Having issues with your cat peeing outside the litter box? This article covers the steps you can take to find a solution and restore harmony to your household.
No, your cat isn’t trying to ruin your carpet, or tell you he’s mad at you when he pees outside
the litter box. But he is trying to tell you something, and figuring out what that is can take a bit
of detective work. Don’t wait to start looking into the problem; the longer the problem goes on
the more habitual the issue becomes.
Start with your vet
A sudden change in elimination habits always warrants a trip to your vet’s office before trying
anything else. Anything from a simple urinary tract or bladder infection, to stones/crystals in
the bladder or kidneys, to diseases such as diabetes or chronic kidney infection may result in
your kitty deciding to pee somewhere besides the litter box. No amount of sleuthing into the
problem will help if your cat has an undiagnosed medical issue.
Peeing or spraying?
Eliminating on flat surfaces outside the litter box can have medical or behavioral causes.
Spraying, which is peeing on vertical surfaces is often the consequence of a cat who hasn’t been
spayed or neutered, but can also be the result of stress, or conflicts between cats in a multi-cat
household. Declawed cats are also 3-7x more likely to have litter box problems than cats with
their claws.
Clean, clean, clean
If your cat has been peeing around the house, start by cleaning all soiled areas. Use an
enzymatic cleaner designed to remove (rather than just disguise) urine orders. Really soak
carpeting areas to remove the urine deep down in the carpet and padding.
Where to start sleuthing
Sometimes the inappropriate peeing problem is fairly easy to solve, starting with the litter box
itself.
Be honest, how often do you scoop and clean the box? Once a day is a minimum, but if
your cat isn’t using the box, try scooping morning and evening. Cats tend to be fastidious about
a clean litter box.
Give the box a thorough cleaning with soap and water and fresh litter once a week or so, depending on how many cats and boxes you have. Some cats also like to pee in one box and poop in a different one; if that’s the case provide two boxes.
If you’ve got a cover on the litter box, take it off, especially if you have more than one
cat. It only takes one episode of a cat being ambushed in the litter box by another cat, on
purpose or by mistake, to convince the cat that using the litter box isn’t safe.
Make sure the litter box is big enough for your kittie(s). They should be able to climb in
easily (watch the entrance level especially for older cats) and turn around and scratch without
touching the sides of the box.
Try different types of litter. Make sure whatever you use is unscented. Scented litter, for
a cat, is like you approaching someone in a department store who has just tried every perfume
sample on the counter. Clay litters work for most cats, but there are a wide variety of clay
litters, and there are also corn-based, pine-based, and other choices.
How many litter boxes do you have? There should be one for each cat, plus one extra,
so a two cat household should have three litter boxes. They need to be in different locations as
well, preferably spread out and one on each floor if you have a multi-floor home.
When trouble runs deeper than the litter box
Stress
Some cats respond to stressful situations or relationships by eliminating outside the box. These
can be more challenging problems to solve. Sometimes cats will react to outdoor cats that are
coming close to your home; window coverings and/or motion-activated sprinklers can help
prevent this particular stress.
Has the makeup of the household changed recently? New people? New children? New cat or
dog? If you’ve recently added a new cat or dog, you may need to separate the animals for now,
and do a much slower introduction process. Try adding pheromone diffusers to rooms where
your cat(s) spend a lot of time.
These products mimic the cat’s normal pheromones and can have a calming effect on cats. For a stressed out cat, make sure he has a place to go to escape new animals or new people until he has time to adjust. If the problem doesn’t resolve quickly, you may want to consult a behavioral expert.
Resources
The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants lists certified behaviorists all over the country, many of whom work through Zoom or other distance measures. You can check their list here: Find a Consultant.
For more information and resources, check our website.