Why would my cat all of a sudden start urinating outside of the litter box, in other parts of the house?

Question

He is a neutered 2 year old male. He is an inside/outside cat.
He just started urinating in other rooms in the house. My son's bed,our bedroom rug and a piece of clothing on the floor are places that I have discovered urine.

Answer 1

Cat needs to go to the Vet for a Urinalysis.... a clean cat that all of a sudden stops using the box has a problem. Unless the problem is a new pet, person, home...... I would get an appointment and have him checked.
Hope I helped.

Answer 2

Take kitty to the vet. More often than not, when a cat suddenly starts peeing outside the box they have a urinary tract infection.
You can call the vet to see if they will let you bring in a urine sample without bringing in the cat. The best way to get a sample is to get a clean plastic litter box and putting styrofoam packing peanuts in it. Put the cat, the litterbox, food, water and toys in a small room until he uses the box.
Get a syringe (without the needle) and collect the urine from the box. Put the syringe in a ziploc bag and take it to the vet. They will look for signs of infection or crystals in the urine. If they find there is an infection present they should be able to send you home with the necessary medication. Make a follow-up appointment to bring the cat in for an examination in about two weeks-after meds are finished.
If all other factors are the same in the household, then this is probably the problem. It is best to check it out immediately because UTI's are quite painful. When cats with a UTI pee, it hurts, they associate the pain with peeing in the box, so they stop using the box. The behavior usually reverses soon after treatment begins.
Also, make sure to keep the litter box clean. Cats are fastidious creatures by nature and most don't like to use a box that hasn't been cleaned out in a few days.
Good luck.

Answer 3

Cats do not misbehave on purpose. He is trying to call your attention to the fact that something is very wrong! He cannot talk to you, so that is the only way he can express to you that something is wrong(short of biting you). Does he use his litterbox at all? If not, he may be experiencing troubles with his tubes. If you see him just laying there, it's probably a urinary blockage. Especially if he runs around and cries, or wants to go out. Has anything changed in the house? You didn't mention how old your son was. But with all the cats I've had (and they were all neutered) they never urinated anywhere out of place unless they were sick. Because if it's a question of marking his territory, he will rub against you and make sure he leaves his scent on you to claim ownership, since he can no loner spray. A female will do the same, rub against you to mark you as hers. So I guess first, get him checked by a vet. The only time y "head" male cat in the house started urinating somewhere where he shouldn't (and this is kind of funny) was when we hired a carpenter to do some work on our house. And Scrapper would pee on whatever tools he left there. Come to find out the carpenter hated cats. So I made it a point to pretend to leave the house to go do something. And guess what, he was downright mean to my cat when he thought I wasn't looking. So that night when my cat crapped in his box of nails, I just left it there. Man, you shoulda heard that guy scream when he reached in for some nails the next morning! Mess with my baby, will ya! We never hired him again. And my cat never misbehaved again. And then again, it might even be something as simple as he doesn't like the brand of litter you're buying. Have you recently started buying something else?

Answer 4

Did you just change brands of litter? Do you clean the box daily? Is the litter scented? (Unscented is preferred by my cats). Is there a new baby or pet in the family? Has your cat got a private or quiet place for litter box? Are family members ignoring the cat lately, distracted by some new toy or critter? Have you sprayed the previous no-no pee spots with a product made to repel a cat returning to inappropriate pee spot? If all above mentioned checks out...then cat needs a clean water dish at ALL times (some male cats don't drink enough fresh water, and this will lead to urinary tract infection) Last but certainly not least for cat's sake, a visit to the vet wouldn't hurt. You'll wind up spending more time and money cleaning carpet, rugs, and clothing otherwise.

Answer 5

There's many reasons this could happen. My cat did the same thing. Does he have a covered litter box? If so, the smell of urine might be too strong in there, so he's using other places. Also, he could be having bladder problems. If it's painful to pee, cats sometimes seek other areas to go.

Clean up the smell the best you can, and for now put a sheet of thick plastic on the floor areas he's peed on. Clean your son's sheets well and febreeze his mattress. Don't let the cat in there for awhile. Make sure your kitty's box is cleaned at all times and don't use super scented litter. Keep it in a private, quiet place. Lastly, call your vet to make sure it isn't anything serious.

Answer 6

My female cat did that to my son's things repeatedly. She has never bothered my things. The vet said she could have urinary problems but initially feels its behavioral. The cat simply does not like my son and therefore, she urinates all over his stuff. One of these days, he will learn to hang his clothes up. We have recently moved into a house with wood floors and although its only been a week, so far so good.

