Hey all,
We got our cat from the animal shelter about 1,5 years ago and are looking for help.
Species/breed: european short hair cat
Age: about 3 years old
neuter status: neutered
bodyweight: 4kg
additional info: We live in a 70m² apartment and she is not able to go outside.
Description of the issue:
Since we got her, our cat pees/urine marks almost exclusively while standing upright when she uses the litterbox.
She used to have regular litterboxes which where standing close to walls or corners.
This resulted in her peeing against the wall so we had to get hop-in litterboxes to work around the issue.
After peeing into the litterboxes she usually scratches the walls instead of covering the urine.
She defecates in a normal position but also scratches the walls instead of covering it.
(She is a small cat and the litterboxes are big enough for her to easily turn around in, she has 3 litterboxes in different rooms)
The issue arises sometimes at random but more often when nobody is home.
This is when she tends to urine mark different spots in the apartment and so far we couldn’t find a solution for it.
She doesn’t urine mark every time.
Sometimes she can be alone for hours without issues, sometimes shes urine marks after being alone for just 2h.
We have also noticed that she doesn’t like eating when shes alone.
In the beginning she even refused to eat when nobody was sitting beside her.
This has gotten better though.
We have also noticed that she meows a lot.
The name she had when we adopted her was literally “meow meow”.
She really meows a lot, which is why we think it might be an anxiety issue?
Things we have tried so far:
Off-Brand feliway – when that didn’t work we bought “the real” feliway that did not work either.
We tried using the feliway diffuser as well as the spray that you can apply on spots.
Different kinds of cat litter, starting from very coarse to very fine.
She prefers the fine litter but this didn’t solve the problem.
We have also tried scented, unscented, clumping and clay.
We scoop all the litterboxes at least once daily, cleaning all three of them once every week.
We have tried putting the litterboxes in the spots she likes to mark with resulted in her finding new spots to mark.
We have tried using Zylkene and Anxitane for several weeks with no results.
Treatment was roughly 2 months each.
We have tried putting food on some areas that she likes to mark (sofa).
This helps but doesn’t eliminate the issue.
She will also pee right next to her food bowl and we simply cannot put food everywhere in our flat.
We have a daily schedule for feeding and playing.
And we play with her at least 2×10 minutes a day.
We have several puzzle feeders and did some clicker training with her to keep her from becoming bored and help with her self-confidence issues.
We have visited the Vet and had her thorougly checked: This included a ultra sound of the bladder, two urine samples (one punctured from the bladder) and blood work.
The only thing the vet found were slightly elevated kidney levels that the vet thought was not an issue.
He said we should keep an eye on it though.
– just in case
We are keeping a detailed list of when she is marking including date, time, place, the litter we used, whether we were using feliway/over the counter anti-anxiety meds and some background infos like who was home, and strange behaviours etc.
She doesn’t really like getting touched a lot – so we tried not touching her or picking her up unless she comes to us for some pets and scratches.
This seemed to have calmed her a little bit.
It has not solved marking problem however.
We have added several hiding spots for her where we can’t reach her, like on top of the wardrobe.
She loves these places and seems very content.
She is a very curious, outgoing and friendly cat who loves humans.
She excitedly runs to the door when the doorbell rings and is not afraid of strangers at all.
She even likes the vet.
🙂
According to the animal shelter she had 4+ previous owners even though she was less than two years old at that point.
She ended up in the shelter because somebody tried to sell her on ebay and failed.
She did not pee outside her litterbox nor standing up while she was in the shelter.
The first days we had her she also peed “normally”.
We are at our wits end but do not want to give the cat away.
If anyone has any advice/information or resources on what we can try/check out we would be incredibly greatful.
TL;DR: Cat pees where pee shouldn’t be, we tried a lot, pls help.
Also: not sure if a cat tax is required but here you go
Brief Answer:
Your spayed female cat’s upright urination, wall scratching, and marking when alone strongly indicate a complex issue rooted in anxiety and a deep need for territorial security, compounded by past instability (multiple owners).
The initial vet check is a good first step, but the anxiety symptoms (refusal to eat alone, excessive meowing) point to separation anxiety or generalized anxiety that is currently manifesting as marking behavior.
Since you’ve tried different litter boxes, locations, and Feliway, the core issue is likely behavioral and emotional, not purely environmental or a simple litter box aversion.
