cat urinating outside of box

Question
I have an 11 year old female cat (spayed, front declawed) that I rescued from a shelter when she was about 5 months old.  She is an indoor cat only.  Never goes outside.  We had a Siamese cat who died in 2006.  Recently (in the last year), Kiwi (my cat) started urinating outside the litter box on my husband's pillow.  We changed the litter box and for a week it stopped.  Then it started by her urinating on my clean clothes in the laundry basket.  We switched litter types and it did not stop.  We had her checked by the vet and there were no medical problems that he could find (he did a ton of tests including urinalysis, blood tests, ultrasounds and x-rays.  We did a full "geriatric" workup).  We moved the litter box into my closet and she seemed to like the privacy.  For about 6 months, she stopped urinating.  Then she started to urinate on my clothes in my closet that were on a low shelf.  We moved them up and she started with the pillow thing again.  We used the pheromone spray and put tin foil on our bed (she doesn't like that) and she started urinating on my daughter's pillow.  Now she is also urinating on my closet floor, about 3 feet away from her box.  We scoop her litter immediately after she uses the box (we let her leave the room) and if we don't scoop it right away, we check it every morning and night and clean whatever we may have missed.  I have purchased gallons of Nature's Miracle and have soaked everything from my carpet to my daughter's bed.  I even bought her a new pillow so there would be no smell.  She urinated on that within 2 days.  I close my daughter's door, but my 3 year old tends to open it and forgets to close it again.  There have been no changes in our house.  I am afraid to use the black light because I think she is probably urinating in every room.  I have talked to our vet about this.  AT 11 years old, there is no shelter or person who would want to place her.  I can not put a cat down due to this, yet she is destroying my house and is costing me a fortune.  We need new carpeting badly yet I won't get it because I know she will destroy it.  My husband has given me a month to figure this out.  I am so afraid he'll put her down because of this.  I know it is behavioral but I don't know what more I can do to stop it.  Any suggestions or advice you have would be appreciated!  Thank you

Answer
Kathy,

Inappropriate elimination is quite common in cats and has a number of potential causes. Since you have completely ruled out any possible medical reason for your kitten to be eliminating outside of the litter box then you can safely treat the issue as a behavioral one.

It has been my experience that there are a few consistent reasons why cats begin urinating or defecating outside of the litter box. Cats are very fastidious animals and some are so picky that they won't urinate or defecate in their litter box once they have used it to go to the toilet that day. I usually recommend that cat guardians have a minimum of one litter box per cat plus one in their home to prevent issues related to litter boxes being the cause of inappropriate elimination, adding more litter pans may help with the cat's habit of urinating outside of the litter box. I can certainly say from experience that one can never have too many litter boxes in their home from a cat's point of view. In your case, provided that your cat is an only fur child, that means that she would need at minimum two litter boxes. Some cats prefer to use one litter box to urinate in and the other to defecate in, you may find that your cat will use more than one litter pan if they are placed throughout the house in fairly quiet, private areas where your little girl can use the toilet undisturbed. Cats can be quite finicky about the litter that's used to fill their litter boxes. Some cats will begin soiling outside of the litter box if they don't like the texture of the litter. If your kitty litter has any fragrance or dyes added to it your cat may be trying to tell you that s/he is sensitive to the perfumes or dyes commonly found in certain brands of kitty litter. My oldest resident cat is extremely clean and doesn't generally go to the toilet outside of the litter box, however she will urinate on the floor if the litter contains scents or perfumes. If the kitty litter that you use is made from clay or silica it might be worth trying clumping kitty litters made from different materials such as wheat or corn. These kitty litters clump just as well or better than clay based litters and many of them have the added bonus of being flushable when broken up into small pieces, some are even safe to flush if you have a septic system. With litters made from wheat and corn there are sometimes natural enzymes within the litter minimize any odor that could potentially be offending your cat. This kitty may be sensitive to dust or chemicals commonly found in standard clumping kitty litters, however since they don't tend to exhibit similar allergy/sensitivity symptoms to humans this possibility is often overlooked. Cats can also respond negatively to highly scented laundry detergents, fabric softners, air fresheners or hygiene products. They have a far more sensitive sense of smell than people do and they will sometimes respond by trying to cover up strong odors that offend them.

