How do I stop my cat from urinating around the house?

Question

Our cat has been fully litter trained until recently. A couple of weeks ago he has begun to urinate in the corners and on our dirty clothes piles and such. How can I stop him from doing this? Thanks.

We do the laundry regularly but with 6 people in the house it is impossible (even doing it daily) not to have some amount of clothes that need cleaned. We are not dirty people and we definitely are no diefferent than before he suddenly started doing this a couple of weeks ago. We do not kick or step on our cats.

Answer 1

HI Chuck...generally, when a cat begins to inappropriately soil outside the litter box for no reason it is either due to spraying (if they are not fixed spayed/neutered) or an underlying medical problem such as a lower urinary tract disorder/infection. They associate the pain with the litter box and therefore avoid it believing it will not hurt going elsewhere. Urinary tract disorders need immediate medical attention.

Here's an article by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine on causes for house soiling issues: 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.

...please consider visiting the website for full details

Answer 2

First of all, get him constant if he is not already. Even have him checked for urinary tract infections. These are very average in male cats. Then, stop leaving pungent matters around the apartment. Cats instinctively pee on stinky stuff. Smooth the carpet quite good the position he peed earlier than, or he will hold occurring prime of it. That you will get a stink finder (black gentle) for $15 at Petsmart. It goes to intend you'll see the position there could also be cat pee, so that you would blank it quite good with a specific puppy cleanser.

Answer 3

First take him to he vet to rule out any medical problems My male cat was doing the exact thing and he ended up having an infection. As far as peeing on clothes he's just looking for a nice soft space to go on.Also I bought the stuff called Feliway. Ask your vet about it. Also how often do you clean his litter box? Cats hate dirty litter boxes and won't go in them.

Answer 4

First of all, get him fixed if he isn't already. Also have him checked for urinary tract infections. These are very common in male cats. Then, quit leaving stinky things around the house. Cats instinctively pee on stinky stuff.

Clean the carpet really well where he peed before, or he'll keep going on top of it. You can get a stink finder (black light) for $15 at Petsmart. It'll let you see where there is cat pee, so you can clean it really well with a special pet cleaner.

Answer 5

Have you brought another cat into the house recently? Cats will mark their territory if they get jealous. Is he fixed? One way to end that is a product called Feliway...

http://www.vpl.com/product.php?catmain=&mainkey=&pid=58&key=feliway&cat=Behavior

They now have a plug in version so you don't have to spray it all the time...the above link has a lot of information that will be of use to you - I've had many cats - male and female - and have never had a prob with them peeing in the house so the habit can be broken and/or lessened.

Answer 6

First, I would take it to your vet to have it checked out. May not be a bladder problem, but it could be something. Make sure the litter box is super clean since some cats get really persnickity as they get older. You may want to put several small litter boxes in the area(s) where he has chosen to relieve himself. Last, if he is unaltered, have him neutered; the "spraying" will decrease since he could just be marking territory.

Answer 7

Buy a really big dog. She'll stay in her litter box all the time! Do your laundry every now and then too! Good luck getting the odor of cat urine out of your stuff ... that smell NEVER goes away!

Answer 8

It sounds like an infection, to the doctor you must go. Good Luck and Merry Christmas everyone.

Answer 9

Try pepper or attracting his attention to something else, like put catnip on his favourite toy, show whos boss.

When he does it just grab the scruff on the back of his neck, and he will go into submission. This is natural and it won't hurt him unless you hold him up.

Answer 10

Either you did something different, or he's sick, either way you have to get to the bottom of it. It can be as stupid as changing your living room around. Cats are very picky. If you've changed nothing, get him to the vet ASAP.Good Luck