Love the Litterbox - 3 ways to keep your cat going in the right place

Nothing is more frustrating than finding smelly cat urine on your furniture. Here are 3 tips to keep your feline friend peeing and pooping in the litterbox. 

photo credit Tijakool Yiyuan flickr.com

1. Rule out medical problems

• Male cats who strain to urinate can be blocked, a life-threatening EMERGENCY
  • seek veterinary care immediately if your cat is trying to urinate but can't pass urine
• Increased thirst or increased urine volume can be caused by kidney disease or diabetes
• Bloody urine can be caused by cystitis, bladder stones, or rarely bladder wall tumors
  • Cystitis is the most common urinary problem in cats and the bladder wall becomes very painful, inflamed, and bleeds. It can be related to stress and often waxes and wanes with time. Prescription diets (low mineral, calming) and changes to the home environment can help (think high cat trees, hiding spots, plug-in pheromones like Feliway, and structured play sessions)
• Arthritic cats can have trouble climbing stairs or getting into high-walled boxes
• Spraying urine on vertical surfaces can be a marking behavior - neutering and decreasing inter-cat conflict can help

• Urinary tract infections in cats are actually extremely rare

2. ​Make it available

• Have 1 more box than you have cats (so a 2 cat household should have 3 boxes)
• Place the boxes in different rooms, and on different floors if available - this allows older cats access without having to climb stairs, and prevents one cat from guarding the box from another cat
• Most cats prefer unscented, clumping litter
• Provide large open boxes (covered boxes can smell like a portapotty) - your cat needs enough room to comfortably enter the box, turn around, and posture. For large cats, the under-bed storage bins make great litterboxes
• Consider litterbox location - some cats are sensitive to noise and prefer a quiet, low traffic spot

​3. ​Keep it clean

• Scoop the litterbox daily
• Empty the litterbox entirely and clean with warm water and soap once weekly
• Use plastic floor mats under the box for easy clean up if your cat likes to kick the litter over the side
• Fashion cardboard "walls" by propping a piece of cardboard vertically inside the box if your cat likes to urinate out the side - make sure to replace when soiled to decrease odor
• Clean soiled areas in the home with enzymatic deodorizing cleansers to decrease re-soiling the same area. Many cats don't like the feel of aluminum foil under their feet, so laying foil down over the area can decrease repeat accidents
  
• Block access to known accident locations - pick up laundry baskets and keep doors closed if needed to either separate cats who don't get along or prevent resoiling a particular room (make sure your cats' food, water, and box are accessible though!)
  

​
Following these tips and treating any medical problems can greatly decrease the chance of your cat peeing or pooping outside the box - and make your home a happy place for both you and your cat!