Cat Pees Everywhere But The Litter Box. How to stop this.

Litter box avoidance is a common problem in cats. Most cat owners complain about the behavior, while others simply give up on trying to correct it. However, before you can go ahead and judge your kitty, pause for a minute and observe her.

Like most undesirable behaviors in pets, peeing everywhere is no different. Let us look at some of the reasons why your cat pees everywhere but the litter box.

 

Reasons why your cat pees everywhere but the litter box

 

 

 

In order to be able to curb the habit of cat peeing inappropriately, you must first understand the reason why she is doing so. Now, we cannot rule out natural behavior when we are talking about inappropriate elimination in felines. This is because this is their primary communication behavior.

However, this does not mean that we cannot correct the behavior. Here is why your cat might be peeing everywhere in the house;

 

Change in your lifestyle

 

In some scenarios, cat peeing everywhere is all about your cat trying to communicate with you about her needs. And since cats are quite sensitive, the slightest change in the household can possibly lead to peeing inappropriately.

For instance, if you move the litter boxes from the usual place, your cat will react to that. She wants things to always remain the same. Once again, we go back to the natural behavior of these creatures. In the wild, cats would grow up in one home, all their lives. However, due to domestication, we now live with our kitties.

This means that they move to wherever we go. And knowing human nature, we are in constant need to do something better and to explore the world. In the process of achieving all this, we sometimes have to move from one residence to another. When you have a cat, as much as it might be necessary to move, it is not going to be exactly good for your cat.

Whenever you change your residency, you will most often have issues with your cat avoiding the litter box. It might be that she cannot really find the latter, or she does not like the changes that you have made. Most often, it is both situations.

It does not matter what kind of change that you have recently made. Your cat might be reacting to it by spraying. It can be her diet, residency, or even getting new furniture. Whenever your cat is uncomfortable, peeing everywhere is usually her way of communicating her frustrations.

 

Stress in cats

 

This is quite a sensitive and at the same time necessary topic to discuss. It is almost impossible for you to be able to tell the exact reason why your cat is stressed. However, there are some predictable situations that could lead to stress in cats. For instance, introducing a new cat in your home can be a stressful event for your older cat.

Cats in multi-cat homes are at a higher risk of developing stress than others. This could be as a result of completion for space as well as resources. For instance, some cats may feel like there is so much competition for food and react.

When you leave your cat all alone at home, she might somehow get stressed. This is especially if it is not a routine for you to leave the house. She might feel abandoned and thereby stressed about it. In return, your cat is going to retaliate by urinating.

However, you should understand that your cat is not trying to annoy you. Rather, she is only trying to communicate.

 

 

Territorial Marking

 

A cat that pees everywhere but the litter box could be trying to protect her territory. It is a natural behavior for your cat to want to protect your home. After all, once you adopt her, you become her only family. This is a good thing, but it also means that she is going to protect you as much as you protect her.

Therefore, when your cat feels like she is in some kind of danger, she will pee anywhere in the house. She is trying to warn the intruder to stay away. It could be a person in your doorbell, or even another cat or neighborhood dog.

This is usually a result of the fear and protective nature of your cat. She might be afraid that someone is intruding on your home when you are away. The only way she can try to stop them is by urinating to create a border.

In a multi-cat home, there is a chance of territorial marking in the house. This could be a result of your cat marking boundaries, especially when she is stressed. In order to isolate herself from the rest, she will mark boundaries in order to let the other cat know that she is not interested in any activities.

 

To seek your attention

 

It is understandable that sometimes you can get caught up with life. I mean, you have work and social life. However, your cat also requires a lot of your attention. She needs it in order to feel loved and protected in your home.

Unfortunately, when your cat wants your affection, she has no idea how to get it. So if you have been spending so much time out there, she might be feeling lonely. The reason why cats are so clingy is that she depends on you for literally everything, including her wellbeing.

It is therefore important to always spend some time with your cat in order to keep your bond strong. This way, your cat will not always be insecure when left alone at home. Sometimes your cat will pee on your items in an effort to get you to play with her or cuddle up with her.

 

Boredom

 

Boredom is not a healthy situation, not even for your cat. However, cats are quite prone to boredom. This is because domestication does not allow them to roam freely. Well, unless you want your kitty to escape, you most likely lock keep her indoors. This is a great thing for you but you must also think about your cat.

This is because she spends most of the days in the house, with pretty much nothing to do. This definitely exposes her to boredom. In an effort to let you know so, your cat might start peeing everywhere in the house. Loneliness can also be associated with your cat peeing inappropriately.

 

Intact cats will pee inappropriately

 

When you adopt a kitten, it is important to make sure that she is spayed. Intact cats tend to pee all over the house whenever they are in heat. Understand that an intact cat will commence her reproductive life between the ages of 4 to 6 months.

This is an actual natural behavior that you will not be able to control. When your cat goes in heat, she will start looking for a mate. In most cases, there is no male cat to mate with, since she is an indoor cat. This means that she will be very uncomfortable until it is all over.

Your intact cat will pee to attract a mate. This is because the urine will contain her details, for example, her age, sex, and even intention. Therefore, do not be surprised when your cat pees everywhere but the litter box when she is in heat.

 

 

Dirty Litter box

 

I cannot emphasize how important it is to make sure that all the litter boxes in the house are clean. This is because your cat is not going to use a dirty litter box whatsoever. Well, we all know how particular our cats are in regards to grooming. The same way your cat does now want to eat from the floor is the same way she is going to avoid a dirty litter box.

