Animal Caregiver • Cat Behaviorist • Artist

Litter Box Issues

There are either medical, territorial or environmental reasons for a cat not using its litter box. You need to determine the cause of the inappropriate elimination and correct the underlying condition. Some urinary issues are life-threatening. Always consult your veterinarian quickly and before attempting behavior modification.

What to Do When Your Cat Pees Outside the Litter Box

Dealing with a cat who pees outside the litter box is one of the most frustrating issues cat guardians may be faced with. It’s also one of the most common reasons why cats are returned to shelters. The reasons why cats eliminate outside the litter box vary, and include litter box aversion, urine marking, hormonal problems, and medical issues.

The difference between urinating outside the box and spraying

Cat guardians often confuse urinating and spraying. Cats who are urinating outside the box usually squat and deposit larger amounts on horizontal surfaces. Urine spraying, on the other hand, is a territorial behavior. Cats who spray stand upright and deposit a small amount of urine on vertical surfaces. Even though both male and female cats spray, the behavior is mostly seen in un-neutered male cats, and occurs more often in multi-cat households, although even a single cat may spray.

Spraying is not to be confused with vertical peeing. Some cats, either male or female, will urinate inside the litter box either standing up, or they start urinating in a squatting position and then gradually stand up as they finish.

Your first step: a trip to your veterinarian

Anytime a cat stops using the litter box, a trip to the veterinarian should always be your first step. Inappropriate urination can be an indicator of a serious health problem. Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam and a urinalysis. Blood-work and radio-graphs may also be necessary to diagnose the problem.

Addressing behavioral problems

If there are no medical problems, your best bet is to do some detective work to identify what is triggering the inappropriate urination. Sometimes, the solution can be as simple as adding an additional litter box, changing the location or type of litter box, or changing the type of litter you’re using. Long standing issues may require some more intense detective work. In multi-cat households, inappropriate urination can be caused by territorial issues. Treating the problem will require analyzing the dynamics of your entire household, with an eye to identifying what causes territorial stress and tension between cats.

Cats do not urinate outside the litter box out of spite

One of the biggest myths around litter box issues is the idea that cats pee outside the box because they’re angry at you, or because they’re getting back at you for something you did. They may urinate outside the box because something in their environment is stressing them out, such as a new family member, a guardian who travels frequently, new furniture, or any other major changes in the household, but they do it because they are upset with something in their environment, not with you.

Thoroughly remove urine stains and odors

Anytime a cat pees outside the litter box, it’s important to thoroughly clean the area, because cats are attracted back to the same area if there’s even just a residual scent of urine. There are a number of effective stain and odor removers. Don’t use ammonia based cleaners as they can intensify the smell of urine. Some of the best products to completely eliminate urine odors are air purifiers and "Bissell Pawsitively Clean Enzyme Action Cat Stain and Order Eliminator". A black-light can help you find stains invisible to the naked eye.

Holistic remedies

"Safe Space for Cats" is an effective remedy for cats whose inappropriate urination is caused by territorial issues. Some cats may respond to herbal calming remedies or soothing music. "Music for Cats" by David Teie for example is a great choice that both cats and human alike can enjoy.

Medication

If none of the steps to correct behavioral causes of inappropriate urination are successful, cat guardians may need to consider anti-anxiety medication in conjunction with behavioral modification.

The litter box

Sometimes, the litter box itself is the cause of the problem. Too few boxes, the wrong type of box, the wrong type of litter, a box that isn’t scooped frequently enough, can all contribute to inappropriate urination.

Ask yourself whether the litter box was being properly cleaned and maintained? Was a new cat, dog or family member brought in to the household? Did you change the cats’ diet, litter or litter box? Did you move the litter box? Are there stray cats prowling around outside? There are many not so obvious reasons a cat may be stressed - take a moment to see it from their point of view.

Do not respond with punishment! Cats do not have the pack / social instincts that dogs and humans do. They will not learn from or respond appropriately to punishment. Harsh treatment, yelling or using a squirt bottle will only contribute to the cat’s stress and will likely worsen the situation.

