As you know, cats are extremely sensitive little creatures.
There are a million, bajillion reasons why they might pee outside their litter box. It’s up to you, as their parent, to figure out just what their problemo may be.
No doubt, you may never really know the reason but you owe it to your sweet kitty to try to find a solution. Once you solve the problem, that may help narrow down the cause. Kinda backwards, I know. But suffice it to say there is a reason. So there is a solution.
First of all, if this is new behavior, please,PLEASE take your cat to the vet to rule out any medical reasons. A UTI, for example, can be deadly to a cat if left unattended. Plus, have you ever had a UTI? OMG and ugh. You can’t blame your cat for squatting everywhere and anywhere if that’s the problem.
Another reason may be stress. Do you have a new pet in the house, a new baby, a houseguest, a new house? Even new carpet can send your kitteh into a tailspin and out of the litter box. Be patient with your cat and try to reduce the stressors if you can. Some situations can’t be controlled (new house or carpet) and hopefully will correct themselves over time. If it’s a new pet or baby try to give your cat as much attention as possible and don’t force the new family member on your cat. Try to keep them apart and keep your cat feeling confident about his territory and place in the home.
Here’s an easy one: did you change anything about the litter box situation? Switch litters? Switch locations of the litter box? Drastic changes can be a problem. If you’re switching litters, try to ease into the switch by mixing the new kind in with the old. Little by little, increase the amount of new litter until that’s all you’re using.
If you’re switching locations, show him where the new box is. If you have multiple locations (which is desired but not always possible) don’t switch them all at the same time.
Is he marking or does he have litter box aversion? I’ll get into this in more detail in another post but marking is a territorial and instinctual behavior that involves a different set of issues. Aversion is when something is keeping your cat from going tinkle where he should.
These are just a few reasons. We all know the feline psyche is a complicated one. I’ll continue to share the reasons for these problems to help you consider all possibilities in your quest to solve your baby’s issues.
As always, let me know your solutions or reasons. The more information we can share with others the better!
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