Some cats prefer specific types of litter boxes. There are many different designs and types of litter boxes available on the market. Sometimes the size of the litter box that you are using may be playing a role when it comes to a kitty peeing outside of the box. There could be a number of different things causing this kitty to urinate outside of the litter box. It's very important that your kitty can easily get into and out of the litter box on his/her own and that s/he is able to do his/her duty in a clean, private and comfortable environment. If litter box hygiene is being left to children or not being performed often enough cats can opt out of using a dirty box and go off in search of a cleaner place to go to the toilet - after all, nobody likes to use a dirty public toilet, it's kind of the same idea for cats and dirty litter pans. If a cat must go to the toilet in an area where there is no privacy s/he may try to hold it until s/he has some privacy and urinating around the house may just be that s/he couldn't hold it any longer. If the litter box area is colder or vastly different in comparison to the rest of the house it's possible that s/he's just not comfortable enough to use the toilet where his/her litter boxes are being kept. If you use a self cleaning litter box your kitty may be frightened by the motion and noise commonly associated with these high tech kitty toilets. If you use open litter boxes you could try using a covered litter pan to see if this makes a difference. Some cats need more room to dig, use the toilet and bury their waste than other cats. There should be plenty of room for your kitty to stand up, turn around, dig and squat to urinate or prop him/herself up on his/her hindquarters to defecate without feeling squished or crowded. I have cared for a few cats that have been uncomfortable using the litter box if the area is dark. It may be worth installing a small battery operated light with a sensor or even a night light that automatically switches on once the room is dimly lit in the area where the litter pans are to see if having a light on helps with the house soiling issue.  

If family work schedules aren't consistent, your kitten may be feeling lonely or anxious when s/he is home alone. Cats are creatures of habit and they like to be able to anticipate the comings and goings of their human guardians and they prefer to lead a somewhat consistent and routine life. It's possible that your cat has separation anxiety, especially if s/he is accustomed to having someone at home and s/he has recently been spending time alone due to a change in work and recreational schedules that may be contributing to his/her toileting accidents. You may want to consider leaving the radio or television on for him/her to help the cat feel less anxious in your absence, you could even set up timers for the radio and television so that your kitty doesn't feel that s/he's all alone.

Another solution that's well worth trying out is to try and provide your kitty with comforting scents while s/he's home alone. My youngest resident cat (Kizmit) was a rescued stray and she developed a serious case of separation anxiety once she became accustomed to gentle, consistent handling and loads of attention. I found that placing my dirty laundry in an open laundry basket helped to ease her anxiety levels. I often came home from work to see Kizmit sleeping peacefully buried in the dirty clothes. Prior to making the dirty laundry accessible Kizmit would urinate in the middle of my bed and/or cry all day until I came home. Coming home after a long shift to find urine in my bed was less than pleasant and when the neighbors started to complain I realized that Kiz was experiencing anxiety and communicating it in the only way that she knew how to. Due to the fact that this behavioral change is recent it's worth looking at changes in household routines, work schedules or daily activities from around the time that this problem started. Some cats will develop high levels of anxiety when their humans are away from home. If this kitty is used to being cuddled and pampered while you are at home it's possible that s/he becomes anxious when you leave home because s/he doesn't understand why you have to leave him/her, s/he may be fearful that you aren't coming back or s/he could just be worried about how long you will be gone. Separation anxiety doesn't usually happen in cats whose caretakers pay little attention to them - it's a disorder typical of well loved pets.  

In my experience the fact that your cat's behavior has been so persistant and s/he is targeting places like beds, carpeting or pillows may point to the fact that your cat may not like your current choice of kitty litter, perhaps s/he needs something softer under his/her feet while using the toilet. It's certainly worth mentioning that cats don't eliminate outside of the litter pan to upset their human caregivers, there's always a reason and once the reason is addressed the problem tends to disappear. Cats try their best to communicate with their human guardians, unfortunately human beings don't usually recognize inappropriate elimination as a means of communication because we no longer consciously communicate by scent marking and territorial displays. It's important to remember that cats haven't become as accustomed to verbal communication as we have, they tend to be geared towards communicating by leaving behind and smelling scents and body language is also high up on the list of a cat's communication skills. In the interests of science it's worth noting that some scientists still believe that human beings are susceptible to pheromones and although we can't smell these chemicals they may play more of a role than we realize in terms of things like the way we socialize and even who we socialize with.

