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The best way to solve the problem is to understand the
underlying cause for this behavior. This article will explain
the different types of urination problems, what is the trigger
for inappropriate urination and how to stop the problem.
The first step in any elimination problem is to rule out
an underlying medical condition. Some examples would be
bladder or kidney problems, diabetes, arthritis and more.
Consult with your veterinarian immediately before assuming
it is a true behavioral problem. At minimum a physical exam
and urinalysis should be performed.
It is important to differentiate between the different types
of elimination problems, spraying and inappropriate elimination.
Spraying is generally performed by the cat standing and
spraying a stream of urine on a vertical surface such as
a wall, windows, furniture, drapes, etc. This is a normal
behavior performed by cats which serves to mark their territory.
This is the reason the incidence of spraying in single cat
households is only about 25% whereas in households with
10 or more cats the incidence increases to 100%.
Inappropriate urination generally is when the cat urinates
in the normal squatting position, but not in the litterbox.
The cat may urinate just outside the box, on the carpet
in the living room, on your clothes, in the bathtub, on
a specific rug, the list can be endless. My cat personally
chose freshly cleaned laundry which I would leave lying
around for days until she broke me of that bad habit. She
also would immediately run over to a jacket I had worn for
the day and thrown on the bed, squat and urinate on it in
front of me. She obviously construed nothing wrong with
this situation.
Cats may exhibit inappropriate urination for several reasons
which for now we will loosely categorize in three divisions:
1- Location aversion or preference, 2- Substrate preference
or aversion, 3- marking territory.
Location Aversion:
These may develop rapidly, or over an extended period of
time. If the cat is startled while using the litterbox,
an aversion to the location may ensue. Examples are placing
the box next to noisy machinery such as the washer/dryer.
Next to items with alarms or timers that may go off when
kitty is in the box. Next to the television or stereo speakers.
Cats also do not like to go to the bathroom next to where
they eat or drink. Natural instincts dictate this is not
healthy.
Cats generally prefer privacy. Placing the litterbox in
a busy location may cause kitty to avoid using it there.
If the cat has been startled or abused while using the box
in a certain location, she may wish not to return. For example
a dog or child harassing kitty while she is in the box.
(Children are notorious for stalking cats and often can
only catch them while in the act of going to the bathroom.)
Or possibly another more dominant cat that ambushes the
meeker cat while in the vulnerable position of trying to
use the box. Another bad experience for kitty may have been
the owner capturing her in the box in order to administer
some unpleasant medication. It is also important not to
catch your cat in the act of urinating outside the box,
punish her and them shove her into the box. This will most
likely reinforce the aversion to the box.
Cats readily associate bad experiences with the environment
and will avoid that environment in the future.
Covered boxes are preferred by some cats because they allow
for extra privacy. Other cats may not like them because
it may prevent them from getting into a comfortable position
to eliminate. Sometimes it prevents them from being able
to scratch around in the liter. Also, these boxes are great
for humans because less odor escapes into the environment,
but that means that it is more concentrated in the box which
may repulse kitty. Frequent cleaning is necessary if this
type of box is used.
Substrate Aversions & Preferences:
Most important - cats do not want to use a dirty box. It
is repulsive to them to have to enter a non-clean space.
If they step in a box and get urine or feces on their paws,
they may not want to go back. Remember cats are fanatic
about being clean. They especially don’t want to have
to encounter other cat’s excrement. Just pretend you
are Felix Unger and you have to enter an old, dirty, extensively
used outhouse. You would probably think twice about going
there and search out another spot. This is a mild form of
what your cat feels.
Cats are also very sensitive to the smell of other cats
and will especially avoid the excrement of an ill feline.
If one cat is sick or on medications which may change the
odor of their excrement, the other cats may avoid the box.
Note: Some cats may urinate
in the box where other cats have gone in order to cover
the previous felines odor.
As stated before, cats exhibit strong association patterns
(i.e. an displeasing situation will often be associated
with something in the environment). An aversion to hard
clay litter may develop after a declawing surgery. The cat
finds it painful to scratch in the litter and associates
this type of litter with pain. A soft finely textured litter
would be the appropriate option. Some cats will develop
an aversion to litter after suffering from a painful bout
of cystitis (bladder inflammation/infection) or lower urinary
tract disease such as a blocked urethra. Even gastrointestinal
diseases can lead to an aversion sequela. Constipation or
pain. Anal sac impaction. Also if kitty has diarrhea and
soils her paws in the process of covering, she may associate
it with the litter. Basically if kitty is uncomfortable
in the box, or has an unpleasant experience, an aversion
can develop.