Answer 7

Contributing factors to inappropriate elimination
Medical conditions: Medical conditions which result in an increased frequency of urination or defecation may be the underlying cause for this behavior problem. These conditions include: colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, kidney or liver disease, and feline lower urinary tract disease
Stress: Stress can be a major cause of inappropriate elimination in cats of all ages. Stressors such as moving, changes in routine, or changes in the makeup of the family can result in inappropriate elimination. Reducing these stressors or decreasing their impact on the household will benefit your cat (and probably you, too!).
Substrate preference: Cats of all ages may develop an aversion to the litter box or substrate (material inside of the litter box). Some of the litters with a 'perfume' or 'antiseptic' smell may dissuade some cats from using them. Trying different types of litter including clumping litter, sand, newspaper, and no litter are things that could be helpful.
Box location: Some cats may not like where a box is located. It may be located too close to their food or water. It may be in a high traffic area where they cannot have privacy. It may be in an area where they can be easily ambushed by another cat. It may be on a different level of the house than where they spend most of their time.
Sanitary conditions: Some cats are very particular. Some will not defecate in the same box in which they urinate. Others will not go in a box which has been used by another cat. Just as we do not like to use dirty bathrooms, neither do many cats. If the litter box is not cleaned regularly, they may decide to find a different bathroom.
Possible Solutions to Inappropriate Elimination
•Have your cat checked by your veterinarian for a possible medical condition, and start treatment for the condition if one exists. If the cat is extremely stressed, talk to your veterinarian about some medications which may help.
•If you have multiple cats and do not know which one is the culprit, your veterinarian can give you some fluorescent dye to feed one of the cats. The urine from that cat will fluoresce when exposed to a black light.
•Place numerous litter boxes around the house. You do not have to use anything fancy: dishpans, large plastic containers or other items may work just as well. Try a larger litter box, some behaviorists feel litter boxes are often too small.
•Use different substrates including newspaper, clumpable and nonclumpable litter, sand, sawdust (not cedar), carpet remnants, and no litter at all. Use unscented litter, since many cats do not like the scented kind. If you find the substrate that your cat prefers is not the one you do, e.g., carpet remnants, try slowly converting the cat back to litter. Place a small amount of litter on the carpet remnants the first week, and if all goes well, use more litter each week until you can finally remove the carpet remnants from the box.
•Try different depths of litter. Many people put too much litter in the box. Some cats like only a small amount.
•Clean any soiled areas with an enzyme cleaner designed for use on pet urine and stool. Regular detergents and other cleaners will not break down the urine or feces, and if the cat smells any urine or feces on a carpet or floor, the cat may continue to use that spot to eliminate. In some cases, the carpet or carpet padding may need to be replaced.
•Clean the litter boxes at least once daily. Wash the litter box weekly. Do not clean the box with a strong smelling disinfectant, but rinse the box well after washing it.
•Feed the cat where she is inappropriately eliminating. Many cats will not urinate or defecate in the area in which they are fed.
•Use upside down carpet runners (the ones with the spikes on the bottom), heavy plastic, aluminum foil, double-sided tape, motion detectors, pet repellents, or scat mats to limit her access to the area where she inappropriately eliminates.
•Try Feliway, as described above. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
•Take your cat to the litter box frequently, and if she uses it, praise her, or even give her a treat.
•If you catch your cat in the act of urinating or defecating outside of the box (or even using the digging motion), use a remote correction. This generally means doing something that will startle her. Tossing a pop can with a few coins inside of it and taped shut toward the cat (but not at her!) may get her to stop. Foghorns, whistles, and water pistols are other options. It is best if she does not associate you with the correction, but thinks it 'comes out of the blue.'
•Do NOT punish the cat. Punishing the cat, including rubbing her nose in the soiled area will not help, and will probably increase the stress on the cat.
•In some situations, it may be helpful to confine the cat to a small room with food, water, toys, bed, and litter box. Once she is using the litter box in the smaller area, gradually allow her into larger areas of the house.

Answer 8

JB has good suggestions. The #1 reason a cat stops using his litter box is there is something going on in the bladder -- an infection or crystal formation. Have a vet do a urinalysis RIGHT AWAY.

It's important that this be ruled out and/or treated if you are going to be able to live with this cat in your house.

Answer 9

Cats don't like a dirty litter pan. I assume you have a litter pan in the house? If not, do have one, and change it every day. I would confine your cat in a cage or small bathroom with a litter pan, food and water for a couple of days so that he learns to use his litter pan only. When you let him out, keep an eye on him at first to make sure he is using only his litter pan.

Answer 10

WELL DONE, mhiaa! :)) That was a good work, with that carpenter.

Anyway, I also think you should contact your vet. A neutered cat is likely to pee outside the litterbox if it is in pain when it does pee - and connects the pain to the litterbox. Of course, the litterbox should be cleaned itself, but if your kitty is indoors/outdoors... I don't know if that would be the problem. Good luck!