Cat Peeing SOS, we are desperate for help (behavioral not medical)
Alright guys, we need help.
We have had our cat for about 5 years now. Ever since she was a kitten, she has peed outside of the litter box. When she was young, it was anywhere and everywhere. As she got older, it was right outside the litter box, but she still poops in the litter box.
We have been to the vet three separate times and have ruled out a health or physical issue (completely healthy, she's also up to date on vaccines). We have spent hundreds of dollars on different litter boxes, types of litter, stress reducers, etc. and nothing seems to help. We have tried adding litter boxes, moving their locations, no luck.
We do have two other cats who we had when we got this cat. They all get along great and even snuggle, clean each other, etc. The other two cats have always used the litter box(es) with no issue.
In our previous apartment, we were able to mitigate this by placing pee pads outside the litter box where she would pee and this would at least ease our clean up. We moved to a new home about a month ago and instead of continuing her habit of peeing outside the litter box, she started peeing in my toddler's play area. We religiously cleaned the area with enzymatic cleaner, but she kept coming back and peeing, resulting in a ruined $100 play mat and several of my toddler's toys also ruined.
We tried separating her from the other cats to see if the issue was that she didn't like sharing a litter box. Got her a brand new litter box, with brand new litter so it would be completely clean and her own. Well, she peed several small spots in the litter box but then there was a huge pee spot a couple feet away from it. This leaves me at a complete loss. Why would she pee some in the litter box and then outside of it too? If the issue isn't a health problem or sharing a litter box, what could it be?
We are getting desperate because she is now peeing where our toddler daughter plays, and we cannot risk our daughter ingesting/inhaling cat pee as she is still young enough to put toys in her mouth. At the end of the day, we have to prioritize our daughter's health/well-being over the cat, but I love this cat a lot and besides the peeing, she is an excellent cat. Chill, adorable, catches bugs for us, never really meows or yells.
Any advice beyond what we've already tried is so appreciated.