One of my cat's, is going to toilet in random places?

Question

They are both 1.5 yrs old - They usually well behaved, but recently one of them has been relivieving themselves not in their litter tray. This isn't all the time.... We keep the litter tray as clean as we can after they have used it. One of the cats has got as bit of a runny nose, but not sure if that is linked.. any ideas?

Answer 1

Hi there...if this is something that recently developed, first consider all the possibilities such as:
- changes with litter brands
- location of the litter box isn't private enough
- some cats like to have one box to defecate and another to urinate
- cleanliness (some cats are very finicky and prefer a super clean box)
- as a general rule there should be one litter box for each cat plus one extra as a back up
- unspayed/un-neutered if cat is over the age of 5-7 months. Cats will become aggressive as they sexually mature and territorially mark with either urine or defecating.

If all these have been ruled out, there's a chance that your cat may have developed another underlying medical problem which can contribute to accidents outside of the box. Cats will associate pain while using box and change their habits as a result.

The runny nose may likely be an upper respiratory infection, which should be evaluated as well.

Here's an article about why cats inappropriately soil outside their litter box by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/Housesoiling.html

House soiling is the most common behavior problem reported by cat owners. It includes urination and/or defecation outside the litter box, as well as urine spraying.

Why do cats eliminate outside of the litter box?
One common misconception is that cats soil in inappropriate places for revenge. It is tempting to conclude, "He defecated on the living room carpet to punish me for leaving him for the weekend." But this kind of calculation requires sophisticated cognitive abilities that cats aren't believed to possess. Furthermore, this conclusion assumes that cats view their urine and feces as distasteful, when in fact they do not. It is only we humans who view it that way.

Medical Problems
So why do cats urinate or defecate on your bed or carpet? Medical problems are one possibility. Inflammation of the urinary tract may cause painful or frequent urination, inability to urinate, bloody urine, and crying during urination. An affected cat is likely to eliminate outside the litter box if he comes to associate the box with painful urination, or if he has an increased urgency to urinate. In addition, kidney, liver, and thyroid diseases often lead to increased drinking and urination. Inflammation of the colon or rectum, intestinal tract tumors, intestinal parasites, and other gastrointestinal conditions may cause painful defecation, increased frequency or urgency to defecate, and decreased control of defecation. Age-related diseases that interfere with a cat's mobility (for example, arthritis, nervous system disorders, or muscular diseases), or with his cognitive functions can also influence his ability to get to the litter box in time. In short, any medical condition that interferes with a cat's normal elimination behavior can lead to house soiling.

Litter Box Aversions
Behavioral problems, such as litter box aversions, inappropriate site preferences, or urine spraying can also lead to house soiling. An aversion implies that there is something about the litter box that your cat finds unsavory. It could be the box, the litter, the location of the box, or all three.

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Answer 2

Is your naughty cat a male? Has He been castrated? Normally they do their spraying bit earlier than 1.5 years. I have a male and a female cat and they were both done and the male continues spraying for a while and then stopped. My female cat has a runny nose and dribbles, but I don't think this is any sort of link. This is a bit puzzling I am afraid, but if its not all the time then I would say it is a behaviour problem. I have a westie and she wets the bed quite often, the vet can't find a medical problem! She sometimes does it and sometimes not and it is linked to her day. She does not respond well to be checked, shouted at or anything being out a routine. If there are any changes in her day she wees. You can get a spray which might help stop the naughty kitty otherwise ask your vet!

Answer 3

Sounds like the one going outside the litter tray may be upset or stressed about something. Cats like their routine & sometimes even the smallest things can upset them for a while. Any new animals in the area or anything? the one with the runny nose may not be well (could indicate allergy or cat flu or something) but is unlikely to be linked directly to the behaviour of the other one. Good luck in sorting it out. By the way, if your other cat is going ti yhe loo in a particular place try feeding it there!!!!!! Sounds crazy but often works as cats are quite clean and wont usually mess where their food is!!!!!!

Answer 4

Cats are funny creatures and very, very particular about what they like and don't like.Cats like consistency and stability, but they cannot stand change, even the slightest kind. Have you changed the brand of litter you purchase? If it is too perfumey, this cat may have an aversion to its smell. Maybe the granules are too hard for its soft paws.If it is not clean enough - by the cat's standards (because they smell what we can't) it could be relieving itself elsewhere. Additionally, and this comes from experience, the more the cat pees and poops throughout the house, the more likely the scent of it will remain there-EVEN IF YOU CLEAN IT UP!! ( not screaming- emphasizing!!) You must buy products like Urine Off, or Urine Begone to clean up these areas. Cat pee crystalizes and embeds itself into floors and carpeting, so normal products you might use absolutely will not get rid of the odor. AT ALL. Urine Off disintegrates the urine crystals and gets rid of the odor.

It could also be behavorial - has the cat had problems with the other cat? Are they males or females? Are there any changes going on in your house - work being done, a baby, lots of activity and guests? These things can cause the cat to act out, and if you don't address it now - by cleaning the areas, by retraining the cat to use the litter box - it can get out of control. Believe me, I have been there and it is not good at all.

If it has the sniffles take it to the vet. It is possible that the cat is sick. It may have a bladder infection that is causing it to relieve itself whereever it wants to because the cat might associate the litter box with pain when it pees. The vet can prescribe antibiotics.

Also, buy Feliway - it's made up of natural cat pheronomes and can help this cat calm down.

Good luck, but stop it now! I don't want you to go through what we have for nearly 3 1/2 years. It is not good.

Answer 5

My cat is 8 and it dose the same and i always keep the litter tray clean. Its most probably doing it, to leave A sent, cats are very Territorial especially if you have more then one cat. So i shouldn't worry to munch. i don't think it is linked to the runny nose.

Answer 6

some cats do this as this is where they can get a bit of privacy. To get him to go in the litter tray try and put it in a private place where they will feel safe coz we wouldent like it if other people came and stared at us! lol evry time he looks as if he is going to go take him to his litter tray he should get the idea. It would of been a bit helpfull if they had separate trays as mabye the other cat keeps on going to that toilet and has marked it as his own so the other one feels like he should not be in there. try to get him to feel ok in there or get them separate tray Hope it helps :D

Answer 7

He, most likely, has a urinary tract infection. Do you find him drinking less or crying when he has to go to the bathroom? I would say take him to the vet but don't bother with too many tests. They're expensive and often come back inconclusive as to the reason for the infection. As long as you get him on some medicine to fix the problem and put him on a bit more wet food than you usually feed him (a couple of times a week at least), he should be just fine.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

It could be that another cat has been around in your cats territory, it is best to ask your vet about how to control this. I have four cats and this has happened on and off over the years. It dosent usually last though.

Answer 10

Some cats don't like to share litter boxes. Maybe getting another litter box would help.