The next crucial step is to implement a highly structured, multi-faceted behavioral program like Cat Spray Stop by Susan Westinghouse, which focuses on easing the cat’s emotional stress and redirecting her natural instincts through a specific “Taste, Touch, Smell” method.
Simultaneously, a consultation with a veterinary behaviorist is highly recommended, as they can assess the need for a stronger, more targeted anti-anxiety medication than Zylkene or Anxitane, which often do not work for severe cases.
A behaviorist can create a custom protocol combining medication with the environmental changes you are already making, which is the most effective approach for deep-seated anxiety-driven marking, especially in a cat with a troubled past who marks when left alone in the 70m² space.
Detailed Answer:
Your detailed observations paint a clear picture of a highly stressed cat using marking as a coping mechanism, likely due to a history of instability and an intense attachment to you that manifests as separation anxiety when you leave.
The fact that the marking occurs more often when you are away and that she exhibited difficulty eating alone are classic signs of a cat who feels acutely insecure when her primary attachment figures are absent.
The upright spraying position, even in the litter box, is a marking behavior rather than simple elimination, indicating she is attempting to communicate a territorial message or express stress.
The scratching of walls instead of burying is also a form of marking, as cats have scent glands in their paws and are using that action to deposit their scent.
She is essentially trying to reinforce her territory in the 70m² apartment, a behavior that is amplified when she feels vulnerable (i.e., when you are gone).
You have already taken many excellent, cost-saving, and appropriate steps: a thorough vet check, trying Feliway, using anxiety supplements, increasing enrichment, and respecting her need for space.
The lack of success with Feliway and the over-the-counter supplements suggests the underlying anxiety is severe and requires a more comprehensive approach.
Here is a plan moving forward:
Behavioral Program Implementation – I recommend using the structured approach found in Cat Spray Stop by Susan Westinghouse.
This program is designed to work with the cat’s instincts to change the spraying pattern by utilizing the “Taste, Touch, Smell” method.
It’s an incredibly cost-effective step because it is a single purchase that guides you through targeted environmental and behavioral changes you can execute yourself, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars on further ineffective products or professional cleaning.
The “Smell” component, which teaches you specific, non-repellant scent changes, will be key in a small 70m² apartment where her scent is constantly intermingled with the marking spots.
Consult a Veterinary Behaviorist – While your regular vet ruled out basic medical issues, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist is essential for deep-seated anxiety cases.
They specialize in psychopharmacology and can prescribe and manage stronger, prescription-level anti-anxiety medication than Zylkene (a nutraceutical) or Anxitane (an L-Theanine product).
For severe separation anxiety, a prescription medication is often the necessary foundation to lower the cat’s baseline stress level, making the behavioral modifications (like those in Cat Spray Stop) finally effective.
This is an investment that avoids the continuous financial drain of ineffective trials and property damage.
Targeted Environmental and Litter Box Adjustments – Since she is marking upright, you need a truly high-sided, covered or top-entry litter box that is much larger than she is, with walls high enough that she literally cannot spray over them even when standing upright.
While you have hop-in boxes, if she can still spray the wall, the sides aren’t high enough.
Consider a large storage tote with an entrance cut into the side or top to ensure the walls contain all urine.
Given her past, you may need to increase the number of litter boxes to four in your 70m² space, placing them in areas where she is most likely to mark, thus making the appropriate elimination spot extremely convenient and reassuring.
Continue with the fine, unscented clumping litter she prefers.
Addressing Separation Anxiety – Since the marking is linked to your absence, focus on making your departures and arrivals extremely low-key and providing extensive pre-departure enrichment.
This can include high-value puzzle feeders (like the ones you use) with her favorite treat or food that she only gets as you leave.
The goal is to make your absence associated with a positive, distracting activity.
Also, consider investing in a cat-specific calming music player or leaving on a radio with talk programming to provide auditory enrichment and a sense of “company” when you are gone.
Do not punish her or show anger upon returning and finding a marked spot, as this will only increase her underlying anxiety and worsen the problem.
By combining the structured behavioral protocol from Cat Spray Stop with the expert medical intervention of a veterinary behaviorist, you are taking the most comprehensive and evidence-based approach to tackle her deeply ingrained anxiety and marking behavior, which is the most reliable path to stopping the spraying and saving you the cost of continuous cleaning and furniture replacement.
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