Remember that cats are fastidious. They are very clean and appreciate cleanliness in their environment. Thoroughly clean yours, or invest in a new litter box. Old boxes become scratched and the offensive smell can’t be removed. If you opt to try a new box and litter, you may want to set it up in a new location, leaving the old one in place. Be certain that your cat knows it's available. Clean both boxes for a time as necessary. Eventually, clean the box you are eliminating less and the one you want to maintain more often and then get rid of the old box.

Cats almost always prefer an open litter box without a hood. Enclosed litter boxes trap the smells they dislike. Also, some cats feel the need to stand up straight and tall when they urinate, and will not feel comfortable ducking down to fit in a covered box.

Cats can develop an aversion to a litter after many years. Try adding another box with a new type of litter. Some brands even have special herbal and natural attractants to help direct the cat to the litter.

Peeing or pooping outside the box is one way cats respond to territorial insecurity. Sometimes they do one in the box and one out of the box.

You should have one more litter box than the number of cats. Even a household with only one cat should have two boxes. Some cats will not share a litter box, and won’t use one that is regularly used by another cat in the household. When you have more than one box, they should not be located next to each other. I understand it sounds awful. But would you rather be annoyed by too many litter boxes or by cat pee ruining everything you own?

Litter boxes need to be in socially significant areas, not hidden, difficult to get to, or somewhere where they could get cornered by another cat with no escape

Try to keep your cat away from the problem area. If the cat is inappropriately eliminating only in one room, shut the door to that room. Cats might avoid certain air freshener scents as well, particularly citrus scents, and avoid the area if one is placed there. You can try using double sided sticky tape on the carpet in the area that has been soiled.

Once a cat has urinated in an area, they will often go back to their new “bathroom”. Do everything possible to eliminate all of the stain and odor with an enzymatic cleaner. Regular cleaners may mask the odor so that we can't smell it, but to a cat's superior sense of smell, the odor will still be discernible, and can prompt a cat to continue to use that area as a bathroom. Enzymatic solutions actually have natural organisms that digest the bacteria that cause stain and odor, making it so that even the pet can’t smell it.

Each cat needs something to identify as their own - a big bed, a pod, or shelves up high. These things give them more territory to own all over the house and therefore more territorial confidence. If they don’t have anything to call their own they can respond by inappropriate elimination. By expanding their full sense of territory you’re making sure your stuff doesn’t get peed on.

Put up a sight blocker over windows where they could be seeing other cats or seeing something that’s driving them crazy and driving them to go outside the litter box.

Playing with wand toys help them lose defensiveness and realize they can share space. It also tires out the bullies. And, many times, litter box issues are due to being bullied or feeling insecure about their territory.

Play hard with them! Play = prey, which is what they live for. Make that wand toy seem like an actual bird and get them out of breath, panting, and unable to play anymore. If they are naturally exhausted after “hunt, catch, kill, eat, groom, sleep” then they won’t be patrolling the boundaries, peeing, scratching, or worrying as much about their territory. That territorial instinct won’t be as sharp.

Open up a vertical world so they don’t fight over resources / territory. Put up shelving that they can jump up on and get away. "Sunny Seats" and "CatastrophiCreations" act as a cat superhighway.

Make sure there are at least as many litter boxes as cats. This will give them territorial confidence and make sure there is no competition for resources.

Corrugated cardboard objects are scent-soakers. Get a couple of them so each cat can rub on them, scratch & claw them, and mark them with their scent. More territorial confidence. Put lots of these at the entrance to a room to make it a neutral territory.

Feliway is a synthetic pheromone developed to mimic the natural comforting facial Pheromone secreted by cats. A mother cat secretes this pheromone to calm her young, and cats rub their face or scratch their claws to leave this pheromone on surfaces. These pheromones have a soothing effect on the cat. When cats sense the facial pheromone in areas around their home, they are less likely to urinate on or scratch those areas. It's available as a defuser or a spray.

Sometimes inappropriate elimination is due to separation anxiety. Have a certain blanket that you put on your lap or shoulders when you watch tv or read. Then leave the blanket in a place where the cat likes to hang out when you leave the house.