sue.t
Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
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Our elderly cat started urinating in the basement.
Her cat door is in the basement. We had two litter boxes, one in the basement and one on the main floor but not one upstairs. Mainfloor litter was cleaned once a day, basement litter every couple of days. Note that downstairs is DH's space (garage and workshop). Main floor is neutral area, and upstairs is my area (office). She sleeps up here on a big soft chair.
We couldn't figure out why the pee on the basement floor ... then she started doing #2s in the basement. She NEVER had a mistake on the main floor or upstairs ... always the basement. So we figured maybe another animal was sneaking in the cat door or she was reacting to something. DH figured she was punishing him for something. I thought maybe she was just going senile.
Then we took a five week trip with her in the fiver ... not one mistake. Came home, and it started all over again.
So ... I bought two new "litterboxes". Actually, two of those big rubbermaid blue bins, about 8" high x 2' long x 18" wide. Filled them about 1/4 way up with litter. Now clean the boxes each morning and each evening. And no problems!!! She hasn't had 'mistake' in two months.
She still howls a lot, usually in the middle of the night. I think it's just because she is deaf and can't hear if we're around, so she wanders about the house howling. Once she finds us, she gets quiet again.
Thus, I suggest a new litterbox that is faithfully cleaned twice a day. Or, maybe two litter boxes that are faithfully cleaned twice a day. Worked for us.
sue t.
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CatandJim
Tulsa, as in Oklahoma
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Joined: 08/23/2004
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Code2High wrote:Cat is so distracted by my troublemaking elsewhere on the board, she's gotten her remedies confused. .......
Rescue Remedy is probably what she was thinking of, and it is a flower essence remedy for stress and shock. You would use that in the drinking water.
....................
Yep... that's what I meant, not Feliway. 
Sorry for my mistake, at times I am a bit distracted and tonight was one of those times.
Sue makes a good point as well, in close quarters we might tend to keep a litter box cleaner than in our larger homes. That might also have something to do with this behavior... the stress, etc. I hate to sound like a broken record but at her advanced age I would ask for bloodwork and a urinalysis just to be sure it isn't a medical problem. Then at least you would know you are dealing with a behavior/environment issue and make changes that will help correct the situation.
Cat
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sirdrakejr
Las Vegas, Nevada
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Maybe the cat loves traveling MORE than it loves being home! 
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Code2High
Agoura, CA
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Both Feliway and RR are good things to try, if it turns out to be behavioral. Pheremones are happy happy for older animals in my experience, and RR rocks. The Feliway would be particularly applicable to territorial issues.
I'd second the motion for a check-up, though. Even having been looked at earlier this year, it is time.... an older animal is really supposed to be looked at twice a year anyway. Six months is a long time in a cat's life, in relative terms. Make sure they get a good look at her mouth.
Storage tubs like what Sue mentioned are the best litter boxes in the world... cats tend to LOVE the space, and they do a better job burying. Cheap, too! Unless she has mobility issues, in which case the jump in and out may be unwelcome. It's an idea worth considering if you decide on an extra box somewhere.
susan
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keepmotoring
North Carolina
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Thanks everyone for your replies and great advice!
LUVRVN
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Captdonswife
Texas
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We have an older cat that started urinating other places than the litter box when I switched litter. Never in the same place twice - just not in the litter box. I had always used Tidy Cat (small litter granules) and switched for a while to something with larger granules and evidentally she didn't like it. As soon as I switched back to Tidy Cat she was going in the litter box again.
Good luck - I know what a pain this can be.
Vicky
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havedreamwilltravel
Southern California
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I would also go back to the vet and have the cat checked out once again.
Another thing you might try besides all the good advice given is to "re-train" your cat. Put the litterbox where she's been having her "accidents". After 2 days move it back towards the place where you usually keep little by little. They say an inch a day but I had to re-train our new cat and found if she used it 4 times on her own, I could move it a bit and it would be fine - it went faster that way but she's a young kitten so it might have been easier?
Anyway, you can try that to see if that helps.
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scotty63
British Columbia Canada
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Had a similar problem with our cat at 14 to 15 years of age. Found we had to keep the litter box changed more often. Also mixed a few dried cranberries chopped up very fine in her wet food. Problem disappeared. Talked to the vet about bladder infection and cranberries and he didn't think that would help. Tried to convince him that when we had a Cairn Terrier with blood in her urine. As she would eat anything we fer her a few dried cranberries every day for four days before we could get into the vet. Blood cleared up and there was no sign of bladder infection.
Hope you find a solution.
Ron & Jean
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