House Soiling in Cats
It can be extremely frustrating to have a cat that will not use the litterbox. Most kittens will begin to use a box at 4 weeks of age. Inappropriate urination and defecation can develop at any age. All causes of your cat urinating or defecating outside the litterbox can be placed into 2 categories: medical or behavioral.
Medical problems include diabetes, urinary tract infections, Feline Urologic Syndrome, arthritis, idiopathic cystitis, and kidney disease. It is important that as soon as your pet urinates or defecates outside the box to have a veterinarian examine him/her and perform blood work, a urinalysis, and a fecal. If kidney disease, diabetes, etc. is diagnosed, those conditions need to be addressed. Older cats need to be assessed for arthritis-it can be painful for your senior pet to climb into the box. If arthritis is diagnosed, a joint supplement plus a thinner box will help your cat.
If all diagnostics prove to be normal, a behavior problem should be considered. This can range from anxiety to basic litterbox aversion. For example, your cat may not like the particular litter you have chosen, the box may be too close to his/her food, he/she may not want to use a box that has ANY urine or feces in it, or your pet may have a form of separation anxiety. Also, if your cat has had painful experiences before with urinating or defecating, then they may feel the box is the source of the pain.
First, address the actual litterbox. If you feel that is the problem, make several adjustments. Provide 1 box per cat plus one. For example, if you have 3 cats, you should have a minimum of 4 boxes, probably more. Place the boxes in many areas of the house-your cat may not want to urinate in the laundry room or downstairs. Provide many different litters throughout the house to let your cat decide if scoopable works best. Remove the lid on one of the boxes. Keep the box extremely free of urine and feces-scoop as soon as you see him/her go.
Introducing a new cat or baby into the household is a very common cause of anxiety based inappropriate urination. Usually, this behavior will pass as your cat adjusts to the new family member. However, there is also anti-anxiety medication that can be helpful. Talk to your veterinarian about the many choices available.
Tags: cats, marking, potty