cat urinating

Question
Hi Kate, my 11 year old female cat consistantly urinates everywhere but her box! I have a male also (both fixed..) who uses his..(there are two boxes, one for him and one for her..). I have caught her and scolded her and put her immediatly in her box so that she realizes that is where she is supposed to go, of couse she just leaps out of it and runs and hides. Luckily my floors are tiled, so I can clean it up and there is no residual odor. She came to me feral, 10 years ago and just seems to resist the box, but I have seen her outside digging and burying, the male uses his but not hers, for its smaller and he is too large for it, so its not because he is using both....why won't she use her box?? thank you in advance...Nick

Answer
Hi
well this is actually a very complex question with lots of possible reasons.

it may be that the box is too near the other one and she can smell the other cat

the type of litter may not be to her liking, they can be very fussy

Is the box in an area where she can feel safe ie not near a washing machine etc.

It may be caused by the fact that she feels a little unsure of her home environment and is actually scenting the area to mark it as her territory and also to help calm her down ie if the house smells of her everything must be ok.

As you can see a complex issue.

can I suggest that you read through my pages about cat urination problems and also the litter training page. the confinement method may help her over come her fears.

here are my pages

/cat-urine.html

/cat-litter-box.html

best wishes kate