How to Stop Your Cat from Going Outside the Litter Box
Cats may urinate outside of their litter box for a number of different reasons. One of the most common is that the litter box is not clean, but a box that is too small or that contains poor quality cat litter can also be triggers. Even cats that have previously used their litter box frequently can begin to exhibit this problem as they become more sensitive to issues with the litter box.
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Instructions
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Clean the litter box more frequently. Cats dislike a dirty litter box and will sometimes go outside the box if it is not clean enough for their liking. Try cleaning the box twice as often as before to see if the problem is resolved.
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Replace the litter with a different type or different brand. Choose an unscented cat litter, as some cats are sensitive to smells. Inexpensive cat litter often does not do an adequate job of absorbing a cat’s urine or controlling odors. Ask your veterinarian or pet store employee for brand recommendations.
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Move the litter box to a more private location in the house, and show the cat where it is located. Ideally, you can try moving the box to the location where the cat has been going in the house. Make sure the path to the litter box is not blocked by another animal, a child or another obstruction that makes the cat leery of using it.
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Remove the cover and plastic tray liner if the litter box has one. Some cats dislike these items and will avoid the box if they are used.
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Replace the litter box with a larger box or even multiple boxes. A box that is too small may get dirty quickly. Replacing it with a larger box or multiple boxes can help with picky cats.
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Take your cat to a veterinarian for a check-up. Urinary tract infections and other health problems may cause sudden urination that is beyond your cat’s control or make it uncomfortable to use the litter box.
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Tips & Warnings
Male cats will spray territorially outside the box. Neutering will most likely solve this problem.
If your cat is urinating very frequently outside the box--especially if the urine is discolored--this may be a sign of illness. Get it checked by a vet to rule out a medical rather than behavioral cause
References
- Photo Credit BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images
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Comments
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m06d14
Apr 30, 2008
I have 2 cats that are 6 & 7 years old this year.Both are females and get along great.The 7 year old had a few occasions when she was younger where she would urinate outside of her box. We had the vet do a complete exam and didn't find any health concerns except she is overweight. She has recently started soiling outside of the litter box. She has her own box and it is even when its been freshly cleaned. -
caggymist
Feb 11, 2008
I have 2 cats that are both 4 years old this year...had both since they were 8 weeks. The cat we got first is fine with the litter box and always has been, but my other cat hasn't. she does her #2 out side of the litter box... even when its been freshly cleaned. now i know its been four years of picking up after her... its just how its been....she's never gone on a carpet which makes for easy clean-up... i am at my wits end and want to fix her behavioural problem the right way. now i've tried toilet training, 3 litter boxes at once, out of the flow of house traffic, no hoods and all the different kinds of litter!!! what else can i do??
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Alethia
Dec 05, 2007
I was using a great cat litter caller Feline Pine. My kitty started going outside the box until I switched back to regular clumping, also its true that they dont like covered boxes. They like to be free when they go and not cooped up in a box. I noticed mine were not liking having to stoop to go, they like to hover on the edge with the front of there bodies and only have their business end in the box. Yes! too watch for discolored or strong urine, Males especially. We recently had to put our kitty to sleep because he ended up having kidney failure which I initially mistook for bad kitty box behavior. We are still missing him.
