Why Some Cats Pee Outside the Litter Box

Written by John & Sheila Fowler

There can be at least two reasons for a cat to pee outside their litter box: a medical problem or a behavioral issue.

Stress and some dietary issues can cause cats to pee outside their litter box.  The issues seen are bladder blockage with bladder stones, Cystits in the bladder with urine can contain blood.  The cat could have a urinary infection or UTI.  It is important to have your cat checked by your Vet as your cat might need medial attention such as antibiotic treatment.  It could be as simple as changing litter more often and keeping it clean and smelling good at all times.  If you have a covered litter than remove the cover.  Covered litter boxes hide issues that need attention and prevent you from seeing a problem. Add more kitty litter boxes around the area they spray.  Make sure you use a product to remove and clean the urine.

They might be peeing in areas such as the windows or doors where there might be stray cats coming around from outside.  This would explain spraying around the outside windows as this is territorial spraying. If this is the case there are products such as auto sprayers if a stray cat walks past it.  This will activate and scare the outside cats away. The smallest change in their environment or stress can start them to urinate outside their litter box. If you have multiple cats you should have at least one litter box for each cat plus one more so they always have a clean one to go to; very important to keep the litter boxes clean.

There are other problems with urinating on the bed or on your clothes.  Such behaviors  can be jealousy of other cats, marking their territory, stress and anxiety.  They may not like where their litter boxes are in the room.  Move them and add more boxes in different areas and keep them clean.  A short term solution is to put a plastic tarp over the bed until the problem is resolved. You might want to try using a calming product such as plug in Feliway.  There is a product called Nature Vet Quiet Moments calming aid plus Melatonin cat soft chews you can try.

Once final reason for urination.  Once in a while, cats can have very severe dentition issues.  We had one.  The issue was he was spraying everywhere and not using his box in his new home.  After some investigation we found he had a very bad tooth.  Once it was removed he returned using his litter box with no problem.

Sheila & John Fowler
(760) 744-7886 / Fax (760) 591-9662
Email: bengals4u@sbcglobal.net

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