How can you stop a cat from urinating on things?

Question

My cat has started urinating on everything. He even did this to my daughter (she is 21, not a child). The other cats smell the spots that he has urinated on and are following suit. Not sure if he is marking his territory or not. Any suggestions? The cats are staying so don't even mention getting rid of them!

My cats have all been spayed or neutered except the baby. As for Karens suggestion, I would never put a cat (or any animal) down unless it was a in pain and going to die anyways (not the case here). Taking on the responsibility of raising any pets is just that, a responsibility! Alot of people take the easy way out by putting animals to sleep. To me that is like saying your child is doing something wrong and to avoid the responsibility you just push it away (or have it killed). Unacceptable!!!

Answer 1

Hi Shiela....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.
- senior cats (10+ years) develop age-related disease such as kidney failure, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, etc.

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 more on why cats inappropriately soil by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for Feline Health: 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 see website for full details

Answer 2

Assuming he's healthy and this isn't a medical issue ..... There are a lot of reasons why he could be doing this. And you need more info than can be offered here. There is a ton of literature out there. Cat Wrangling Made Easy by Dusty Rainbolt is designed primarily for the multi-cat home, but she has an entire chapter on this. Logical, practical & do-able. But here are a couple of ideas. In a nutshell, cats are very emotional about their litter boxes. If it's not clean enough some cats will go elsewhere. Imagine having to use a toilet that hadn't been flushed in 3 days. How about the litter? Have you tried different kinds? Go with unscented. When was the last time the box was completely emptied and scrubbed with soap and water? If the litter box is in a high traffic area he may be finding quiet places to go. Lots of cats hate hanging their all out there when they gotta go. Since he's returning to the same areas, I think he's still smelling pee from previous times. Laundry soap doesn't always get it out. Spray the areas with a product specifically designed to break up the chemical properties of the urine. Otherwise, he'll just keep coming back to the same places again and again. Another cause could be stress. If the other animals are really intolerable to him, that could cause the problem. If that's it you may not have to get rid of the other pets just learn ways to de-stress everybody. My best advise is to do some serious in depth reading to get to the bottom of this. That will give you professional advice on how to get it stopped. Rainbolt's book is awesome, but it's not the only one. There's hope. Honest.

Answer 3

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RE:
How can you stop a cat from urinating on things?
My cat has started urinating on everything. He even did this to my daughter (she is 21, not a child). The other cats smell the spots that he has urinated on and are following suit. Not sure if he is marking his territory or not. Any suggestions? The cats are staying so don't even mention...

Answer 4

Is he aging or ill? First of all, you should take him to the vet and find out if there's a medical reason for his behavior.

Is the litter box clean and easily accessible?

Clean the urine spots with a citrus based cleaner to reduce the chance that the other cats will urinate in the same place. If you use an ammonia-based cleaner, it will make them do it more because cat urine is full of ammonia and it just smells even more like urine to them.

Answer 5

I don't know about stopping them from urinating, but I read in a section of my hometown newspaper to place orange peels on the areas that you want the cat to stay away from. For example, place the orange peels in or around the seat cushions of your couch. Maybe lay them around your bed, especially your pillows. I hope that this was helpful.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

If you have tried everything, there is actually a medication you can get from the vet, that is like an anti-depressent. I tried it for my cat, never thought I would be the type to do this. But our cat liked the clean laundry pile.
Very frustrating.
We eventually had to put her down. Some cats are just dirty ( that is what the vet. even said), and once they are not kittens anymore, they stick to their routines. It is sad, but sometimes necessary.

Answer 8

If he's not neutered, that's a first step.
Otherwise, consider how many litterboxes you have, as it may help if you have a litter box for every cat.
Lastly, get him checked by a vet to cancel out health reasons.

Answer 9

male cats mark their teritory just like male dogs so if u want 2 get rid of that habbit just castrate him.it's easy

Answer 10

make sure the litter box is clean,pay attention to the cat ,they need TLC like everyone else.