Why is my 8-year-old cat peeing outside the litter box? Is it medical?

Cats can have inappropriate urination for a number of reasons. Urinary infections, bladder inflammation, urinary stones, urinary tumors, as well as behavioral problems. I would highly encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian to make sure there is not a medical problem. Adding more litter boxes, toys, blocking view of outdoor cats etc can all be helpful. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Inappropriate elimination (peeing or pooping outside the litter box) in cats can be frustrating and difficult to treat. The first step you should take is scheduling an appointment for Udang to see a veterinarian. A lot of times a cat will start going outside of the litter box due to health problems like urinating tract infections, pain, urinary tract inflammation and digestive problems. Once you have established that there aren't any medical reasons for inappropriate elimination the following may be helpful: 1. Cats will urinate or defecate outside of the litter box for stress related reasons. Therefore it is best to keep the litter boxes in several different, quiet areas of the household. 2. A pheromone diffuser like Feliway can be quite helpful. 3. Ensure you have at least one litter box in the household per cat plus one. For example, if you have 3 cats, then 4 litter boxes are recommended. 4. Feeding an all canned food diet can help if there is inflammation in the bladder. There are also prescription diets available to help with bladder inflammation or digestive issues. Your veterinarian can help you choose the best one for your cat. 5. The litter boxes should be cleaned once to twice daily and completely emptied and washed weekly. Most cats prefer litter to be the clumping type that is kept a few inches deep. Certain litter types like Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter may be helpful. 6. You can also place aluminum foil over the areas Udang normally likes to urinate to prevent him from going in that area. If you have done a lot of the above suggestions you may also want to talk to your veterinarian about behavioral medications that may help prevent inappropriate urination. Good luck!

Causes of urination outside the box can be urinary tract infection, crystals in the urine, stones in the urinary tract, trauma to the area, or difficulty getting into the litterbox due to pain, or other reasons. It is important that you make an appointment to have Moon seen by your veterinarian as soon as you can to help determine the cause of his behaviour and to start treatment. If you notice his straining to urinate/unable to produce urine, this is a medical emergency and she should be seen by a vet immediately. I highly recommend speaking to your vet about having Moon neutered, as this kind of behaviour can happen in male cats as a form of marking behaviour, and sometimes having them neutered can help reduce or eliminate the marking. It is also possible that Moon is exhibiting signs of stress in his home environment. You can do the following to help make sure Moon’s environmental needs are being met. Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 , healthcareforpets.com and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com.

Hello, sorry to hear about Felix. This could be a one time accident, however it could be an early sign of FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease) which may also be referred to as FIC (Feline idiopathic cystitis). Other causes of abnormal urinations include bladder stones, urinary tract infections, and crystals in the urine. If you note any more of these behavior, it will be beneficial to have Felix examined sooner rather than later. Some cats may develop severe inflammation of their bladder which can lead to an obstruction. In the interim, you should add wet food to his diet and ensure he has readily access to copious amounts of water. Hope this helps and best of luck.

An underlying medical condition should be ruled out first. A UTI can cause these symptoms and can be sub-clinical for a while if not treated. Kidney disease and diabetes can also be underlying factors. You can get a home urine testing kit from Petco. ( ) My other two suggestions would be to use some Feliway diffusers in your house, do some environmental enrichment for her and get more litter boxes to put around the house with different types of litter. ( https://www.feliway.com/us/Why-Use-Feliway/Cat-peeing-outside-the-litter-box ) ( https://www.thedrakecenter.com/materials/environmental-enrichment-indoor-cats ) ( https://moderncat.com/articles/how-enrich-your-cats-home-environment/ ) ( https://www.petmd.com/cat/centers/litter/evr_why_multi_cat_households_need_multiple_litter_boxes ) Also, if you are not happy with your current vet it may be a good idea to get a second opinion elsewhere. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Inappropriate elimination in cats is often a behavioral problem rather than a medical problem, so the first step is to have him seen by your vet to eliminate any kind of illness or condition as a cause for his defecating outside the box. Once medical issues are ruled out, take a look at other explanations. Has there been a lot of activity that wasn't normal? Were you away and your cat was left at home or boarded? Is the litterbox located in a busy area? Has anything happened recently in this area to make him reluctant to use it again? Is there another cat, pet or person that is preventing him from getting to the box? Have you changed it from a hooded to an open box, or vice versa? Have you changed the brand of litter or kind? Is there something about the spot he has chosen to use that is attracting him in some way? Cats dislike disturbances to their routine and may act out to express their dissatisfaction. The litter box may not be big enough. The general rule of thumb is one litter box per cat in the household, plus one. That way each cat can have a place of their own to go in case the box is occupied or another cat has claimed it as territory. They should be scooped daily, if not more often and changed completely weekly washed with soap and water only. You can also offer one kind of litter in one box and another kind in another to see if there is a preference. I don't recommend the crystal kind, it makes a hissing sound when wet that can startle some cats and make them reluctant to use it again. The litter boxes should be located in a quiet, low-traffic area so that the cat can use them in peace. Make sure any other pets or people aren't giving them a hard time around or in the litter box. It may take some investigation and experimentation to find your cat's preference and accommodate him so that everyone is satisfied with the situation. And, when cleaning up pet accidents, don’t use any cleaner containing ammonia. This leaves behind a scent similar to urine

It sounds like your cat might be marking, which some female cats will do. However, she should be checked by a vet to make sure there isn't a medical cause for her urination, such as a urinary tract infection or stress cystitis. Here's a link to some more information on inappropriate urinating in cats: https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/inappropriate-urination/