Have you ever been in the middle of your day and then all of a sudden noticed that your kitten is peeing outside of his litter box?
You might be wondering why this is happening to him.
It’s frustrating when your cat is urinating outside of the litter box, but it can be even more confusing if you’re not sure why they are doing it.
There are many reasons why your kitten or cat may be urinating outside the litter box, but there are some things that you can do to help resolve the problem.
This blog post will discuss some potential reasons for your cat peeing on the floor, as well as tips on how to stop them from occurring again.
One thing that's important for me to mention before I start talking about these possible reasons: if you see any blood or straining when your kitten pees, know that it needs immediate veterinarian attention!
Why is my cat suddenly peeing outside the litter box?
Cats are amazing creatures; they will pee on the floor all of a sudden as an expression of what’s happening in their environment or even internally. How is this possible, you might ask?
These are some of the reasons that will drive away your cat to peeing on the floor:
- Medical issues
- Stress
- Behavioral reasons
1. Medical issues
If your cat suddenly won’t pee in the litter box, it can be a sign of an underlying medical condition like:
- Arthritis
- Bladder stones
- Urinary tract infection e.g FLUTD
- Urinary obstruction
- Cystitis (inflammation of the bladder)
- Metabolic diseases like diabetes and chronic kidney disease
These conditions make it difficult and painful for the cat to pee; hence you will find little or no urine in the cat pan or around the house.
Your cat as a result won’t pee in the litter box because of the discomfort or pain in their body.
Inappropriate elimination is inevitable in this case.
2. Stress
Your feline will avoid using the litter box when it is undergoing a stressful phase of life.
The following factors can trigger stress on your cat:
- Supremacy and territorial battles with other cats in the house
- Routine change- Change in the location of the litter box
- Environmental change- a dirty kitty pan, moving into a new house
- Introduction of a new pet in the house
- Neighborhood cats
- Introduction of new litter in the kitty pan
- Insecurity causing house soiling
- Competition of resources
One of the ways your cat will manifest displeasure to any of the above factors is by urinating outside of the box.
So if your cat is not using their litter box to urinate, analyze the checklist above to identify the cause of the litter box problems.
Is It Normal for Kitten to Pee Outside Litter Box?
It is perfectly normal for a kitten to pee outside the litter box. If the kitten is new to the kitty tray, you should first take her through litter box training.
However, if your kitten has been using the litter box but suddenly stops, it could be a variety of reasons such as:
- A habit learned from observing other cats
- Change of the cat tray location
- Displeasure with the cat tray
- Lack of privacy
- Inability to access the entry point of the litter box
Can stress cause a cat to pee outside the litter box?
Yes!
Stress can cause a kitten to pee outside of the box. Cats are creatures of habit and when they sense that something is off, they may need some time for adjustment. It could be as simple as your new cat sibling coming home or a change in feeding schedule–
In addition, these are examples of stressful situations that can cause a kitten to pee outside the litter box:
- A new pet in the home.
- The birth of a baby, bringing a child into your household.
- Changes in routine or environment such as vacations, remodeling, illness at home
- Change of residence
How do I stop my cat from peeing outside the litter box?
1. Seek medical help
Your kitten may be urinating outside the litter box due to some underlying medical problems like feline lower urinary tract disease or kidney stones.
Have your veterinarian run a complete physical check and diagnosis to ensure no stone is left unturned.
Urinary infections if left untreated can be fatal.
PS: If your kitten pee has bloodstains in it, consider that an emergency and contact your vet immediately!
2. Litter Box Training
Are cats trainable? Yes, they are.
In fact, you can train your cat to start using the human toilet, using this toilet training kit system and she will do just that. Amazing, right?
If you have a new cat that has made it a habit of peeing right outside the litter box, it might be time to roll your sleeves and train her to take a piss right.
3. Location
Always keep your cat tray in the same position. Changing its position will stress your cat hence driving her away from the litter box.
Place it in a position where a cat can easily access it.
If you have multiple cats in the house, consider buying more litter boxes and placing them in strategic locations for easy access.
4. Cat Box Hygiene
If you love living in a clean and spacious home, so do cats.
Get them a perfect kitty pan that is well ventilated and is spacious enough.
If you have identified their favorite litter, put some fresh litter in the cat tray.
Ensure that you clean the cat box regularly using mild soap and rinse it with clean water. Dry-air it and put in some fresh litter.
5. Multiple cats?
If you have multiple cats in the house, buy some new litter boxes and strategically place them in different locations around the house.
With multiple cats in the house, a cat may be bullied out of the litter boxes by the old gang. The litter boxes should be easily accessible and offer some privacy to the felines.
If it is insecurity that drives the cat away from the cat tray, reassure the feline that all is well. You might wonder how?
If your cat has experienced a nasty encounter in the cat pan, she will keep away from it by all means possible.
6. Eliminate the urine scent
Accidents do occur when it comes to cats.
A cat may not make it to the litter box on time to relieve herself.
If this happens on the carpet, you should clean out the mess using an enzyme-based cleaner.
By doing so, all the scent is eliminated from the rug; the cat will not be attracted to go back to the carpet later and urinate on the same spot again.
7. Privacy
Do you love your privacy while taking a bathroom break? If your answer is yes, know that cats also prefer the same privacy.
If you live in a small apartment, you might consider getting a closed cat box, for it will offer much-needed privacy while containing all the unpleasant odors in the kitty pan.
8. Litter box size
Buy a litter box that is suitable for your felines. A standard cat tray should be 1.5 to 2 times the cat’s length at any given time. A crumped tray will always drive away your cat.
If your cat peeing over the litter box’s edge, consider investing in a high-sided litter box to avoid the splashing of urine while the cat is doing its thing. Make sure that the entry and exits points on the cat pan enable easy access to your cats.
If you have older cats with joint problems, ensure the entry and exit points are low enough to ease the burden of accessing the cat pan.
9. Use a cat-friendly litter
You might have passed by your local store and saw some cat litter at a discounted price and you jumped for it. Wrong move.
Don’t switch up the type of litter that your cat is used to. Failure to do this and she will avoid that kitty pan and your fancy litter.
The type of litter your cat uses is central in ensuring that it attracts her to the cat pan every time she wants to relieve herself.
What Smells Deter Cats from Peeing Around the House?
Like I said before, if you can’t pick up the scent from your cat’s urine, your cat can do so. Here are a few tips to ensure that your floors are scent-free:
- Use a black light to pinpoint all the locations that are patched up with urine spots.
- Use citrus or orange-based cleaner to clean out the mess. Cats dislike citrus and orange scents and will keep away from their newfound loo.
- Clean out any spots where your kitten had peed on using an enzyme-based cleaner.
Signs your kitten should see a veterinarian immediately
- Your kitten experiencing pain when passing urine
- A sudden change in behavior such as aggression when approached by humans
- Bloodstains when peeing
- Anal sacs that are impacted and need to be expressed
- Foul-smelling urine or diarrhea
Conclusion:
If your cat is peeing outside the litter box, it’s important to know what may be causing this behavior.
There are a number of reasons that can drive cats away from their litter boxes including medical issues like urinary tract infections and stress due to moving or changing in household dynamics such as new people coming into the house.
Cats also might not want to use their litter box because they don’t feel safe, for example, if there is construction going on nearby or another animal nearby.
The best thing you can do is schedule an appointment with your veterinarian who will check out your cat and see what may be going wrong before making any changes at home.
Once we’ve determined what caused the change in behavior we’ll work together with you.
