Has this ever before happened to you? Your cat pees outside the litter box. You’re puzzled and wondering what’s going on. In addition to becoming a cleaning wizard, you also put on your sleuthing cap to try to figure out why this is suddenly happening.
Firstly, let’s take a look at the reasons that this occurs. The factors for peeing outside the can are:
- Training – The cat has never been properly house-trained to use the litter box in the first place.
- Health – Health issues, such as urinary tract infections, obstructed rectal glands, worms or parasites, diabetes, or cancer. General aging could cause the cat not to be easily able to get to the litter box, depending on the cat’s physical condition and the location of the litterbox.
- Logistics – Issues with the litter tray itself.
- Location – An adverse incident took place when the cat went to the litter box.
- Stress or Anxiety – A short-lived physical or emotional cause, possibly due to some adjustment in the household that triggers a cat to pee elsewhere. In turn, the urine scent causes the t to return to the same place repeatedly.
Keep these elements in mind, when taking a look at the following practical suggestions.
Consider Recent Changes
Have you changed anything about the cat’s litter? Any new litter type or scent? Have you relocated it? Is it possible that you have added anything around it that makes it less private? Could there be too much noise for some reason? Any additions to the household or other new factors that may be stressing out your cat?
Check Your Cat’s Health
If there’s a change in bathroom behavior without no apparent reason, it may be caused by ailments such as urinary system infections, blocked rectal glands, worms or parasites, diabetes, or tumors. Some of these diseases may have no other apparent signs, aside from the peeing issue. A visit to the veterinarian should be seriously considered in case this behavior is caused by such a health issue. In various situations, you might see signs and symptoms such as lethargy, blood in the pee, diarrhea, or constant licking in the rectal area.
Inspect the Litter Box Situation
Look carefully at the litter box and its set up. Ensure you’re clearing out the waste once or twice a day, and altering the clutter every 3-4 days for non-clumping trash (2-3 weeks for clumping trash). Clean the tray with hot water and also light cleaning agents, without any robust smells such as citrus or ammonia, which will undoubtedly repel the cat from a package. If you have multiple felines, remember – the variety of trays need to equal number of felines, plus one or two. If you’ve altered brand names of trash, this might have caused the issue as lots of pet cats dislike this adjustment, especially to scented litter. Go back to the older dumpster. If you intend to change, introduce odorless clutter progressively by blending the old with the brand-new over two weeks. As well as make sure that the location of the box is acceptable: no loud noises have some personal privacy and also is not in view of other cats.
Startle if Caught in Act
If you’re present when the cat is about to pee in an area other than the litter box, then you may try to avert the behavior by startling your cat. This could help them associate the unwelcome surprise with the peeing in that location. Do not do this if you’re not sure. If you are confident, then make a loud clap or say no in a stern fast manner. Try to calmly show your cat to the litter box and reward any desired behavior.
Add Another Litter Box
Consider adding an additional litter box to a private location in the house. This can help if the issue is due to something that happened in the other area that caused the cat not to want to go there. Perhaps a box fell in the basement by the litter box when the cat was trying to go. Or the cat experienced pain then going (but associates the pain with having gone there). Keep in mind to try not to entirely change the original litter box location, as that may cause anxiety.
Do a Thorough Cleaning
Completely clean the area or whatever has been peed on. If it is something that isn’t necessary and you think it could be holding the odor (due to being wood underneath or something). This is important since whatever the cause, the reality that the pee stays on the bed, carpet, or couch is a reminder for the pet cat to go back to pee there. The cat’s sense of scent is a lot more intense than ours, so guarantee you clean with a solution such as Brampton’s Straightforward Service. If you have remaining pee smell together with a weak association at the box, after that, you have two forces causing the issue to continue. So do away with both!
Block Access to the Scene
Next off, if possible, block access to the area that has peed on, primarily if it is being continuously used. Many people overlook this, and the problem keeps happening. By stopping access to the location, you end the cycle of repeated peeing. Your cat may pee elsewhere, but if you try to ensure any potential problems with the litter box are resolved, then the reasoning is that the cat will pee in the litter box again. Be sure they know the location of the box.
Make the Location Less Desirable
If you can’t stop the feline from accessing the location, make the area much less attractive for peeing instead. You can do this by either positioning an aroma or by placing a dish of dried feline food there. If utilizing an aroma, attempt citrus or eucalyptus. If using dried food, which typically functions better, make sure that you cover up the food bowl during the day. In any case, as soon as you have success, proceed for one more 1-2 weeks to ensure it remains by doing this.
If you follow the above actions, many issues with peeing outside the litter box can be resolved within a few weeks.
While working through the options that make sense, try to keep your cat calm, and reduce anxiety. While there is a peeing problem, it can certainly be upsetting but realize that if your actions result in more stress to the cat, it will certainly not help the situation.
