How can I tell which of my two cats is peeing outside the litter box?

Take turns putting one in their own room with their own litter box, and leaving the other three out with the normal box. Switch a cat daily to be isolated, and that should help you narrow down who is going outside the box. I hope this helps!

Well I wouldn't expect any of the cats to be sick from the lilies if they just sniffed it and didn't actually ingest any of them. So that is not a concern, especially if you don't see any other overt signs of lily toxicity which would include vomiting, lethargy and a lack of appetite. However a cystitis or UTI is a possible cause of the bloody urine. One good way to determine which cat is responsible is to isolate one cat at a time in a small room with a clean litterbox in it for a day, then monitor the urine output for blood. Another thing you could do is to gently palpate (feel) the cats bladder (lower abdomen) to see which one seems uncomfortable or painful. You could also try to monitor the cats for 1 hr duration to see which one is constantly going to the litterbox. Chances are the one that is affected is going many times within the hour and will be noticeably drinking more water as well.

Hello. Unless there is obvious blood, it is unlikely you would be able to tell differences in urine color once the urine is soaked up by the litter. There are some litters that will monitor certain conditions, such as diabetes & liver disease. There is a color change if there is a change, but I know on no veterinarians that will recommend this. The results are just too vague to justify the costs. Most concerns from owners will come if a cat urinates outside the box on a non absorbent surface. I just would not worry about anything your kitty does in the litter box as long as she is happy & otherwise seems healthy. Your yearly health visit with Bijou & your vet are far more diagnostic & important. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is a difficult problem with that many cats, The best thing to do is isolate each cat in a separate part of the house and place a fresh litter box in the same room. You may want to use plastic to coat the bottom of the box and use only a small amount of litter allow you to see the urine in the box. You can isolate one cat at a time for a 24 hour period, Usually the culprit will be peeing more frequently and straining to urinate, so keep any eye on that behavior as well. Within a few days you will know which on is affected, then seek out your local veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment. Urinary problems in cats can often be related to high magnesium containing pet food. Science diet cat food is more urinary safe and would help avoid pet food related urinary problems in all your cats. Consult your veterinarian for additional help in preventing urinary tract disease. Best of luck. thats, Steve Popish, DVM

First off, I love Katniss Everclean's name! One option might be to confine whoever you think is the most likely culprit to a bathroom with a litter box and wait. This could take awhile if you choose wrong, and it can be a little stressful for a cat to spend a day confined so you may not want to go this route if any of your cats are easily stressed. I have also heard of veterinarians shaving up small pieces of different colored crayons (non toxic!) and putting the shavings into canned food to determine which cat might be having diarrhea or gastrointestinal issues. You probably don't have to worry about rushing to the vet if it is just a drop or two of blood in otherwise normal stool, so you could also just continue to monitor and see if you happen to catch someone in the act. If it is getting worse (i.e. if there is a large amount of blood or diarrhea) it should be easier to determine who the culprit is. Good luck - I hope you figure it out!

The only way to definitively determine if the food is responsible is to switch him, gradually, back to his old diet and see if his litterbox habits return to normal. If so, you have the option of keeping him on his old food, just feed less of it and increase his activity to facilitate weight loss. Survey the area around the home for any negative stimuli that may be causing stress. This may include recent changes in the home (furniture rearranged, new flooring, etc.), high traffic, loud noises or even feral cats outdoors that he can see through a window. A pheromone product, such as Feliway Spray or plug in diffusers, may help decrease any stress or anxiety. Additional litterboxes may also be of benefit. Use an enzymatic cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle, to thoroughly clean soiled areas. If the behavior persists or worsens (bloody urine, straining to urinate, change in thirst/urination), then Azazel should be physically examining by your veterinarian to diagnose any underlying medical causes.

So sorry that you are having this problem. I know it can be very frustrating. The first thing you could do is have him examined by a vet to make sure he doesn't have a urinary tract infection or other medical reason causing him to urinate outside the box. If a medical reason has been ruled out and it is strictly a behavioral issue then you could try a Feliway diffuser or spray and/or Solliquin chews and see if that helps. You could also take to your vet about trying an anti-anxiety medication, like Prozac. Hope the issue gets resolved quickly!