I know this is an old thread but I just went through reading everyone's comments...thank you, I needed to see I am not alone! An hour ago I put down my cat because of incurable inappropriate elimination. When we bought our house 5 years ago and the previous owners left him here..package deal, I guess.. but they always kept him locked up by himself in the sun room and we figured out why pretty quickly. My best guess is that he was captured from the enormous pack of feral cats down the alley by the kids who lived here. They did not neuter him so we did that immediately. He had litter box aversion from the very start so we took the recommended steps... veterinarian visits which turned up urine crystals so we put him on prescription food and took care of that issue, but it made no difference. We ensured his box was clean, we tried different types of litters, litter boxes and locations before we landed on the Catgenie (worth EVERY penny, btw). We even attempted to toilet train him but never got past the pie pan in the rim. We gated him in the bathroom with his box, food water and a bed. We attempted to retrain him in a huge crate that fit his litter box, food and a bed- all to no avail. We supervised him, blocked access to rooms and rewarded him on the rare occasion he'd do the right thing. We decided to let him out with the dog and encourage him to eliminate outdoors, but even after being outside for hours, he'd come in and I would catch him using the den carpet as his litter box. We've used every cleaner under the sun (microban disinfectant from jon don is spectacular) and we replaced the carpet after thoroughly disinfecting and sealing the affected areas. We just went through the drug therapy but it did not work either. I tried to surrender him to no kill shelters but they're overwhelmed with animals due to the economy. We tried making him an outside cat, but he ALWAYS sneaked in and would complain about the cold/heat and would claw the house to come in. I talked to him a lot about his habits because I believe that our pets do understand us. I feel just awful but I exhausted my options ....this is 5 years of trying to solve the problem! Euthanasia with a veterinarian IS a humane choice, but most importantly it was our last option. This isn't a matter of inconvenience or cold heartedness, we've tried every and any thing we've heard or read about...some things we tried more than once! We LOVE this kitty and inconvenienced the bejesus out of ourselves to accommodate, retrain and reasonably coexist. For us, it is a matter of financial strain, health, sanitation and insanity from zero results after years of failed attempts. Cat urine soaked couches, carpets and walls do not even come close to the mild smell of a dirty litter box. No, I will not live in a home that reeks of cat urine. It is unsanitary. Everyday was incredibly stressful walking in the house and being hit with a wall of intolerable odor. I guess in some way I am trying to support myself and come to peace with this by telling you that we tried. Hard. For years. If you're faced with this problem, try like hell to fix it but if you and your vet(s) cannot cure inappropriate elimination, be gentle with yourself through the process. Today is a sad day because my precious boy is gone and I failed him in curing his elimination problem. I'm trying to rationalize an agonizing decision.

As suggested by elly_nj, get her to the vet right off. She could have cystitis, which is extremely painful and can kill her. And PLEASE spay her! AFTER her vet clears her, take a look at the cleaning products that you use. You could be poisoning her. Think about it from the cat's perspective. You stated that you take pride in a clean home that smells good-so I'm guessing that you are using toxic things with the added problem of heavy fragrances. Remember, cats are built low to the ground. Fumes are difficult to escape. Also, your cat washes herself with her tongue, thereby ingesting whatever she washes off of her fur and feet. There are many ways to clean and disinfect your home without using such potent toxins. She may simply be offended by the cleaning products that you use. Cats don't tolerate perfumes. Are you using scented litter? Don't. You clean the litterpan daily anyway, so you don't need rubbish to mask any smells. Scented litters are a marketing ploy designed to make you think that your home reeks of cat. They are repulsive to cats and can even be harmful to sensitive cats. Oh, and don't fall for the all-to-common misconception that 'green' or 'organic' or 'natural' cleansers are safe. They are still comprised of concentrations that can be very harmful. Next step is to clean the peed-on places thoroughly to remove all traces of urine. There are excellent enzymatic cleansers on the market for that purpose. I tried everything from plain white vinegar (which seems to entice male cats to pee where it's been used) to cheap vodka (which made the place smell kind of funny for a long time but the cats stopped paying attention to the spots where it had been used) to several of the available enzymatic cleansers. Enzymatics win hands down. I urge you to treat the spots, let them dry then treat again. They actually have a pleasant light fragrance that isn't as offensive as the heavy cleaning products. For most cleaning, plain hot soapy water is great, and baking soda is little short of miraculous for smell control. Next. You cat would rather use door jambs than her scratching post. You have a few options. Apparently she likes the feeling of wood under her claws and a tall stretch when scratching. You can get her a log and set it upright. I have cats who won't touch a carpet covered post but are thrilled to have a log to dig into. I have others who prefer sisal fabric and sisal rope wrapped round a post. Make certain that the post is large and sturdy. The teensy posts you get at the big box stores aren't worth a hill of beans. You can buy simple little boards covered in sisal that are cheap and much loved. You can hang them from the door knob, you can lay them flat, you can place them on a step so they're slanted. See which placement you cat likes the most. Some cats like to stretch vertically (yours probably does) so a good stout tall post is ideal. Scratching is exercise and a natural behaviour. Once you have addressed these steps, and inappropriate littering issues are still a concern, then it's time to examine the psychological aspect of your cat's surroundings. Is she assailed by the children when she'd rather watch from a distance? Does the noise level upset her? Does your cleaning routine bother her? Does she have a favourite person in the home with whom she prefers to play and snuggle? Encourage that person to give her plenty of attention. There are so many possibilities. These tend to be the most common factors that result in cat littering problems. I hope that this is helpful. I learned the hard way about toxic chemical use around the home. I'd like that it not be so traumatic for you. Good luck, and please don't get rid of the cat without giving her a chance.

