House soiling, inappropriate elimination, urinating outside the litter box, whatever you call it, it’s one of the most common behavior-related complaints of cat parents. But no one quick-fix solution is available to address all litter box problems. Resolving your cat’s urination habits starts with figuring out the underlying cause of the behavior. Once you understand why your cat is peeing outside the box, you and your veterinarian can develop an appropriate treatment plan. Let’s review some common reasons why cats urinate inappropriately and some steps you can take to manage the situation.
Why Is My Cat Peeing Everywhere?
Health conditions, behavioral or social problems, environmental issues and territory marking can all trigger inappropriate urination in cats. Here’s a summary of those behaviors and some solutions to try.
Cat Not Using the Litter Box? Is it a Health Condition?
Any underlying medical issue of the urinary tract can result in inappropriate urination. Bladder stones and crystals, a urinary tract infection and feline idiopathic cystitis are the most common medical causes of peeing outside the litter box. These medical conditions cause pain and an increased urgency to urinate. Affected cats may associate their litter boxes with pain and, as a result, they urinate outside of the box.
Medical issues such as kidney disease, liver disease and diabetes can cause your cat to drink more and urinate more frequently. If litter box cleaning doesn’t keep pace with increased urination, these cats may opt to urinate elsewhere. A medical issue may also be the reason why a cat is peeing outside the litter box but pooping in it.
Age-related medical issues such as arthritis and cognitive dysfunction, which is similar to dementia in people, might lead to changes in urinary habits. Arthritic cats may find it difficult to climb into a litter box with high sides or a cover or to find a comfortable posture to urinate. Older cats with cognitive dysfunction may forget where the box is located or lose the ability to voluntarily control urination. Changes may be necessary for senior cats with arthritis or cognitive decline, including moving the litter box to a more-accessible location (no stairs!) or providing a larger box with lower sides or low entry.
Take Your Cat for a Checkup
If you find your cat urinating outside of the litter box suddenly — and assuming that the litter box has been kept clean — your first step is to consult with your veterinarian. A complete physical exam, urine tests, blood tests and possibly X-rays and/or culture of your cat’s urine for bacterial infection can identify or exclude medical causes for inappropriate urination.
Multiple Cats Need Multiple Litter Boxes
Urinating outside the litter box tends to happen more frequently in households with multiple cats, particularly if one or more cats in the home control access to the litter box. Even if conflict between cats isn’t obvious, it could create enough stress to cause litter box problems. Other stressors in the home — like moving, adding new pets or human family members, or changing your routine — can make your cat feel anxious. And anxious cats may urinate in an inappropriate spot to help relieve anxiety and feel safer.
If you have more than one cat, multiple litter boxes placed in different rooms around your home will provide litter box access to less confident and timid cats while also letting them avoid conflict with the other cats. To make sure you have enough litter boxes, the general rule of thumb is one litter box for each cat in your home plus one more. You’ll want to avoid covered litter boxes because some cats are uneasy using them if they can’t see whether another cat is close by. And since different cats may prefer different litters, you may need to offer options to satisfy the preferences of all your feline friends.
Are They Looking for a Clean Litter Box?
Even if your cat has been diagnosed with a medical condition that resulted in outside-the-box urination, the litter box “experience” also contributes to the reason for your cat to urinate elsewhere. What do we mean by litter box experience? It’s the sum of box hygiene, type (e.g., covered, uncovered, size), numbers and location, and the type of litter used (e.g., clay, clumping, scented, unscented).
Like dogs, most cats develop preferences for where they urinate and what they urinate on. They also can develop aversions, including the litter box location, the litter, the box itself or some combination of all three. A dirty litter box, one that’s hard to reach or one that’s placed next to appliances that make loud noises or odd vibrations can cause many cats to urinate someplace else. Remember that cats are notoriously clean — your cat prefers that their “toilet” is clean, too. Cat litter should be scooped every day and changed weekly, and the box deep cleaned every few weeks.
Remember, too, that cats have a much better sense of smell than we do. A litter tray or box that seems clean to us may still smell dirty to your cat. This also applies to scented cat litters, which are designed for human noses and aesthetics. If the fragrance from a scented litter seems overwhelming to you, imagine what your cat smells and thinks!
Why Do Cats Spray Everywhere?
Cats use urination and defecation as ways to communicate with other cats. One normal way cats communicate and mark their territory in the wild — and unfortunately, sometimes in your home — is by spraying small amounts of urine.
When cats, particularly intact male cats, spray urine, it’s usually on vertical surfaces like walls and doors rather than on horizontal ones. Typically, the cat backs up to the wall or other vertical surface, raises its tail which often quivers, treads with its back feet and sprays a small amount of urine backward. Stress or the perception of a threat to your cat’s “territory,” such as an outdoor cat in your yard or new pets or people in your home, can trigger urine spraying.
How to Stop a Cat from Spraying
Punishing your cat for spraying is not the answer since it is more likely to cause anxiety and make the problem worse. If there is no medical reason for marking, here a few ways to help curb the behavior:
- Clean all areas that have been urine marked with an enzymatic cleaner designed to neutralize cats’ pee.
- Consider closing access to the area that is being marked, or place food and water bowls there to change the cat’s perception of the area.
- If your cat has not been neutered or spayed, doing so can help significantly reduce or stop the problem.
- To help minimize conflict in a multi-cat household, try pheromone plug-ins throughout the house. Make sure there are plenty of toys, food and water bowls, beds, scratching posts, perches and as many litter boxes as there are cats, plus one. Provide areas where more timid cats can escape for some quiet alone time, if needed.
- In severe cases, your veterinarian may recommend medication. But behavior modification and environmental enrichment are the best ways to manage the problem long-term.
Cat Litter Box Training Takes Time
Once a cat has repeatedly urinated outside of the litter box for any reason, including health issues that have been treated and resolved, litter box training and/or behavioral therapy may be needed to re-establish routine box use.
Dealing with house soiling and outside-the-box elimination issues can be challenging for a cat parent and may require considerable time and effort. And the longer the situation persists, the more difficult it may be to resolve. That’s why you want to talk with your veterinarian at the first sign of an issue. And it’s also why you want to make sure you’re keeping your cat’s litter box as clean and appealing as possible.
Whatever you do, don’t punish your feline friend for litter box issues. There’s a reason they’re not using the litter box, and there’s a good chance they’re trying to tell you something.
