Behavior problem in Cat

Question
Hi Ali, recently I have noticed a strange behavior in one of the two cats belonging to our family. She is the youngest cat I believe at about 4 years old. We got her from an adoption agency when she was only a couple months old and she has always been really good about using the litter box(es) for those four years we have had her.

Recently though I have noticed that she has been peeing in cardboard boxes or even in the basket of dirty laundry I had in the basement. She has never done this before and it surprised us especially the fact she peed on the dirty laundry. She is fixed and normally the only bad behavior we had to deal with from her is the fact she bullies our older more timid cat. (They get along occasionally though)

The only big difference that has happened in the house which could be contributing to the bad behavior is about a month ago we had to throw out the old litter boxes because our basement had flooded with sewage so pretty much everything had to go. We only have one box at the moment so I wonder if having to get rid of the two boxes and getting the one covered has caused her to start this behavior.

We change it often because the older cat is very picky about the litter box and if they are to dirty for her she will go on the basement floor. We have not changed litter brands.

Thanks,
Lynnsey

Answer
Lynnsey,

The first step in a situation like this where a kitty has recently started peeing outside of the box is to have a vet examine her and take a urine sample to determine if she might have a urinary tract infection. Cats with bladder infections tend to associate the pain they feel when urinating with their box and therefore they look elsewhere to pee in the hopes that it won't hurt to do so anymore. If your kitty has a bladder infection she will need a course of antibiotics. During the time she is on antibiotics you may want to consider confining her to an easy to clean room such as a bathroom with food, water, litter and a cozy place to sleep to make cleaning up any accidents easier for you. It's important that you NOT use any cleaner containing ammonia to clean up kitty accidents as ammonia is a component of urine which means that to  your kitty it smells like pee and she will mark there again, I suggest using enzymatic cleaners which you can find in most pet supply stores as the enzymes actually digest the components of urine that create staining and smell.

I would also suggest that you consider adding one or two more boxes of the same style that your kitty was accustomed to before the flood in the basement and filling one with the litter she's used to and perhaps choosing another option for the second - that way if she associates the box with painful urination she will be more likely to use the box with the new litter simply because it feels and smells different.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me again at any time - I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali