Cat will not pee in litter box?

Question

I have two cats, both three years, and they have always used the litter box. Now they have suddenly started uninating in my son's room and in my bathtub. They still poop in the litter box. I keep the litter box clean. How can I get them to start peeing in the litter box again? This behavior has been going on for about a month.

Answer 1

Hi Melissa...as a general rule, when a cat stops using the litter box, there are several possibilities to first consider:
- 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 as some cats are very protective of their boxes and block access to another cat
- young kittens when they reach the age of maturity (5-7 months) begin marking territory with urine and need to be spayed/neutered to cease the behaviour
-senior cats (10/11 years and older) develop aging diseases such as chronic renal failure (CRF) http://www.felinecrf.com/what0.htm and one of the many symptoms is EXCESSIVE urination. Hyperthyroidsim is another disease common to senior cats http://www.marvistavet.com/html/thyroid__signs__symptoms_and_d.html

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.

Here's an article by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine of Feline Health about why cats soil inappropriately:
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

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorders (FLUTD): http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_lower_urinary_tract_dis.html

Answer 2

Your cat could have a bladder infection or your cats may be having problems with the litter box. If there was something in there or if another animal went pee in there than your cats won't go pee in there, also ask a vet nearby you because i can't help you with this one. I need to see the cat, take blood, heart pressure, and check if anything is wrong with your cats bladder. So ask a vet that is nearby you. They are sure to help! I wish you the best of luck to find out the problem!

Answer 3

Not enough information-but I can tell you there is something happening to make them unhappy. Consult the vet to rule out a physical cause and try to think what might have changed to stress the cats-it could be as simple as a new cat in the nieghborhood that makes faces at them through the window or a new kind of cat litter they don't like!. Find the root cause and you can stop the undesirable behavior.

Answer 4

I recommend getting at least one more litter box. I have two cats and three litter boxes.

Also a check up is a good idea. I had a male cat that had a urinary tract infection and because of this he was messing on beds and the rugs in the bathrooms.

Answer 5

Keep other doors in the house closed.You need to get some
of there pee back in there litter box . When you dump the box
leave some of the smell on the box do not wash the box all
the way it will take there scent off and they will use it any
where.

Answer 6

Dirty litter box
Territorial behavior
Urinary tract disorder

Have you cat checked out by a veterinarian to help differentiate between a physical versus behavioral problem. Sometimes it is as simple as making sure the litter box is kept clean, or adding another litter box. There are also ample tips to remedy inappropriate urination that your veterinarian can give you.

Answer 7

If your cats are already trained to use a litter box, then there is most likely a medical reason for them to be doing this. Cats are very clean by nature and do not urinate (not spray marking) arbitrarily for no reason, especially not on a place they like to sleep, like a human's bed. They could have some sort of bladder infection or urinary tract blockage, which is very serous and can be fatal. Contact your Vet ASAP and he/she will be able to tell right away if your kitties have this problem. You can clean pet urine by soaking the stains with white vinegar. This neutralizes the pH and will prevent future accidents.

Answer 8

You should proably take the cat pick it up and put it in the litter box and show it to the litterbox once in a while soo they get used to it being there. Or maybe you should put a litterbox in your son's room. Or it might not even be both of the cats it might be because one is doing it and the other one smells the scent.
I hope you fix your problem soon!
Have a nice day! And New Year!

Answer 9

Like someone above said, when you catch them peeing put them it the litter box. Make sure you scrub the the place where it peed clean. If they are male cats it may be a bit more difficult, b/c they like to mark their territory. I had a problem with some of my male cats and made them go to the bathroom outside instead.

Answer 10

I would suggest taking them to the vet. I had this problem with my cat, he would poop in his litterbox and pee on my bed, which you can imagine was fantastic. I took him to the vet, and they tested him for a urinary tract infection, which he didnt have, so my vet said it was behavioral and put him on prozac. It worked immediately, he hasn't peed outside the litterbox since. I have since moved out of my parents house and took him off the prozac, and he has been fine... my parents had 4 cats and a dog, so i think that was what was causing it.

Putting the cats in the litterbox obviously won't do anything, all those people don't know what they are talking about. Obviously if your cats are using the litterbox for other things, then they know what it is, what it is there for, and it is prolly clean enough for them. I would imagine that it is something behavioral, especially since both of them are doing it, it is unlikely that it is an infection or something.

One thing my vet recommended to me, which I thought was weird and never tried, was walking my cat outside on a leash to get him some exercise and fresh air and to "take his mind off things". I dunno, maybe my vet is just crazy. But definitely take your cats to their vet and ask his or her opinion. Good luck!

Answer 11

Isn't that called spraying...uhm, my cat use to do that same thing i was told to put some newspaper down and cover that with litter where they pee at and they'll stop but I just put him outside for about a month and he stopped *shrug*