Surely you've been here long enough to know that when a cat suddenly starts peeing outside the box it may be a sign of a UTI. ;)
AKA, Vet visit time. It'll rule out medical VS behavioral issues. Fortunately, UTIs are typically fairly inexpensive to treat... If it's crystals, may take a bit more effort to treat and later prevent a reoccurrence. Crystals are NOT something to play around with, total blockage can result in the premature death of the cat.
I don't know the situation (or Boomer) well enough to say if it's a behavior thing... though I do know that many area rugs that have a rubber (non-skid) backing that can give off an odor that, to a cat, smells like a place to go pee.
Diane on Jul 20 at 02:02 PM
If UTI is ruled out, my experience with male cats is that if there is something that they don't like, they will pee in the wrong spot.
Mildew and Snoopy wanted outside (both were fixed) so to get my attention, they peed in the house. This is the main reason why most of my cats were females.
Oreo on Jul 20 at 02:53 PM
Oreo had tinkle problems when he had crystals in his urine. But the only way you can know that is a vet visit and a pee sample. It's very true that girl cats have a very strong amonia smell but if this never botherd Mr. Boomer before, it should just start now. I'd get him to the vet.
Mama Muttblood^..^ on Jul 20 at 09:02 PM
After you take him to the vet and determine that everything is okay or get whatever it is treated, I would just pick the rug up. We use a rug as a bath mat, and Kinky loves to go on it when it is damp, as many cats like to do on damp things. We just pick the rug up when we are done with it and throw it over the shower rod. Problem solved.
O.C. on Jul 21 at 09:34 AM
Awe, Boomer. I would definitely do the vet thing, hopefully it's something simple that can be taken care of easily. Like MM, we pick up our rugs in the bathroom when we're done with them.
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CatHerder on Jul 20 at 12:57 PM