Stop Your Cat Urinating Where She Shouldn’t

The only way to stop your cat urinating where she shouldn’t is by solving the problem that’s causing her to go outside the litter box. The cause could be a health problem, stress, or something wrong with the litter box, among numerous other issues. While nearly all problems that cause inappropriate urination behavior are fairly easy to solve, it may take time to accurately identify the problem. Once you do, though, there are some other things you can do to help get your kitty back in the litter box habit.

Make the Litter Box Attractive

The goal isn’t so much to discourage the cat from using the carpet, the furniture or the bathroom sink. It’s to encourage him to use the litter box. Make sure the litter box is large enough, such as a box of 25 inches by 19 inches or larger. If you have a covered box, try an uncovered one. Some cats dislike confined areas, while others dislike the concentrated cat poo smell inside the box. Try different litters, too. Fine-grained, unscented litters go over well with most cats, but some require softer or grittier material. Location also matters. Keep the box away from the cat’s food and water and clear of any foot traffic or noisy household appliances. There are a number of other considerations and just to confuse matters, believe it or not, long-haired cats, declawed cats and tail-less or stubby-tail cats have their own litter box needs. Fortunately, changing things about the litter box is easy and just making the litter box more appealing may stop your cat urinating around the house.

Make Other Areas Unattractive

Many cats dislike the smell of citrus. Rubbing orange or lemon peels on the carpet or furniture may help, but the smell fades fast. Another method is to freshen up your carpets and furniture with a citrus-scented air- or fabric-freshened. Clean floors and other wood items with Pine Sol or Orange Glo, both of which repel many cats. If there’s one spot on the floor you cat keep kitty away from, cover it with foil food wrap until you can stop your cat from urinating outside the box and get the spot totally clean. Most cats won’t walk on foil, although some will just pee right next to the foil. There are also a number of products available to keep cats from marking (peeing) where they shouldn’t. No-Mark Spray by Pet Organics is one of the more effective formulas.

Retrain Kitty if Needed

Usually mother cats show their kittens how to use the litter box as soon as the kittens are physically able. Sometimes, though, the mother cat isn’t able to due this because the litter box isn’t easily accessible from the kittening box. Other times, humans interfere with the training process. They common method of putting a kitten in the box and taking hold of her paw to dig in the litter can actually put some kittens right off the box. There are a number of ways to do this, but they all involve positive reinforcement. Punishment does not work on cats the way it works on dogs. One way to start is by carrying your cat to the litter box after meals or when she wakes up from a nap, times she likely to need to go. Speak gently, pet her and maybe even giver a build your cat’s good associations with the litter box.

You can solve your cat’s inappropriate urination problems and get your home completely free of cat urine odors, but the solutions may not always be obvious. Instead of wasting time learning by trial and error, read the book Cat Urine Problems Eliminated to discover proven-effective ways to retrain your cat and regain your home.