I am assuming that your kitty is the only four legged baby in your household. It's quite possible that s/he is lonely, anxious and bored while you and your family are away from home. One way to remedy this situation would be to adopt a cat companion for him/her from a local shelter, preferably a young kitten of the opposite sex if at all possible. If you do decide to adopt a kitty companion it's very important to introduce them properly because cats are very territorial and they tend not to like change very much, if new cats aren't properly introduced problems can surface with aggression and fighting. I would recommend that you consider your kitty's temperament prior to adopting a new cat or kitten because if she is dominant and you adopt a dominant companion issues may develop between the two cats even if they are properly introduced because they will always be trying to sort out who belongs on the top of the household hierarchy. Your local shelter probably has a fair number of potential "siblings" that will help your kitty feel less lonely and once the two cats have been properly introduced the new "sibling" will provide him/her with a playmate. You may find that your kitty responds very well to having a new feline friend and that the inappropriate elimination fades into the background quite quickly if loneliness and the stress of separation anxiety are the cause.

If you choose to adopt from a local animal shelter or rescue organization you are literally saving a life. Unfortunately many animal shelters depend solely upon donations and most are forced to operate with minimal resources. Sometimes as a result of the harsh financial realities and the serious pet overpopulation issues resulting from intact pets breeding and unwanted litters being brought into the world many animal shelters and rescue groups face heartbreaking and difficult choices. Animal lovers working in shelter and rescue environments generally want nothing more than to rescue abandoned, abused, neglected or unwanted pets and see them go into loving forever homes. Sadly these caring people are often forced to euthanize perfectly health and adoptable cats and kittens simply because they just don't have the resources to care for them or time and space have run out. It's very important to spay or neuter your new feline companion (if you choose to adopt from your local shelter) - this will ensure that no accidental litters are born/fathered. Cats that have been sterilized tend to be less territorial and they usually get along better with one another.

It's very important to remember that your furry friend may be lonely, anxious and/or bored if s/he spends an average workday home alone. I would be more than willing to offer some advice on what to look for in a shelter kitty so that you are able to make the most informed choice possible and possibly provide a homeless cat with a forever family. Questions regarding proper new cat/kitten introductions are quite common and I would suggest that you check out my previous answers on the subject prior to making any decisions. It is also very important to consider the financial effect of adding a new cat or kitten to your household, some estimates suggest that a single kitten's first year is quite expensive, not including basics like food, litter, toys or other supplies. Depending upon the veterinarian's fees and the sex of one or more kittens in a household the first vaccines, deworming, physical exams and spay/neuter surgery can be around $600-1000+ in the first year on routine veterinary care that will ensure the long term health of your feline companion(s).

Some cats will house soil in response to the noise, activity, change in status/attention that major life changes like adding a dog or other new pet, a death in the family, loss of another pet or person in the household, marriage, divorce, having a baby or any number of other common occurrences can cause. The changes I've mentioned are some of the more common triggers that could cause a sensitive cat to begin house soiling. If you live in a communal living situation your cat may be experiencing difficulty with one or more roommates in your apartment or home. Basic changes like having less time off than usual, different days off than you or another family member did previously can also affect a cat. It's very important to think back to when this behavior started and what was happening at that point in time in your life.

If you live in an apartment building your kitty may not be getting much in the way of stimulation, especially when you and other members of the household are at work or school. I have found providing different forms of stimulation helps to ease boredom. Cats and young kittens are quite intelligent. Contrary to popular belief cats just aren't designed to sleep all day and night. Cats are predators by nature, providing several different outlets to help house or apartment dwelling cats and kittens fulfill their natural instincts. The majority of cats enjoy having a range of toys designed for independent or interactive play. I generally suggest that people consider picking up interactive toys like a few kitty teases, a kitten mitten and other toys that encourage appropriate play with their human family members. It's also important for cats to have a variety of toys that they can bat around and play with on their own - I usually recommend that you consider what a toy will sound like at 3 am before giving it to your cat. Toys that make noises on their own, have bells inside of them or are made of hard plastic are usually best to avoid. I can tell you from personal experience that kittens can be incredibly good at hiding toys that are making noises during the wee hours of the morning and after having a night of sleep interrupted you won't be overly impressed with your kitty's hunting prowess. In our household the cats have several large grocery bags worth of toys which we buy on sale and we simply rotate the stock as it were so that the toys don't become boring for the cats. I recommend small mice that can be held in their mouths, if they are made of softer materials that's usually best. I have also found that small ping pong ball shaped foam balls are a hit both with cats that I have fostered and those which I have cared for on a permanent basis. There certainly isn't any shortage of cat toys out there and manufacturers are becoming more inventive every year. In my opinion a good quality, sturdy floor to ceiling cat tree with platforms and cubbies your kitten can climb up to and hang out on to watch the world go by or sleep is a good investment. A decent floor to ceiling post with perches and cubbies can run $300+ CAN. Once your kitten has a few toys I would suggest that you rotate the toys to prevent boredom.

