You & Your Pet by Dr. Wise

Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association 11 South Angell Street #347 · Providence, RI 02906 (401) 751-0944(401) 780-0940 · Fax · rivma@rivma.org

For the past six years, our Persian cat, Chloe, has been very healthy.  Last week she started urinating outside her litter box.  We had a urine sample analyzed by our veterinarian and we discovered Chloe's urine was normal.  Unfortunately, she is still not using her litter box all the time.  What can we do?  Help!

Thousands of cat owners have shared your frustration in this all too familiar situation.  You certainly took the right first step by having Chloe's urine tested.  Inflammation of the bladder (cystitis), bladder stones, infection or cancer in her bladder can all cause cats to urinate outside of the litter box.  Since Chloe's urine was normal, it is possible that her problem is not medical.   To be more certain that this is not a medical problem, your veterinarian may recommend running a urine culture, bloodwork, or an ultrasound of the bladder. 

The other major reason why cats start urinating outside the litter box is a behavioral problem.  The most common reason why cats don't use their litter box is because they dislike something about the box.  In other words, it is so unpleasant to them that they look for other, more acceptable (in their minds, at least) places to eliminate.  To make the litter box more attractive to Chloe, you may find these suggestions helpful:

• Have one more litter box than you have cats.  For example, if you have 3 cats, you'll need 4 boxes.

• Have at least one box on each level of the house.  If Chloe has to go all the way to the basement each time she needs to urinate, she may not always get there.

• Placement of the litter boxes is very important.  Keep the boxes away from areas where Chloe eats, drinks or sleeps.  Ideally, boxes should be kept in low-traffic areas and away from any appliance that switches on and off automatically.  Furnaces and washers and dryers could scare her out of the litter box and cause her permanent aversions to those areas.  Also, cats like to watch the entrance to the room while using the litter box and have a quick escape route if necessary.  Try never to disturb Chloe while she is using the litter box.

• 75% of cats prefer scoopable (clumping) litter.  Luckily, scoopable litter is easier to clean than regular litter.  It is also more cost effective than regular litter because a little goes a long way.

• Above all else, boxes need to be kept scrupulously clean.  Scoop the boxes at least once a day.   Thoroughly wash the boxes two times each month.

• In order to prevent Chloe from re-soiling areas where she has urinated, it is absolutely vital to remove all traces of odor from the carpet.  Vinegar or ammonia solutions smell similar to cat urine, so these are not recommended.  It is better to use an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle or The Equalizer to eliminate trace odors.

• In some cases, your veterinarian may prescribe medicine to help control the problem.

If you make the necessary changes and Chloe is still not using her box, please consult your veterinarian for other treatment options.   Good luck!

Help!  My five-year-old cat is urinating on my bed, rugs...everywhere but the litterbox.  This has been going on for three days now, and I am going crazy!  What should I do?

The first thing to determine is whether this is a medical problem, a behavioral problem, or both.  Your veterinarian can run tests to determine if there is a medical problem and can give you advice on how to correct the problem if it is purely behavioral.

Signs like the ones your cat is displaying can be caused by any one of several problems.  Your cat could have a urinary tract infection which would require treatment with antibiotics.  It could also be cystitis, or inflammation of the bladder, which would cause the cat to have an increased urge to urinate.  Often cats with these problems will urinate frequently in small amounts and usually not in the appropriate area.  Your veterinarian may have to test the cat's urine or take an x-ray to determine if there are any crystals in the bladder or elsewhere in the urinary tract.  This can be a serious problem, especially in male cats, since the crystals and irritation can cause a life-threatening urinary tract obstruction.  Special diets, medications, and/or surgery may be needed to correct the problem.  Your veterinarian may also need to do blood tests to rule out the possibility of hyperthyroidism, diabetes or kidney failure, because any of these conditions can cause cats to change their litter box habits.

If there does not appear to be a medical problem, it is likely that a behavioral problem may exist.  Sometimes doing something as simple as adding more litterboxes, changing the type of litter that you use, neutering the cat, or changing the place where the cat plays and eats, can help alleviate the problem.  Your veterinarian will ask you questions pertaining to your specific situation in order to pinpoint the problem.  In some cases, certain medicines may be needed in order to help correct the undesired behavior.  In any case, I urge you to see your local veterinarian to help you with the problem.  Good luck!

This information, prepared as a public service by the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association, answers problems Rhode Island veterinarians currently are seeing in their practices, as well as new developments in animal care.