Sunday, 02 November 2014 07:22

[SOLVED] Cat Pees Outside the Litter Box

[SOLVED] Cat Pees Outside the Litter Box

I just got done reading another thread online about people discussing having their cat put to sleep because it pees outside the litterbox (link removed, broken), and had to share my insight.  We've been around the block with our cat's "marking" issues... when it started, we had a contractor at the house every day (building our bathroom) and we figured the cat was simply stressed out because her safe zone was violated.  We bought different litter boxes, cleaned them constantly, tried different litters... none of this worked.

When we first brought her to the vet, she had 'crystals' in her urine, and we switched to a higher quality food, designed for urinary tract problems. 

Then, we tried spraying "something" that makes the cat think that she already marked that area (according to the vet)....

Our Solution

We do two things differently, now:

  1. An Empty Litter Box
    We noticed that from an early age, our cat would pee in an empty laundry basket, if you left it available for her.  Now, we do it intentionally: We leave one litter box 'normal' with 3 or so inches of litter.  Then, next to it, an empty one.  We've found that the cat normally goes #1 in the empty and #2 in the litter.  Sometimes, if we aren't around to clean up within a few hours, she will go #1 in the litter, too.  But since we started doing this - knock on wood - she hasn't gone on the floor NEXT to the litter box. 
  2. Let the Cat Outside
    We live in the mountains so your mileage may vary with this.  But, cats were intended to be outside animals.  For thousands of years, they lived in barns and ate rodents.  Now, we expect them to stay in the house and eat food from a can.  Let your cat be a cat! 

 

Last modified on Thursday, 17 March 2022 12:13
Published in Misc.
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