Food & NutritionHi, I have two young cats, both around 9 months old, when I first got them I never had a problem with them urinating outside of their litter box, but recently one or both of them (not sure which one) has started urinating all over their food mat and
There are a large number of reasons that a cat will inappropriately urinate (urinate outside the litter box). I am attaching a handout below which discusses this in detail.
https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951508
The first step in figuring out why a cat is urinating outside the litter box is to have your veterinarian do an examination and get a urine sample to evaluate for a medical reason. This is a little challenging since you're not sure which cat is doing it. There are some options to determine which cat is the problem, so it is worth speaking to your vet about that or you can get urine samples on both cats. If that is normal, then we need to look at other possibilities.
The handout above discusses litter box issues that can play a role. Make sure you have at least 3 litter boxes (since the "correct" number of boxes is the number of cats plus one), they are not covered or lined, and are cleaned daily. You may also want to try products like Cat
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Become a credit card member today!
