There are a number of reasons why a cat will not use a litter box when urinating and there are a lot of cats out there who have this problem. Trying to find the ultimate reason for each particular cat can be time-consuming and frustrating for the owner, the cat and the veterinarian!
Some of the basic reasons that might cause this behavior revolve around the litter pan itself. The placement of the litter box is very important. Litter boxes should be in quiet, low traffic areas of the house. Also, you should have one litter box per cat in the household. Sometimes cats do not like the texture of the litter, so changing the litter can be helpful. If you have recently changed the brand of litter you use, your cat may not agree with your choice.
Also, make sure you are keeping the litter box as clean as possible because most cats are very particular about not using a dirty litter box. If you have a multiple-cat household, then making sure that one cat is not harassing the other cat in or around the litter box is also important.
Stress can also cause a cat to quit using the litter box appropriately. If there have been changes in your household, for example, if you are under stress, your pet may be picking up that feeling from you. This kind of household stress can often cause pets to exhibit inappropriate behavior as a release of the tension they feel.
If you feel that you have addressed all these issues, then the next question becomes Is this health-related? Does your cat have a disease that is causing this behavior? It is essential to rule out other issues, such as a urinary tract infection, metabolic disease, pain, etc., that might be inciting the behavior.
If this has become an “ingrained” behavior then, once all medical issues have been ruled out, your veterinarian might have you try some behavior modifying drugs to see if that will help with curbing the inappropriate urinations.
You can reach at Dr. Miller at drmillercph@gmail.com.
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