Inappropriate Elimination

Cats are fastidious. Cats will use a suitable litter box if possible.

The trick is to create a suitable "litter box experience". The experience includes the litter, the box, the location

If a cat was litter box trained but has now has started to pee outside the box, we know that something is wrong.

Note

• Punishment (e.g. shouting, water spray) is not the answer. This will make the cat fearful and probably make the problem worse. Also it should be consistent, you cant watch cat all days so not effective.

• Deterrents, (tin foil, citrus spray) will at best redirect the behaviour to another site. It will cause anxiety and delay investigation of the cause of the behaviour.

• The cat is not seeking revenge or making a point; something has gone wrong in its world and it is essential to find out what.

In order to sort out the problem we first need to idetnify the cause of the problem. 

1. Rule out a medical issue. 
2. Decide if the cat is marking territory or urinating 
3. Identify any change in the cats environment
4. Other key questions
5. Identify and clean all areas 
6. Designing the best litter box experience

Step 1: Rule out a medical problem.

A visit to your vet is essential in these cases to rule out a medical problem.

Step 2: Identify any change in the cats environment

Step 3: Urination or spraying?

The 2 are quite different.

Setting up a camera close to the litter tray would be very useful to give a full picture. Important information to collect includes: location, shape, amount of urine, how frequently does it occur,  what happens before it happened.

Otherwise using a uv light in a darkened room is very useful. click HERE to learn more about how a UV light allows you to find the location of urine staining.

What is the difference between urine spraying and inappropriate urination?

Cats use urine as a scent signal or 'mark' for themselves and other cats.
Depositing urine for scent marking is very different to urinating to relieve a full bladder.
It is therefore important to establish whether the cat is spraying or urinating since the solutions will vary.

Spraying

To spray urine the cat stands up, usually making a treading motion with its back feet, quivers its tail and a small amount of urine is sprayed backwards onto a vertical surface such as a wall, leaving an obvious scent mark.

Common sites for spraying include doors, windows, around cat flaps, curtains, electrical equipment and shopping or rubbish bags.


A cat that is spraying will on occasion use the box.

Click HERE to learn more about this behaviour and to watch a video on what spraying looks like.

It is very useful to mark the locations with a blue tape X to see if there is a pattern over time.

Inappropiate Urination

To urinate, the cat squats and deposits a volume of urine on a horizontal surface. The cat may then scratch at the area around the urine..
Common sites for inappropriate urination include carpet, settees, duvets, baths or sinks.

A cat that is urinating inappropriately will not use the box until the issue is sorted out.

Click HERE to read about urination and see what it looks like.

Step 4 Key Questions

1. Was it a one offer a recurring problem
2. Where did it happen. 
3. How old is your cat
4. Does your cat have any medical problems
5. IS the box big enough
6. Have you changed anything -litter/location of box etc?
7. If it is close the the box then most likely your cast wasn't to go the the box but can't for one reason or other
8. If right next to tray, an arthritic cat cant squat to urinate and may miss the box, they may have stepped in-missing the tray
9. Is the cat neutered, young male marking territory or female in season

House soiling is the most common behavior problem reported by cat owners. 

It includes 

1. urination and/or 

2. defecation outside the litter box and

3. urine spraying.

Reasons why a cat might eliminate outside of the litter box

Medical Problems

Litter Box Aversions

Reasons that will not cause a cat to eliminate outside the box.

To punish their owner. 

If outside cats are responsible, motion detectors that trigger sprinklers can be used to deter them from coming onto your property. Additionally, you can discourage your cat from looking outside by closing blinds or shades, or by placing double-sided tape on the windowsills.

Step 5  Identify the locations. Clean all locations.

A commonly used trick is to use blue tape to mark the location of each incident to see if there is a pattern over time. 

Click HERE to read about how to effectively clean the affected areas

Step 6. Re-training

Re-training is a 2 step process

1. make target area unattractive 

2. make tray attractive (read general rules HERE)

3. reduce stress

Pheromones
(a signal produced by an animal no odour, cheek pheromone safe area flyway)
treatment for stress pheromones
spray because another cat outside, a perceived change in social hierarchy, reduced space
put up blinds, motion detector to scare out door cats,

Other Ideas
Litter quitter??

Litter train your kitten

Book review

Click HERE to read general advice on designing the litter box experience for your cat.

nano protect spray