You could also try looking into the Cat Sitter DVD series. These dvds are movies geared towards cats. As far as I'm aware there are three videos in this series. The Cat Sitter DVDs all feature great video footage of small prey animals and different wildlife. In my experience these videos can occupy a cat for quite awhile, they are designed to entertain a cat when their human caregiver is away from home. The footage in these videos can be played on a loop so that once the entire movie has been viewed it will automatically restart. The first two volumes feature some great footage of birds, mice and other small animals. The second and third volumes of the series include scenes that the production company refers to as "digital catnip" which is essentially a computer generated bug that flits back and forth across the screen in an unpredictable fashion that appeals to most cats. The third DVD in the series focuses on aquariums and there are some phenomenal shots of fresh and saltwater fish. You can often find these videos in pet supply stores for around $14-25 CAN (depending on where you shop). If you are able to set your home entertainment center to play the videos at set intervals throughout the workday your kitty may be less anxious. With the Cat Sitter DVDs she will have plenty of visual stimulation to occupy her time. If you do opt to purchase these videos I would strongly suggest that you make sure that the top of the television is kept clear and a chair or small sturdy scratch post with a platform is parked in front of it because most cats like to bat at the prey animals and fish and in some cases these animals disappear from the screen in one direction or another most cats will try to find out where the animal or computer generated bug has disappeared to.

If your home or apartment is at ground level it's possible that your kitty spends a fair amount of time looking out the window and watching the world go by. If this is the case she may have heard or seen something that frightened or frustrated her. Since cats have sensitive hearing and they are territorial animals by nature there are a number of possible situations that may cause inappropriate behavior. If neighborhood cats spend a significant amount of time walking through your yard and marking their territory with urine or feces your kitten may be responding to the threat to her territory in the only way that she can - by marking her territory indoors. Sometimes cats can become upset if household renovations are happening or there are repair or tradespeople in your home or outside of it making noise and disrupting their regular routine. Some cats become anxious or fearful when loud sounds like a car backfiring or road crews using a jackhammer nearby. The bottom line is that cats are territorial animals and they really aren't fond of change so making necessary household renovations and repairs as easy as possible for your cat is important. You can do this by confining her to an easy to clean room in the home such as the bathroom with food, water, toys, litter, a comfy place to sleep and possibly even a small radio left on at a low volume.

If your cat is sensitive to loud noises it may be worth consulting a holistic veterinarian to see if he/she is able to offer a non-pharmaceutical approach to minimize anxiety and stress that can be caused by seeing other animals within your kitten's territory. A holistic veterinarian is trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies such as homeopathy, massage or acupuncture. My family vet is a holistic practitioner and she has given my pets homeopathic remedies on more than one occasion. I must admit that in my experience cats respond very well to homeopathy and I have seen some pretty amazing things happen with cats when the right remedies are administered. Cats can also benefit from acupuncture, massage and other alternative therapies if these tools are properly used by a knowledgeable and experienced holistic vet. Your family vet could prescribe an anti-anxiety/anti-depressant drug that would reduce any anxiety that your kitty may be experiencing which could potentially stop the accidents that she is having around the house. The reason that I typically recommend that a pharmaceutical approach be used as a last resort is because many of the drugs commonly prescribed by vets to control anxiety, inappropriate elimination and depression are small doses of human anti-anxiety/anti-depressant drugs. The use of powerful psychotropic drugs isn't without risk or side effects in cats, so it is extremely important to do your research and make an informed decision prior to agreeing to administer powerful mood altering drugs to your cat. Cats are very sensitive to these drugs so I highly suggest that you exercise caution if you opt to treat your cat with these medicines. Any drug that alters a cat's brain chemistry isn't something to be used lightly - some cats can have serious reactions to these and other medicines so I do believe that it's to your cat's benefit if you try exhaust all of the less invasive and risky options first.