Has he been checked for crystals? Infections are sort of scarce (I think 3-5% of cats presenting urinary issues) but inflammation and/or crystals are more common. Stress is a big player in cystitis so the move could have triggered this. homebodymom mentioned that a previous cat may have sprayed there so that would add to stress. Feliway may help with the stress, I have heard how great it is but have had no luck with it myself. I'd still try it, it's just that my cats are weird and ornery about the easy remedies. If it's stress-related, then suggestions include the Feliway (both plug-in and spray) increased entertainment, somehow increase his feeling of security (peeing on your bed can be a technique stating that "this human is MINE"). You will have to clean the pee spots so that the cat cannot smell his urine. We can clean so WE don't smell it, but the cat will nose out traces that elude us. Enzymatic cleansers formulated for this are easily available. It really sounds like stress to me but I am not a doctor. Working with stress and other psychological issues in cats is not easy but is definitely possible. Good luck and please follow up.

Several comments: 1) unless your cat is old, has diabetes, renal failure or some other degenerative condition, it is unlikely your cat has a urinary tract infection (very rare in young cats, but not unheard of). Most of these cats with bladder issues that are uncomfortable and have blood in the urine have cystitis, but that does not necessarily mean infection, too. The causes of cystitis are many, from stress, diet, stones to 'idiopathic' (i.e.. no obvious identifying cause). It is such a common problem in feline medicine, it has its own name: FIC (Feline idiopathic cystitis), or the old name was FLUDT (Feline lower urinary tract disease). 2) but one things is for sure, your cat is uncomfortable. ONe of the main things that should be considered in any cat that is urinating blood, straining, crying when urinating, or urinating inappropriately is the potential pain issue. Pain relief alone can make many of these cats better. You might ask your vet for some help in this area. 3) Diet is a big area of concern and should always be addressed. Canned food is a FAR better choice for any cat with bladder issues for several reasons. One is canned food is mostly water, so cats that eat only canned food urinate more, and urinating more empties the bladder more, and emptying the bladder more can result in emptying it of irritating substances such as crystals and mucus (often the cause OR result of straining and bleeding). But possibly more importantly is the carbohydrate issue, which many specialists are considering to be a big deal when it comes to 'happy bladders' in cats. Canned food (MOST canned foods, not all) are lower in carbohydrates- significantly lower. Dry foods all have carbs with a minimum of around 22%... But carbs are really not part of a cat's natural diet and a diet of maybe 7% or less would be far better. So I suggest if your cat is amenable to this, feed her a pate canned food only- no dry. Many cats in my practice have been made symptom free by just switching to canned food.. and my own cat was 'cured' this way when my professor in vet school told me to do the same thing despite my arguing with him that I was sure she had a bladder infection (of course I turned out to be wrong). 4) the 'stress' issue is a bit harder to resolve or diagnose, but stress alone can cause cats to pee blood and be uncomfortable. Your cat's loss of another cat, or having fleas, could have stressed her out some... but most of the time, we humans really have no idea what is stressing a cat. But adding more litter boxes, giving meds to reduce stress and using pheromone diffusers can all help resolve or at least improve these kittie's stress. 5) and I mentioned stones up above... sometimes bladder stones can result from either a dietary issue (most common cause), infection (rare in young cats) or a genetic metabolic issue (not much to be done about that last one other than keep cat on canned food). But without an x-ray, this possibility cannot be ruled in or out. I know rads are costly, but they are one time only cost and worth it to diagnose some cats properly. Discuss these things with your vet and see what they say.