Senior cat urination problem

Question
My senior cat, almost 19, has begun urinating on the floor right next to his litter box now and then.  He shows numerous signs of cat dementia.  Please advise behavior modification techniques.

Answer
Lynda,

Congratulations on your cat living to age 19, which is quite senior for a domestic cat.  Can your senior cat still get in and out of the litter pan, OK. Often geriatric cats over 15 years of age are quite arthritic, so you may want to try a more shallow litter pan.

You might also check to see if there is a urinary tract problem which may be making the cat go before actually getting into the litter pan.  It is not infrequent that older cats have kidney issues.  The first sign of kidney problems is weight loss and excessive water consumption followed by soaking the litter pan.  If the litter pan is soaked, the cat may not want to go in it!

So before we worry about behavior modification techniques, medical problems need to be addressed and treated or ruled out.

I am also giving you a link to a series of excellent articles on feline litter box problems:

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/pointe/9352/litterboxhelp.html

Finally, make sure any accidents are cleaned up with an enzyme based cleaner specifically for pet stains and pet odors (available at most pet supermarkets or farm stores).

Please feel free to follow up.

Best regards... Norm.