Cats often dislike strong odors, especially citrus. Do not
use strong smelling disinfectants which leave residual odors.
Also many cats dislike the deodorant litters or strong smelling
cedar chips.
Some owners notice an aversion after baking soda has been
added to the litter to reduce the odor. When the cat urinates
on the baking soda, it fizzes and may be displeasing.
Generally large gravel size is less appealing to cats. The
newer fine grained clumping litters and fine grained sands
are usually the most appealing. Some lumbar yards carry
playbox sand at a very inexpensive rate.
Some cats develop preferences for rugs after the owner has
placed a rug in front of the cat box to catch the litter.
The cat scratches the rug like the litter in the act of
covering and soon develops a preference for the softer feel
of the rug. Next kitty seeks out other rugs on which to
eliminate. Some cats do not like the plastic tray liners.
They get their nails caught or dislike the texture.
How do you know if kitty is starting to develop an aversion?
Possible cues are eliminating just outside the box and not
wanting to be in the box. Scratching outside the box but
not inside. If your cat is perched precariously on the edge
of the box, not wanting to touch a thing and leaps out as
soon as finished, you can probably interpret those cues
as not wanting to touch what is in there.
Note: Many cats do not cover their feces of urine. This
is not an abnormal behavior. In the wild many cats leave
their excrement out in the open in order to mark their territory.
How to Deal with Aversions:
As before stated, be sure to first rule out any underlying
medical condition. Even a subtle medical disorder could
be affecting your cat’s urination habits.
Most important – provide a clean box! Even though your
cat may not be acting like the neat, cleanly kitty you generally
perceive because she is urinating outside of her box, she
most definitely still is. If the litterbox is dirty, she
probably will not want to use it. Different cats tolerate
varying levels of cleanliness. For some even the minutest
amount of urine or feces will send her delicate little paws
elsewhere to relieve herself. Ick! You want me to go in
there? For these fastidious types you will need to scoop
daily, if not more.
Number of Boxes: The general
rule of thumb for the number of litter boxes is one box
per cat, plus an extra box. Translated, this means one cat
should have two boxes, two cats should have three boxes,
and so forth. If it is possible to have two boxes per cat,
even better.
Many aversions/preferences develop when the litter box is
extremely dirty and kitty seeks elsewhere to eliminate such
as bedding, rugs, carpet, newspapers, etc. In the process
kitty may learn to prefer the softer material and chose
it over even a clean box.
If this has occurred, you may have to place some old rags,
torn up paper towels or newspapers in the box. These will
have to be changed several times a day since they provide
minimal absorbency and odor control. Gradually start adding
soft litter to the box until all the other materials are
replaced by litter.
While treating any inappropriate elimination problem, it
may be necessary to isolate the cat in a small room where
no previous housesoiling has occurred. Provide kitty with
plenty of toys, love and attention in this room. Let her
out only when 100% supervision is provided. You may place
a bell on her collar to monitor where she is at all times.
Gradually you will start her on new habits and hopefully
preferences. The amount of time she is isolated is proportional
to the length of the inappropriate behavior, anywhere from
1-4 weeks is usually sufficient.
If you are using a clumping litter, use anywhere from an
inch to three inches of litter, depending on your cat’s
preference for depth. Use a scoop with slots to retrieve
the clump. Scoop frequently because the clumps will break
down with agitation and will be harder to remove. If the
waste products are removed regularly, the box will probably
only need to be washed every week.
Cleaning the Box:
Do not use ammonia based cleansers as these have the same
type of odor to a cat as old urine. It is also best to avoid
heavily scented cleaners, as these may be aversive to kitty.
I use Ivory™ soap to clean, followed by a dilute solution
of bleach ( 1part bleach to 9 parts water) and then thoroughly
rinse and dry. Bleach is one of the best disinfectants around
and is cheap. Bleach kills bacteria, viruses and fungus.
Just be sure to rinse well because remember that whatever
kitty gets on her paws is going to go in her mouth because
of her grooming habits.
