Inappropriate elimination in cats

This can be one of the worst problems if your beloved kitties urinates inside the house and ruins your new bedspread.  Cats don’t do this out of spite, there is a medical or behavior issue at hand.

Make sure your pet is fixed. Intact cats have a tendency to spray inside. Medical issues must be ruled out by a veterinarian. Urinary tract inflammation,  bladder stones, diabetes, kidney disease and in rare cases tumors can cause a change to urinary habits.

The biggest problem is stress which often is not easy for a person to identify. A weird sound near the litter box is sometimes enough to cause a cat to avoid that are. Cats can sense other cats outside and can be a perceived threat to them. Chronic stress causes some neuro-hormonal imbalances that leads to urinary bladder inflammation similar to irritable bowel syndrome in people.  This especially can be a problem with multiple cats living in the same house. Cats are territorial and each cat needs a couple rooms to themselves to feel safe. The litter box rule is the amount of cats plus one. So if you have 2 cats, then three litter boxes all in different rooms (and separate feeding areas) are necessary to make cats psychologically sound. Cats can become bored and this can also lead to stress. Make sure to provide enrichment such as toys, food puzzles, and spend time playing with your cats as well.

Also remember to scoop litter daily. Cats don’t like a dirty box. Clean the entire box weekly. Most cats don’t prefer a covered box. The box should be 1.5 times the length of the cat. Make the litter box an attractive place to go and the spot they urinate outside the box an unattractive place. If a cat pees on a bed, temporarily put a plastic sheet  with upside down tape on top. Most cats do not prefer this texture and at the same time protects the bed.

It is not always easy to accomodate the needs of cats but in 75% of cases from my experience simple changes listed above can solve the problem.


Dr. Aileen Lugo
Pet Doctor At Home

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