How do I discourage cats from peeing on the floor?

Question

Suddenly they have stopped using the litter box and are peeing on the floor instead. The litter box is cleaned regularly. What do I do to stop this behaviour?

I have not changed either the type of litter or location of the litter box lately.

Answer 1

Hi Jennifer..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.

Feline Lower urinary tract disorder: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_lower_urinary_tract_dis.html

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.

...please consider visiting the website for further details

Answer 2

1. the *general rule* for cats is 1 litter box per cat + 1 (i.e. 2 cats=3 boxes). They can all be in the same room, right next to each other.

2. Be consistent with the brand of litter, some cats are very particular about this (as others have stated here).

3. Make sure the room the boxes are in is quiet, and not next to a washer/dryer that may be noisy

4. Take a small paper plate of food and place it on the spots the cats have gone (this helps them see this location is a place for eating, not pottying)

5. Clean up with any cleaner that uses Oxygen or Enzymes. Find those spots with a black light. Any spot that glows green is biological waste. Make sure you get it all!

Answer 3

I noticed you said "they", as if you have more than one cat. If this is the case, try adding another litter box.... as long as both are cleaned regularly, this should eliminate the problem. Cats often prefer their own litter box, as sometimes it can be stressful to do their business in the same place as another cat. If this doesn't work, you might want to take them to the vet, because peeing outside the litter box can be a sign of an infection.

Answer 4

Have you switched litter at all? And is your litter in a quiet area, they don't like high traffic areas?

IF it is fine that way, try adding another litter box. Sometimes this helps with multicat houses. They don't like to share.

Answer 5

I'm a big fan of this web page http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/behavior.shtml#housetraining Also, where are they peeing on the floor? If it's a non-slip rug with that "rubber" backing that could be the reason. To cats, that backing smells like a marking hormone they release in their urine, and they tend to want to mark over it....weird, I know. But this solved the problem with my male cat.

Answer 6

Did you change the brand of litter recently? If so, change back to what you had. If not, change to something else.

Bottom line - change the brand of kitty litter.

Get a clumping brand.

Answer 7

It may be that they are marking their territory if you have more than one cat or it can be changes in weather, enviorment ,ect. There are sprays and insents out there that do help and my cats use them and it works well, however different kinds work for different cats so check them all to see what works best.

Answer 8

Put them out!...let them go outside,they will come back

Answer 9

spray them with hot water because hot water teaches them not to but plain water do's nothn