How to Deal With Inappropriate Cat Urination
One of the biggest pitfalls of cat ownership is inappropriate elimination behaviors. A cat, male or female, can cause serious problems for their owner if they, for whatever reason start urinating outside of the litter pan. There are several reasons that an animal may stop using the litter box, and it is important that you find the problem and fix it quickly, before a bad habit becomes a long-term behavior issue.
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Instructions
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Eliminating Inappropriate Urination
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Ascertain that the behavior is in fact urination and not territorial marking. When a cat urinates it squates, when it sprays it stands upright and marks a vertical surface, like a wall. If your cat is spraying take them to the vet to be neutered. If it is urinating, you must start by establishing the cause.
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Take your cat to the vet. It is important to determine that there is not a serious medical cause for your cat's inappropriate urination. If there is not a medical cause, then the cause is likely environmental.
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Look at your litterbox hygiene. If your litterbox is not kept clean your cat may refuse to use it, causing inappropriate urination to occur in other areas of the home. Also, if your recently changed litter types they may not like the new litter, and returning to what you used previously may solve the behavior. If the pet is using a sink or tile floor instead of the litter box, consider providing them with a litter pan free from litter, because they may prefer a smooth surface.
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Look for signs of cat fighting on the cat that is exhibiting the bad behavior. If you have multiple cats, there is a good chance that inappropriate urination is caused by a bully at the litter box. You should provide each cat in your home with his own litterbox, and each litterbox should be in a separate space.
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Look at changes which have occurred in the environment that may be causing your animal stress. Like an older child will regress when a younger child is born, a cat may regress when put under stress. If you have moved, gained a new pet, changed your work schedule, or changed the cat's environment in other major ways the inappropriate urination may be your cats way of acting out his frustration.
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If you cannot discover a logical reason for the inappropriate urination, and so cannot eliminate the cause, it is important that you discourage the pet from acting inappropriately in other ways. Try spraying the area in which inappropriate urination occurs with pheromones, and adding play elements or a feed dish to the space.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not punish the animal for the inappropriate urination. This can increase the animal's anxiety and make the issue worse.
References
- Photo Credit cat face image by Viktor Korpan from Fotolia.com
