The litter box is the first thing you should check. It should be in a quiet, private area of the house. Many people put them in their basements and leave the door open a little as this not only creates a private environment but also keeps odors to a minimum in the rest of the house.
Some use a closet but if you do this be sure and keep the box clean to reduce odors in such a confined space and don't forget to leave the door open!
Another placement possibility is under a table. Many people find a place without carpeting is best from a maintenance point of view as tile or cement is a lot easier to clean.
Ask yourself if you changed the litter box in any way:
* Has the box been moved to a high traffic area recently?
* Does the box need cleaning?
* Is a new litter being used or does it have too heavy a scent (clumping and unscented is best).
* Has the depth of the litter in the box changed? Some cats like their litter deep, others shallow.
* Your cat has outgrown the box and needs a larger one.
* The box is too hard to enter and exit. This can be an issue for older cats.
Do not put food and water near the litter box. Cats like these two areas kept separate (don't you?).
If your cat has picked out a particular room to soil try closing the door to that room if you can or cover the target area with furniture.
Put a bowl of food over the target area as cats like to keep their eating area away from their ?bathroom?.
Take your cat to the Vet on a regular basis.
If you have more than one cat get each one of them their own litter box.
Have you recently moved? A cat might smell an area where the previous owner's cat urinated.
Let the cat alone while it goes so it can have some privacy.
If it is a new cat in your home it could take from three to eight weeks to get adjusted to the new environment. Be patient!
Was there a recent addition or loss to the family? A new baby, spouse? This is usually temporary until the cat adjusts to the change in their environment.
A change in your schedule can throw off your cat's schedule as well and cause problems. Try and phase in major lifestyle changes gradually.
NEVER EVER punish the cat by kicking, hitting, chasing, screaming or rubbing their nose in their urine (remember the smell doesn't bother them). Cats cannot make the cause and effect connection like we can so punishment after the fact is useless and will only make matters worse.
Cats are naturally very clean animals and they know where they are going. It is important to remember this and try and help your cat overcome any stress or anxiety they might be having in a caring and loving manner.
Cat owners who have had problems with their cat urinating in the wrong place, or spraying, may understand some of my recent experiences well. As a little bit of background, I have 4 cats. One of them, whom I am closest too, is a Tonkinese called Oscar. He is also the oldest cat I have, aside from one who adopted our household, and whose exact age I don't know. Her name is Milo, and she is of similar age to Oscar I would say.
Aside from some occasional hissing, and some jealousy on Oscar's part, Milo is not the problem however. The chief culprit is a moggie I found in the shed in the ground of the apartment I live in. It was raining outside, and when I investigated, I found 4 tiny kittens. To cut a long story short, I ended up raising one of them, Akirah, from when he was about 10 days old. I'd given his mother an opportunity to take him back, but she only took his brothers and sisters.
Akirah has grown into a big boy. He has been desexed (of course! I never understood why people don't desex their cats). But even before he was desexed, he would urinate in inappopriate places. I thought he would grow out of it. It was generally pretty manageable, so I didn't really take proactive action. He would use the litterbox as well, so this wasn't a problem.
But then another cat showed up outside. I'm not sure where this cat comes from, whether it is a stray, or the owner just lets it out at night (another thing I never really understood about some cat owners, given that this is when most fights occur).
Akirah started to spray more, marking his territory. I didn't realize until I did some reading that there was probably an element of stress and insecurity involved. I generally try to keep this in mind when I'm cleaning it up, as I certainly don't want to add to his feelings of insecurity.
Funnily enough, not long after this other cat appeared on the scene, I noticed a change in his behaviour when I opened the door to let my cats outside during the day. Akirah usually ran straight out, eager to explore the world outside (he is a very playful cat). But then he started to just sit at the door. He'd sniff the edge of the door, and I'd gently try to nudge him out, but he wanted none of it. He was quite happy to stay inside, and watch my other cats play outside.
This gave me a clue that he was in fact disturbed by this other cat, even though he seemed to be quite aggressive at times. He would fight through the door when the other cat appeared at night, and he's managed to rip through some of the fly screen at the bottom of the door. Because he was aggressive, I didn't think that he could also be afraid of it. But his hanging back, in the safety of the apartment, seemed to indicate otherwise.
Cats are very complex creatures. I think a measure of trying to understand their perspective, and what they may be feeling, is important when trying to deal with problem behaviours. It's very easy to get angry or frustrated, especially when cleaning up strong smelling cat spray. Taking that anger or frustration out on the cat, even by scolding them, can stress our cats even more. This is particularly true if we come home after work to find our cats have sprayed whilst we were out. Cats, who love us dearly and are eager to see us after we have been away all day, won't understand why we are suddenly being cold towards them, or scolding them. And they certainly won't understand having their noses rubbed in old urine.
We have to learn to put aside our own emotional responses, and remember the joys of their unconditional companionship - even when the first thing we are greeted with (aside from 4 eager faces all trying to say hello at the door), is the smell of cat urine. I have even noticed that my cats act up more when I spend a lot of time cleaning it when I get home, rather than follow my usual routine of petting them and saying hello.
There are a lot of products on the market to help retrain cats, calm them down, deter other cats, and remove the smell of old urine. And dealing with the cause of the behavioural problem, rather than scolding the cat for doing the only thing he or she felt able to do at the time, out of fear and insecurity, is a far more effective approach in the long run.
Both Mike & Rebecca Prescott are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.