Many cats may begin to have elimination problems for several reasons - and it is important for you as an owner not to immediately conclude your feline is urine marking or soiling just to spite you. (Hopefully that wouldn't be the case!) There can be many complicated underlying reasons, and it is important to examine all possible causes/symptoms from the very start of the soiling. It may be as simple as to change the type of litter box your cat has, or a more complicated behavioral/anxiety related cause. Once you can start to pinpoint your cats clinical signs, as well as any environmental/physical changes in your household, the correct steps can then be taken to re- house train you beloved feline.

One of the easiest ways you can differentiate between marking and soiling in male cats, are the amounts of urine that are released. A male cat will use small amounts of urine at a time, spraying typically vertical objects (chair legs, cabinets and/or walls, side of the couch, etc…) when he is urine marking. A cat who is urine soiling will typically empty its bladder on any flat surfaces (carpets, tile or wood floors, etc…), resulting in a puddle or wet spot. An un-neutered cat that has reached maturity will begin to mark objects around the house, or outside. The urine the male cat uses while spraying/marking in this manner often has a very strong odor due to the pheromones it contains. Neutering him will often solve his marking and behavior problems.

1. Find one that your cat likes, regardless of "bells and whistles". Avoid rubberized dishpans that may sway under a cat’s weight. In general, cats want more stability.

2. Your cat needs to be able to fit comfortably into and be able to move around the box

3. One litter box per cat + one extra, so that there is always one that is fairly clean. Boxes should be scooped at least once daily.

4. Placement should be in a spot the cat prefers - some like in a cupboard or closet, which gives extra privacy - but be sure it is not too far from where the cat(s) are normally active in the house.

Boxes should, however, be sufficiently spaced out in multiple cat households.

5. Stay away from washing the pan with harsh detergents, as they can be aversive to most cats (like pine or lemon scented cleaners). It is best to use warm water only.

6. Some cats may not like scented litter either - or a change in litter. Stick with the same brand and small particle size. This goes for litter pan liners as well.

7. Punishment of the cat is too be avoided when it is in or near the litter pan.

Important points in treatment of behavioral house soiling:

-Cleaning the Environment-

The smell of previous urination will stimulate the cat to eliminate in that location again. Clean the area(s) well with an odor neutralizer first. These areas then need to be made aversive. Mothball powder works well on carpets, and pine-oil cleaner on tile. Lemon scents work as well Apply these scents twice a week for several weeks.

-Environmental stresses-

If you can target the particular change(s) in environment which caused your cat(s) to become stressed or anxious in the first place, the best and easiest solution is to put things back the way they were. This can be hard in some cases, as it could be the result of moving, a new animal or person in the household, or separation anxiety due to changes in the owners schedule. In these situations, the cat must learn to become desensitized to the stresses, and may need extra time to adjust or even be put on anxiolytic drugs. Consult your veterinarian.

-Retraining your cat to the litter box-

Once you have addressed the causes behind your cat's house soiling, and not using its litter box consistently - it may be necessary to actually retrain him. The best way to do this - is confining the cat to a small room in the house for 1-2 weeks, along with the litter pan, food, water, toys, and bed. When your cat comes out of the room for a couple times a day - he must be under close supervision. You can gradually increase the amount of time he is out of the room - until he is trained to use the litter box once again. If your cat’s soiling included carpets, a piece of carpet can actually be placed directly in the box, covered with increasing amounts of litter daily, while the piece of carpet gradually gets smaller.

Despite the many behavioral causes for feline house soiling - there is also the possibility of an underlying disease. Naturally, anything that causes a cat to drink excessively (such as kidney and gastrointestinal diseases, or diabetes) will also cause increased urination. However, the most common disease related to the loss of house-training in cats is urinary tract infection. (Cystitis) The first step in treatment in these cases is to have a urinalysis run and a blood chemistry work-up if needed. Often, it is a simple matter of treating with antibiotics and special urologic diet.

It is also important to realize, when trying to determine specific stressful events as the cause of soiling, that stress itself may not be the cause of behavioral house soiling but actually the symptom of an underlying medical condition. For example, your cat may have any general illness - which in turn may be stressful and therefore alter his behavior. The feline bladder itself may be the primary organ affected by stress in some cats.

                                                Return to Cat Information