Why is my cat peeing outside of the litter box?  

There are many reasons why a cat might eliminate outside of the litter-box.  Unwanted urination may be behavioral, or they may be caused by health issues.  The following is a concise list of possible reasons why your cat may be peeing outside of the box. 

For a more comprehensive list we recommend Liz Barton's (acclaimed cat trainer) book - Cat Behavior Secrets Revealed

Cat Health Issues 

When attempting to determine the cause of your cat's urination problem it is important to rule out health problems first.  Often times cat owners will assume the unwanted urination is a behavioral issue when it is really a health problem.  

The result is days, if not weeks, of the cat owners attempting to break the cat of a nonexistent behavioral problem, when, all the while, the cat becomes sicker and sicker.  

A few medical conditions you should ask your vet to screen for when your cat is urinating outside of the litter box are: 

• Urinary Tract Infection
• Kidney Diseases
• Diabetes

These issues will generally demobilize your cat to the extent where they will lose the ability to control their bladder.  

Environmental Issues

After eliminating health issues as the reason for your cat's unwanted urination problem, it's time to move onto behavioral issues.  Most unwanted cat urination problems that are behavioral stem from your cats level of comfort in its environment.

Dirty Litter Box

Cause: Before anything else, make sure your cat's little box is clean.  The top reason for a cat to begin peeing outside of the box is because there is no room left in the litter.  

Prevention:  Keep your cat's litter clean.

Environmental Changes & Territorial Issues

Causes: Any large change that is made in the life of your cat can cause it to begin urinating outside of the litter box.  Veterinarians believe that if the scent of the cat cannot find its scent or if a new scent is introduced into the cat litter, the cat will urinate outside of the box.  The following is a list of changes which are known to cause unwanted urination:

• Another new cat
• Any new animal
• A new baby
• New furniture

Prevention:  Use Feliway.  Feliway is a synthetic cat hormone that only cats can smell.  The hormone calms your cat into thinking everything smells like him or her.  It is proven to work, and we highly recommend it.   

If the problem is a new cat, try using multiple litter boxes, or try slowly introducing the cats to each other by placing them in separate rooms, each with a piece of material that smells like the other.  

If the behavior continues you may try confining the cat to its own space such as a single room or section of the house.  Confine the cat in its space with a litter box.  Much like you wouldn't want to live in the same place where you pee, neither will your cat.  This solution will get the cat back into the habit of peeing in the litter box.

Change in Diet

Causes: In rare cases, a saltier diet may cause your cat to drink more water leading to urination outside of the box. 

Prevention: Change the diet to one lower in sodium. 

Follow this list of prevention methods and stayaway from cat urine removers altogether.