Litter Box Blues

[This was originally posted on the Fairmount Animal Hospital website on 24 August 2008]


Dear Dr. Lee,

Help! My cat is peeing outside the litter box! What can I do?

- Stinky House in Syracuse


Dear Stinky,

The number one cause of relinquishment of cats to a shelter is house soiling. Here are some ideas that may help:

- Rule out a medical problem. If your cat has not done this previously, try to collect a urine sample and bring it to your veterinarian for a urinalysis. If you are unable to obtain a sample at home, your veterinarian may be able to get it for you, or hospitalize the cat until it can be done. Other diagnostic tests include baseline bloodwork and imaging (radiographs, ultrasound). If it hurts your cat to urinate in the litter box, your cat may try another location as a toilet (maybe it won’t hurt there).

- Clean all litter boxes once or twice daily. Many cats are reluctant to use a dirty litter box. My favorite human analogy is the rest rooms at a rest stop on an Interstate highway. Do you choose a stall with a dirty toilet or a clean toilet?
The magic number of litter boxes to have in a house is the number of household cats plus one. Some cats will not use a box used by another cat, and some prefer to defecate in one box and urinate in another.

- Make sure your cat likes the litter you are using. Cats are creatures of habit. If you switch to a different type or brand of litter, your cat may not “recognize” it as the litter box. I like fine-grained clumping litter – the waste is easily removed, providing a clean box. If the problems continue, try changing all the litter once weekly, or providing a new litter box that does not smell of urine from years gone by.

- Try to avoid litters with “crystals” that absorb the urine. When liquid hits the crystals, they crystals fizz audibly, and become quite hot to the touch, which can disconcert a cat.

- Other aversive litter box items include litter pan liners and deodorizers (a toilet is not supposed to smell like flowers, to the cat).

- If you are currently using a covered litter pan, try using one that is open. The cover can contain smells that make the box seem “dirty.”

- The self-cleaning litter boxes can be scary to some cats because sometimes they start the cleaning process before the cat is done (human analogy: when the public toilet self-flushes while you are still using it).

- If you have multiple cats, try putting the litter boxes in different locations throughout the household. One of the cats could be acting as a bully, preventing access to the boxes by the victim.

- If you think your cat is marking areas in your house by spraying, that may be a separate issue, which will be covered in another column.

Sincerely, Dr. Lee