Cat Behavior: Urinating in the House

Video Transcript

"One of the things that you'll notice when a cat is urinating inappropriately is they usually pick particular spots where they pea outside of their box so you want to try to change the significance of that spot so it is no longer comfortable for them to urinate there. One of the easiest ways to do that is to put a litter box there. Since they are urinating there already you might as well give them a place to go that's appropriate. Even if it is in your dining room it is a good quick fix because then you are not cleaning urine off the floors but it is going in the litter box and it helps them to make sure that they're using the litter box as best they can. Another way that you can change the significance of that spot is to put a food and water dish there. You don't have to keep it full. It doesn't have to be the primary place where they eat but the general idea is that cats won't urinate where they're eating so if you just put a little bit of food down there sometimes that will help to keep them from urinating in that spot. The same idea with the scratching post like this or even a bed where they can sleep so that they associate that spot with something that is different from a place to eliminate. Finally you can use aluminum foil against the wall in that spot or on the carpet. The other thing you can do is buy a plastic carpet runner and turn it upside down. It has a nubby underside surface that cats don't like to walk on that. So the aluminum foil and the carpet runners are ways to keep the cat away from that. They don't like that and they are unlikely to walk on it to just go over and urinate."