? That might help.

GagaJo Sun 02-Aug-20 00:33:34

We use a very high plastic storage box as a cat tray because our cats kick litter over the edge. Probably getting on for 1/2 a metre high.

I'm sure he wouldn't be able to aim that high!

Willow500 Sun 02-Aug-20 06:37:36

There are various trays you can get that might solve the problem but if he will only use it standing upright he might not be able to use those. The plastic storage box idea might work although he'd probably still try to get his paws on the edge. Have you had him checked out by the vet? He might have a medical issue. Another idea is the type of litter - have you recently changed it - he might not like it on his nether regions.

My female cat periodically goes through a phase of standing upright as she's peeing so it goes over the edge of the tray. The higher edged tray stops that (unless for some reason she turns round and uses the other end hmm ) but I now keep a puppy pad under the other trays so when it does happen we don't have a flood and I can just throw the pad away. Luckily they're fairly cheap and I cut the bigger ones in half to last even longer. Might be a solution.

Nortsat Sun 02-Aug-20 07:03:58

We have a one of those covered trays, which we used when we first got our cats. We call it the Poo Bungalow. Our cats are rescues, so it took them a while to settle. A covered tray seemed to make them less anxious about toileting.

Something covered may help to contain him (and his pee).

I agree with Willow’s point ... has anything changed? Different litter? Something different in the house, that could make him anxious?

Hope this resolves soon. ?

B9exchange Sun 02-Aug-20 09:21:53

No, same litter, nothing changed in the house (apart from us being in more due to lockdown!) Have tried enclosed ones before, but the stink of ammonia after even one wee is awful and not surprisingly they refused to go in it. The vet has checked him over recently (he also brings up his food on a fairly regular basis due to bolting it too fast, or nibbling plants round the house before we can stop him) and says there is nothing wrong with him. I'm guessing behavioural specialists would cost a fortune.

I think the answer is probably an even higher tray made out of a storage box as you suggest, the one he has I would have thought would have defeated him, but I guess he sees it as a challenge! Currently I have a sheet of foil blue-tacked to the wall from high up, finishing in the litter tray, which has been okay for 24 hours, but we are going away for a week, leaving the two terrors in the charge of our DiL, so goodness knows what we will come back to.

Just wondered, if I got a very low edged tray, would that change the angle and keep it inside? Grrrrrr!

Callistemon Sun 02-Aug-20 10:22:18

Can you train him to use the toilet?
And flush it, of course!

Sorry, but it conjured up such a funny vision!

Hellsbelles Sun 02-Aug-20 10:29:08

Callistemon
You laugh at the idea of a cat using the toilet , google it , it not that unusal apparently !

B9exchange Sun 02-Aug-20 10:37:04

Yes, I did wonder, but I can imagine the little s*d standing on the seat with his paws on the cistern!! Also with push button flush, if the grandchildren don't (so they say!) have the strength to push hard enough flush it properly, then he certainly wouldn't be able to, and I can imagine the reaction of some visitors on being presented with an already used loo!

grandtanteJE65 Sun 02-Aug-20 11:08:18

Does he share the litter box with your other cats?

If so, some cats don't like doing so, and pee in other places to avoid the litter box the others use.

Is he neutered or not? An entire tom will spray his urine on the surroundings walls or floors, so the females can find him and other males know to stay away.

GrannyLaine Sun 02-Aug-20 11:21:04

B9exchange I don't have any specific advice for you, though I did have a cat who would pee large volumes at force and an odd angle, but he was in late stage renal failure and his urine was so dilute it didn't really smell. We used the large pads that I put under the bottom sheet of the toddler bed when my DGC are first out of nappies - BedMates?? behind his litter tray to catch the stream.
I have used a cat behaviour specialist via telephone consultation and she was excellent and very reasonable. PM me if interested, I'm happy to recommend.

B9exchange Sun 02-Aug-20 17:12:18

Thank you GrannyLaine, I certainly might do that if we can't sort it. We have two cats, and two litter trays in separate rooms, they both use both. But he is worse in one room than the other. They are only four years old, so this is for the long haul!

B9exchange Sat 15-Aug-20 17:13:30

Just in case anyone else has a cat that thinks he should stand up to pee like humans, we think we have sorted it! Instead of getting deeper and deeper litter trays, and sticking foil to the wall so that the pee ran down into the tray instead of over it (sorry if anyone is eating!) I thought it would do no harm to tray a counter-intuitive option of a much shallower pan, in the middle of the floor.

He likes to put his front feet on the rim of the tray, and with this only three inches off the floor, he can't really stand up, and the crouching position he is forced into works!

Of course he finds it much easier to shoot litter all over the floor, but that can be swept up.

We also found the reason for the frequent vomiting - Dr**mies treats! His little face is very disappointed when he doesn't get these at bedtime, but I read that some cats are intolerant of them, and this seems to be true in his case.

His brother is an angel in comparison, just attention seeking by walking inside the fire and then putting sooty paws across my sofa, twanging wires with his teeth, and marching across the top of the fridge thus setting off the burglar alarm....

We love them really.............

Sparklefizz Sat 15-Aug-20 17:34:02

B9exchange Glad to read that you have got the cat pee problem sorted.

Re frequent vomiting, a pop up advert appeared on my FB page showing a diagram of a cat's skeleton whilst eating, saying that some cats often get reflux because of crouching down to eat, and showing how this can be avoided by using raised feeding bowls.

My cat was vomiting more and more and did not seem to be enjoying her food much either, so I did a lot of research and last week finally decided to buy some from Amazon. There are dozens to choose from there and on eBay. I thought she might be picky about them but I am most impressed. She cleans the bowl now instead of leaving quite a bit behind and the twin dishes look neat and are very easy to clean. So far no vomiting ......

GrannyLaine Sat 15-Aug-20 18:02:32

Sparklefizz I've had those pop ups too. I'm puzzled, as cats in the wild will crouch to eat - I would imagine they get reflux more as a result of what we feed them? Anyway, our elderly girl is sometimes a bit inclined to barf so I simply put her saucer of food on top of her metal bowl. Seems to work.

Sparklefizz Sat 15-Aug-20 18:26:28

GrannyLaine I know..... I was puzzled too ... but the raised dishes seem to work, don't they?

B9exchange Sat 15-Aug-20 18:45:09

It would certainly have been worth a try, and will invest in some if he starts up again, but at the moment we heave a sigh of relief when we come down in the morning, and his eating is not followed by the familiar heart sinking noise a little later.

I hope I am not going to regret saying this, but it has been a week now...... grin

grandtanteJE65 Mon 24-Aug-20 12:24:03

I too avoid one particular brand of dried food as my cat eats it with unhappy results. I suspect that particular brand contains something he is allergic to.

Grannynannywanny Mon 24-Aug-20 12:34:17

as a result it goes over the top and the floor underneath is awash
My cat hasn’t done that but my exH did!