Feline Inappropriate Elimination

Is it behavioral or medical?

Is the cat urinating frequently? ................................................................................. could be medical
Have you seen blood in the urine? ............................................................................. could be medical
Is the cat vocalizing while urinating?.......................................................................... could be medical
Is the cat straining to urinate? .................................................................................. could be medical
Is the cat urinating on flat surfaces (i.e. the floor) ....................................................... could be medical or behavioral
Is the cat urinating on vertical surfaces (e.g. walls) ..................................................... probably behavioral
Is the cat defecating outside the box?......................................................................... probably behavioral

Possible Causes:

• New baby/people in the house
  
• New animal in the house
  
• Animal(s) outside the house
  
• Move to new house/apartment
  
• Separation anxiety
  
• Change in schedules of people in house

3. Litter box issues (see below)

4. Illness

• Many medical conditions including, urinary tract infection, cystitis, kidney disease, bladder stones, diabetes, etc.

Cleaning up:

It is very important that you thoroughly clean the areas where the cat has urinated, or you increase the likelihood that the cat will want to return to that spot. Clean the area with a cleaning product that does not contain ammonia. The smell of ammonia is reminiscent of urine and may encourage the cat to return to that area.

To further discourage the cat from returning to the spot, try one of the following:

• Place aluminum foil or heavy gauge plastic over the area (cats don’t like the feel)
  
• Put a piece of furniture over the area
  
• Put the cat’s food bowl in the area (cats don’t like to eat where they eliminate)
  
• Put deodorant soap or other strong scent in the area; try a sock filled with moth balls
  

Litter box management:

Cleaning the litter box:

Cats are fastidious creatures and the litter box must be kept scrupulously clean. Review these guidelines.

• Scoopable (clumping) litter should be scooped daily and completely changed weekly.
  
• Non-scoopable litter needs to be changed every other day.
  
• If using non-scoopable litter, the box should be washed out once a week with warm
  soap and water only.
  
• If using clumping (scoopable) litter, the box should be washed out at least once a
  month with warm soap and water only.
  
• Litter should be unscented. Do not use deodorizers.
  

Number of litter boxes:

Use this equation to calculate the number of litter boxes you need in your home: one litter box per cat, plus one. So, if you have 2 cats, you probably should have 3 litter boxes. If your home has multiple floors, you should try to have at least 1 litter box on each floor. Bear in mind that some cats like to urinate in one box and defacate in another.

Other litter box issues:

• Is the box large enough for the cat? If the cat is going near the box, but missing, it
  may be the box is not adequate in size for the cat.
  
• Cats can be very finicky about litter, so if you have changed the brand of litter you use, you may run into trouble. Most cats prefer unscented, sand-type litter.
  
• Is your litter box hooded? Some cats like hoods, others do not.
  
• Where is the litter box located? The box should be in a quiet, accessible area. Laundry rooms are often a bad choice. Also, keep the litter box well away from the cat’s eating area.
  
• Are you using a liner in the box? Some cats do not like liners.