If you are using clay or other types of litter, use a specifically
designated spoon or scoop to remove the soiled litter. The
important item to remove is the urine because this is what
causes most of the odor. Ideally use only a small amount
of this type of litter so you can get to the bottom of the
box and remove all of it. If it is allowed to remain in
the bottom it will cause an odor. Cats olfactory senses
(sense of smell) are much keener than ours. If you can smell
it, it is likely blowing her away. Replace small amounts
of litter as needed. If you are able to remove all soiled
areas, them the box will probably only require washing every
3-4 days. If kitty prefers a deeper amount of liter to dig
in, try using the clumpable types of litters. If kitty prefers
deeper non clumping litters the box should be washed at
minimum every other day as you probably will have urine
accumulation in the bottom of the box.
It is important to deal with inappropriate urination problems
immediately. The longer the behavior persists, the more
difficult it is to change. Even better is if you can spot
a potential elimination problem before it becomes a real
problem(as discussed above).
It is often difficult to distinguish between location and
substrate aversions.
If Kitty’s environment does not include any of the
items mentioned under location aversions, try offering a
variety of different types of litters at different depths.
If kitty resumes using the box in the same location with
a different material then you will know she exhibits specific
preferences. Again, most cats prefer the softer, finer grained
materials such as sand and the newer clumping litters. Remember
though, if kitty had a bad experience with one of these
types of litters, i.e. soiled her paws with diarrhea, she
may associate the experience with the litter and avoid it
in the future. Change to a different textured litter in
this case. For example clay litter. There are also litters
made out of different substances – examples Yesterday’s
News is made from recycled newspapers.
Cats with long fine hair (i.e. Persians) seem to be more
particular to substrate preferences.
If kitty is still not using the box, provide a variety
of different litters at a variety of locations. Use different
types of boxes with different depths and types of litters.
Provide different types of boxes – shallow, deep, wide
open , covered or partially covered. Also provide different
depths of litter.
If you have several cats with one being the definite dominant
cat and one the meeker weaker cat, the latter may develop
a location preference for the back of your closet. This
kitty will probably require some privacy. Maybe a screen
or a covered box. Provide this cat with a safe place to
eliminate. You may need to place a box in the closet. The
problem is the aggressor may stalk kitty and corner her
in the closet. Sometimes placing a bell on the aggressor’s
collar will alert kitty the bully is near. Always remember
to use breakaway collars on cats. There are also electronic
eye devices which can be used allowing only the cat wearing
the proper collar to be recognized and allowed into an area.
The softer finer grained litters are usually much preferred
by cats, as often evidenced by their increased desire to
scratch around in the box, but may be a nuisance to the
owner because of the tracking problems around the house.
Many owners place a rug around the box, but I recommend
a rougher surface. Kitty may learn to prefer the softer
surrounding rug even to the fine grained litter. The plastic
doormats or ones that are crisscrossed provide excellent
cleaning with little desire for scratching. If kitty does
not like to cross these to get to the box, try a straw mat.
There are some sisal rope mats available to place around
the box. These may actually help attract kitty to the box
since they love to scratch sisal materials.
Location Preference:
If Kitty is exhibiting a definite location preference and
continually urinates in a particular location, there are
several ways to solve this problem. First you must thoroughly
clean the soiled area. (See following article on this subject.)
You may then need to place something over the preferred
area, such as furniture or maybe her food and water bowels
since many cats do not want to eliminate where they eat.
If kitty comes back and urinates next to the obstacles,
try placing a litter box in the area where she is eliminating.
If she uses the box, don’t make the mistake of moving
it immediately. Leave the box in the exact position for
1-2 weeks (depending on the length of time the inappropriate
behavior has been occurring). Then begin to gradually move
the box 1 inch per day or every other day to a more appropriate
spot. You may even need to move it slower than this. It
may seem like a small distance to you but kitty perceives
it as much more.
If kitty urinates next to the box, try a different type
of litter. If the box is now used, follow the above protocol.
If you need to not have the box in the middle of the room
for an occasion, then lock kitty in a room in which no inappropriate
elimination has previously occurred. Supply her with her
favorite box and litter, plenty of toys, food, water and
love. When possible to return to the previous decor, kitty
may be released.
Punishment is not an effective solution. If kitty is caught
on the act and physically punished and then placed in the
litter box a more powerful aversion is likely to ensue.