In situations where a cat or kitten is very anxious I sometimes recommend that their caregivers try out a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which contains a blend of flower essences that help to calm and reassure. I would suggest that you try out the Rescue Remedy by adding 4-5 drops to your kitty's fresh water each morning. You may notice a difference in her behavior and demeanor quite quickly. Rescue Remedy can usually be found in health food/natural health stores and it usually costs around $15 CAN. Bach flower remedies are very safe and they are used by many people seeking a drug free approach to deal with issues like anxiety or fear, in fact these remedies are just as effective on human beings as they are on pets when they are used appropriately and the right remedy is being used to treat the condition. Many pet parents and veterinarians around the world use Bach remedies to treat different causes of anxiety or fear in pets. Rescue Remedy is particularly well known and in my experience it's well worth trying in a case where a cat is overly timid or anxious.

Sometimes repeated urination and defecation in the same place may mean that a cat is repeating the mistake based on scent alone. Most household cleaners and detergents appear to remove the scent and stain permanently, sometimes cats will still be able to smell urine or feces because their sense of smell is significantly more sensitive than a person's. The best way to deal with removing the odor of urine (or other organic substances like feces, blood, vomit) permanently from your sheets, bedding, etc is to use an enzymatic cleaner. Cleaners like Petzyme use beneficial bacteria (enzymes) to permanently break down and remove the organic components of substances such as urine, feces, blood and vomit that cause odor and stains. I have found that Petzyme works well to remove stains and odors and this product has so far proven to be safe on upholstery and carpeting throughout my home. The manufacturer even provides instructions on the label that will allow you to use Petzyme in the washing machine along with regular laundry detergent. Petzyme is available at Petsmart - I recommend that you purchase it from the dog section because you can purchase a gallon for roughly $20 CAN (the spray bottle costs about $15 and only contains 750 ml). A good sized jug of enzymatic cleaner is a smart thing to have on hand if you have a resident pet, the gallon jug will last awhile and allow you to see whether the kitten is simply having accidents throughout your house because he can smell previous mistakes. I simply fill a spray bottle (the type used for misting plants, from the dollar store) using the gallon sized jug of Petzyme so that it's ready to use when I need it. If your local pet supply store doesn't carry a good selection of enzymatic cleaners in the cat section it's worth checking out the dog section as these cleaners are often marketed for use during puppy potty training. In the event that you aren't able to find Petzyme in your area you can try checking with your local janitorial supply store because enzymatic cleaners are often used in institutions where body fluids must be cleaned.

Here are a few humane alternatives that you may want to consider to try and modify your kitty's house soiling behavior. Cats are very clean animals and they don't usually eliminate where they eat. You could try placing a dish of your kitty's regular cat food on the bed where she usually urinates. I have had people tell me that their cats have simply opted out of eating or urinated on the same surface at the furthest point from the food. If this happens with your cat you may find that using partially crumpled aluminum foil will work well. Most cats don't like the sharp feeling of partially crumpled tin foil on their sensitive pads. The trick is to loosely crumple the foil and then gently uncrumple it slightly so that it's about half of the size of the original piece of foil. The more sharp edges the better, if you simply place tin foil that hasn't been crumpled around your home there's always a chance that the cat will simply urinate on the flat foil. If your kitty decides to remove the foil from the bed so that she can urinate below it you can try a couple of different things.

There is a great product called Sticky Paws available in most pet supply stores. This is a medical grade double sided tape that is safe for most fabrics and surfaces. Cats don't like to have anything stick to their paws so applying a layer of double sided tape will certainly mean that this kitty will most likely avoid getting up onto the bed while the tape is there. If you want to deter your feline friend from hopping up onto the bed you can use motion activated tools to get the message across. There are products such as Ssscat which is a motion activated behavioral modification tool which sends off a burst of compressed air from a can when the motion sensor is tripped. The majority of cats will find the hissing sound very offensive and you may only need to use these types of products for a short period of time to correct the issue. You can also find a product called Scat Mat which is a pressure sensitive mat that administers a mild static electric shock when stepped on - this will certainly convince your kitty that she doesn't want to get up onto the bed. I have heard mixed comments about using an indoor cat repellant, the general consensus is that the cat repellents typically repel more people than they do cats. You can however place dried hot peppers or citrus peels in areas where your kitten has urinated - for many cats these two natural substances will be offensive enough to keep them away from places that you don't want them to be. Hopefully this answer has given you an idea just how complex a medical or behavioral issue like inappropriate urination is and provides you with the basics so that you can ask your vet detailed questions that you've thought out before going to have your cat assessed since vet appointments are often time limited.