Unfortunately, we do not get to spend every minute of our days with our cats. This means that we cannot always manage to scoop and clean the litter box every time she eliminates it. If you leave the boxes unclean for too long, the entire box is going to stink of cat pee.

Other factors that might affect the way your cat uses the litter box include the location of the box as well as the type of litter. Once again, cats tend to be very specific and may not exactly go for any type of litter.

 

Feline Urinary Tract issues

 

Inappropriate urination in cats could also indicate that your kitty is sick. Unfortunately, cats, especially female older cats, are very prone to urinary tract problems. You should, therefore, watch out for the symptoms before immediately you notice the spraying habit.

Your cat will appear to be in pain when urinating. In addition to drinking more water than usual, your cat will also pee more often than usual. You should be concerned because these illnesses could lead to total blockage of the urinary tract. This will make it impossible for your cat to pass urine. In severe cases, you might find blood in your cat’s urine

Once you realize that your cat pees everywhere but avoids the litter box, it is time to stop this habit. It is best when you approach this vice from the source. Identify the reason why your cat is doing so before you can come up with a way to curb it. Below, we are going to discuss some of the tips that will help you eliminate the behavior of a cat who pees everywhere but the litter box.

 

How to stop a cat from peeing inappropriately

 

Once you discover the reason why your cat won’t use the litter box, it is time to start thinking of ways to eliminate the behavior. Fortunately for you, I have prepared a guide for you in order to have your home free of cat pee smell and also enhance good cat behavior. If your cat pees everywhere but the litter box, the following tips should help stop this behavior immediately. The truth is, it is going to be difficult but with patience and resilience, you will be able to stop your cat.

 

Take your cat to the vet (As a last resort)

 

As we have said before, the best way to get rid of the cat peeing inappropriately behavior is to address the reason behind it. Therefore, immediately you notice your cat pees in the house, consider looking into it. Observe when and how your cat does it in order to detect any symptoms of illnesses.

Sometimes, your cat might not make it to the litter box but pee on the floor, bed, or even on the couch. This does not always mean that your cat is suffering from a urinary tract infection. It might be another underlying illness leading to this behavior.

If you observe anything unusual when your cat is peeing out of the box, consider rushing her to the vet care. Your vet will examine your cat and give a conclusive diagnosis. Should your cat suffer from any illness, your vet should also be able to recommend the treatment methods to apply.

 

 

Spay your kitty

 

As mentioned above, your cat can be spraying urine and peeing out of the litter box because she is in heat. If you have not spayed or neutered your cat, you are definitely going to experience issues with inappropriate elimination at some point in life.

However, if your cat is currently on heat, it is a terrible idea to have her spayed. Instead, you will have to wait it out until it is safe enough for your kitty to go through the process.

Well, unless you are looking forward to breeding your cat, then you should spay your kitty to avoid future issues with peeing everywhere.

 

Clean the litter boxes

 

 

A dirty litter box is a possible perpetrator of inappropriate elimination in cats. Cats prefer clean and comfortable living conditions, failure to which will lead to cat peeing inappropriately. Therefore, it is important to observe high standards of cleanliness when you have a cat.

Make sure that you scoop the litter box every time your cat relieves himself. In addition, provide litter with a soft feel on her paws and is also odor-free. It is also vital for you to provide several extra litter boxes for your cat. This not only encourages your cat to use the boxes but also provides several opportunities to do so.

Place the litter boxes in areas where your cat is comfortable, that is, low traffic areas in the house but also easily accessible.

 

Restrict your cat from accessing previously soiled areas

 

Your cat is going to be tempted to pee out of the litter box every time the smell of cat pee lingers. Id she has access to where she previously peed, and especially from the urge to mark using urine. Let me explain this further in that when a cat pees to mark her territory, there is a great chance that she is going to repeat. She wants to stamp authority and let everyone know that this is her ground.

And thus, you will need to wash the soiled areas. Unfortunately, the cat pee smell is really difficult to get out. This means that it is going to take some time before you can completely remove the smell. It might prompt the cat to keep peeing and thus making it impossible for you to get the smell out of the house.

This is the reason why I recommend restriction from accessing the soiled place. You need to keep your cat away from the place of the previous incidence if you are looking to curb the habit. To be able to do this, close the doors to the room where she sprayed. If your cat peed on the carpet, you can also cover it with aluminum foil. No matter how much your cat wants to get to the place, the foil will be too uncomfortable for her.

 

Address underlying cat stress

 

As we had discussed earlier, cats are prone to stress and can easily be triggered. However, you can be able to eliminate cat stress and anxiety. It will all depend on the cause of stress in your household. If your cat is stressed, it is your responsibility to discover why and address the situation as soon as possible.

You can eliminate cat stress by getting rid of the stress stimuli. For instance, if you have a bigger cat at home who appears to be hostile, she might be the cause of your other cat’s stress. Separating them will help neutralize the situation fully.

However, in the case where your cat stresses as a result of moving from one place to another or being left alone, you should allocate some time to play with your cat. This provides a chance for you and your cat to bond and eliminate any loneliness. When your cat feels safe with you, she is less likely to spray urine.

A cat that pees everywhere but the litter box can be problematic to keep. This is because she will ruin your items and your house will probably always smell of cat pee. However, this does not mean that you cannot do something about it. Make sure you take her to the vet in order to rule out medical issues leading to your peeing everywhere. Your vet should be able to examine and treat your kitty if she has any illnesses.

Human beings have been able to live with cats for centuries because we understand feline behavior. The tips above should be able to help you eliminate this behavior. I hope this helps you stop your cat from inappropriate elimination.