The only acceptable type of correction would be to startle
kitty when she is about to perform the act. Either a whistle
or water spray bottle set on stream may be employed at the
beginning of the behavior, i.e. when she is sniffing or
scratching, but not during the behavior (squatting and urinating)
it is then too late to have the desired effect.
Whereas punishment is not effective in cats, rewards are
sometimes helpful. When kitty exhibits the appropriate behaviors,
reward her with treats and praise.
If there are several locations, place litter boxes or move
furniture or place food and water bowels. If the location
is in a specific room, restrict access to that room unless
supervised. Placing a bell on the cat’s collar is an
excellent way to know where she is at all times. Be sure
to use the breakaway collars.
Remember one basic rule of feline behavior. Cats can’t
be trained to use the litter box. They can only choose to
prefer a litterbox.
If kitty is choosing a potted plant for urination there
are several steps to stop this behavior. First, make the
plant unappealing. Place wire mesh or aluminum foil over
the soil. Sometimes large stones are effective as well.
In addition you may need to use potting soil in the litterbox
to get kitty to use the box. Gradually start replacing the
soil with the preferred litter. If kitty urinates next to
the plant or still attempts to use the plant, then place
the box nest to the plant with potting soil. Gradually replace
the soil with litter and then follow the above protocol
of slowly moving the box to a more appropriate location.
Marking Behaviors:
Spraying is the most common form of this type of problem,
but many cats will also urinate or defecate on a surface
to mark their territory. Suspect a marking behavior if there
has been any change in kitty’s social environment.
For example a new pet in the household. Also a new baby
or another person who detracts from kitty’s attention.
Cats often urine mark when they are insecure about their
environment.
Cats use olfactory cues (sense of smell ) as a major form
of communication. There sense of smell is far more developed
than humans (about a thousand times more sensitive).
Intact males and females in heat will often urine mark
as part of their natural reproductive behavior. This is
why it is extremely important to neuter all cats not specifically
meant for breeding purposes.
Mostly spraying and urine marking is a social issue. It
is the cat’s way of communicating its presence. A dominant
bold cat may spray to mark his territory or threaten another
cat, whereas a timid defensive feline may spray or urine
mark in response to an aggressive cat or to try and mark
a small territory for himself. The important point to remember
is that it is not just the big confident Tom who is spraying
to mark his territory. The passive threatened neutered cat
also has a high propensity to spray or urine mark if he/she
feels threatened.
Often cats may spray or urine mark in front of a window
where they can see other cats in the neighborhood. They
fell threatened because they can see another cat neighboring
their turf. They may spray on the window or by a door. To
deal with this problem try to block the cat’s view
to the intruder(s). A border along the bottom of the window
is often effective. Thoroughly clean all soiled areas.
Also remove any bird feeders or other attractants which
may bring outdoor cats to your home.
Remember, the more cats present in a household, the more
likely there will be social problems and concomitant urine
marking. If possible reduce the number of cats in the household.
Obviously the more dominant cat will probably be the one
who causes the most problems (i.e. The dominant cat sprays
to announce his/her presence an to establish dominance and
the more timid cat may mark in response to the dominant
cat’s aggression).
Separating indoor cats is extremely helpful in controlling
marking. Provide each cat a separate room with plenty of
toys, food and of course an appropriate litter box. The
cats may be allowed out together only when supervised 100%.
Again using different toned bells on the cats will help
you to know where they are at all times. Sometimes cats
will get used to each other if they are not allowed to exhibit
their aggressive behaviors and perpetuate social dominance
behaviors. You may wish to provide treats to them when they
coexist peacefully. An excellent bonding behavior between
cats is grooming each other. Occasionally if cats are grooming
themselves in close proximity, they will begin to groom
each other. To facilitate the desire to groom, you can try
wiping them down with a damp cloth. This will cause them
to groom themselves excessively and they may even begin
to groom each other.
Feliway is a product which you spray in the environment.
It is a feline facial pheromone analogue and helps to impart
a good feeling to the cat. It needs to be sprayed twice
daily around prominent areas of the house and nose level
to your cat. It can be very effective at reducing spraying.
Often times though these social hierarchies are difficult
to overcome and the longer the inappropriate behaviors continue,
the more difficult they are to break and keep under control.
But don’t despair. Your veterinarian is equipped with
several pharmacological therapies which may greatly help
the situation with very few side effects. There have been
many advances in behavioral pharmacology which make it a
safe and easy addition to treatment.
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