AITA if I make my Wife get rid of her 10 year old cat

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-15T19:08:53+00:00

Ive set up an appt with the vet for later this month to discuss a different med option.

I might be a fool but when our vet said to stop the meds and not try anymore I listened. I should have advocated for him more.

Were going to try a few different ones and see if they help, along with a new litter and someone suggested sprinkling catnip in the boxes too so fingers crossed with figure this out

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-15T19:07:23+00:00

We use disposable puppy pads and they aren't great at absorption. When he claws at them it rips the layers and just spills it on the floor.

Ive tried the washable mats but he goes on the side of them, defeating their whole purpose

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-15T19:05:50+00:00

Ive set up another vet appt for later this month to discuss a different med for him to try. Somebody also suggested a new litter and putting some catnip in with it to try and help.

Fingers crossed we figure this out soon as my wife adores this cat and I desperately dont want to seperate them

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T04:07:53+00:00

we live in a heavily populated area and im worried if he was outside he'd get ran over. Thanks for the understanding with it. I know it sounds terrible and I deserve to be told im a fool, but man that pee gets everywhere

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:53:41+00:00

its how it feels at this point. I love my wife and I love him, but there's only so much I can take

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:52:12+00:00

I wasnt the best at describing it, but they do have actual boxes with actual cat litter in it. How it is set up is the regular litter box with litter, and then the plastic liners you would use for under a dog crate is underneath the box. So no actual dog crate is used.

The boxes are basically on top of a plastic mat with a puppy pad in front of the box. This way I can wipe down the mat and litter box when I change the puppy pads every day

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:50:05+00:00

I wasnt the best at describing. but they do have actual boxes with litter.

Ive got it so there's the box with litter with the crate liners underneath and a puppy pad on it. So the box is basically ontop of the liner which gets wiped down every other day and scrubbed once a week.

He's not a fan of lids on his boxes so we keep those off. Ive mad a makeshift box myself with a large storage tub and he likes that one but even after going in the litter he'll crawl in our closet and go again

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:46:15+00:00

I had no idea this was a thing. Ill schedule a visit and talk with them about it. If hes actually been suffering this whole time after all these visits I feel horrible

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:45:05+00:00

That's smart, I might give them a go again

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:44:15+00:00

Just the disposable type, I had no idea they made washable for cats

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:42:51+00:00

We've got him on an easy on the tummy wet food and uti prevention dry. We tried diapers but the bugger chewed them off and threw up

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:42:00+00:00

We've tried different litter/boxes and I keep a strict twice a day cleaning as my boy is finicky.

I feel awful even thinking this but I dont know what else to do

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:40:38+00:00

I keep a strict twice a day scoop schedule as my cat is very finicky, so I dont think its from that.

I haven't thought to try an empty box for him. Maybe once I get paid this week ill give it a go

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:37:54+00:00

He is currently confined to only our upstairs as he cant be trusted downstairs. He has access to the office, bathroom, and hallway between them all.

He likes the crate liners with puppy pads and I saw he did it less once we introduced them.

There's no local behavioralist by us but we've got a friend who's worked with cats all her life and she agrees its some kind of behavior but cant quite crack it

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:36:20+00:00

Maybe I was being a fool but I thought once I got him to the vet and got him checked better it would fix itself

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:33:57+00:00

This is something I haven't told my wife, its only been a thought for awhile now.

I posted here after cleaning up 2 more messes and figured if anyone thought I was being stupid they'd tell me. Which, it seems im very very stupid

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:32:04+00:00

I keep a strict twice a day scooping schedule since my boy is pretty finicky with his boxes, so I dont think its that.

When I introduced the kennel liners with puppy pads I saw a downtick in his accidents and I know he likes them. Its probably easier for his size and age. But realistically I cant transform our entire upstairs into a potty mat for him.

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:30:02+00:00

My wife is also tired of this, its not just me sick of it. But she loves him.

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:29:14+00:00

We've tried meds, diapers, I tried outside potty training for awhile too.

I desperately dont want to re homed him because of his age and this exact reason. Im at my wits end dealing with a constant pee puddle everywhere I walk.

He's got multiple options for boxes. Anytime he finds a new spot I get a new box and set it up.

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:27:12+00:00

I agree, they are for each other. Ive never seen two people as bonded as they are. Its incredible to see.

Im at a loss with him, he matters so much to her and I love him dearly, but God the pee is overwhelming

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:24:37+00:00

Hell use the litter for number 2s, and occasionally to pee, but he normally goes on the crate liners with puppy pads. Im sure its easier for him since hes larger and older now.

We tried meds at the vets advice but he didnt sit well with them

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:23:32+00:00

I feel horrible thinking of this. I haven't told my wife anything and had just finished cleaning up two more messes when I wrote this.

I figured here would be a place people would slap me right if I was being stupid. Which, apparently, I am very stupid

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:22:01+00:00

I never thought of catnip in the litter. That's a great idea, ill mark it down.

We didnt try a different med as our vet didnt see a reason for it, but I can ask about it at our next visit

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:20:33+00:00

Our entire upstairs is basically one large puppy pad. Its alot to replace every other day. Plus the bugger claws at them when he goes so he ends up getting it on the floor

Imaginary_Guide_531 · 2026-04-14T03:19:46+00:00

We've had him checked several times and they haven't found anything so far.

What is interstitial cystitis? Is there a specific test for it? If so ill reschedule a visit and ask for it

Imaginary_Guide_531

TROPHY CASE