I Can’t Control My Cat

This makes me sad. Really, really sad. I’ve been hesitant to even admit that it’s come to this, for fear that Kitty Protective Services might storm my home or readers would shame me out of the blogosphere.

Ulysses, my male orange tabby cat, just won’t stop peeing on stuff. It’s been an ongoing, years-long struggle. We’ve tried everything: multiple litterboxes, countless types of cat litter, ridiculously expensive “mood sprays,” and waaay too many trips to the vet. Multiple vets, in fact. They all say there’s nothing wrong with him, and that tabbies (particularly male tabbies, even though he’s neutered) just tend to be defiant and act out like this.

In college, it was easier to deal with the cat pee problem since we had really cheap, hand-me-down college student furniture. Couch covers and stuff just got thrown in the wash on a weekly basis and eventually replaced with more cheap hand-me-downs. The cat pee was a pain, but we dealt with it. Recently, we moved in with Nate’s parents to save on rent while Nate goes through the police academy. They have a big house with a huge yard and tons of room to roam, so we thought the extra space and freedom would help him feel less confined, and that he might finally get over the peeing habit. He hasn’t. And now that it isn’t only our furniture or our clothes being peed on, we just can’t tolerate it anymore.

So it’s come to this. We got the biggest dog kennel we could and fitted it with blankets (which Ulysses promptly peed on) and a litterbox (he immediately scattered the litter everywhere in protest). Fortunately he only pees on stuff at night, so he only has to be kept in the cage while everyone’s sleeping.

Friends have asked why we don’t just give him to a shelter, but I could never do that. He may be kind of a pain, but he can also be the most loving, affectionate, and hilariously playful cat ever. Just look at that little face!