How to stop cats from urinating in the house

According to animal shelters, one of the largest reasons people give up their cats is because they cannot stop their cat from urinating in the house and outside the litter box. It is with that upsetting fact that we have decided to provide a handful of reasons why your cat is urinating in the house where he/she should not, in hopes we can prevent more cats from being giving up to shelters.

Declawing

If your cat has been declawed, there is a chance it may experience severe pain in the paws nerve endings caused by certain materials found in the litter. Therefore, it is important you purchase gentle litter for your cat. Regular litter will cause the cat to associate the litter box with pain and not use it, possibly the cause of your cat urinating in the house.

Change in location of litter box

If either you have physically moved homes or even just moved the litter box elsewhere in your home, a change in the location of the litter box may cause your cat to pee outside it. As we’ve often stated, cats are creatures of habit. Breaking their routines may cause them to urinate outside the litter box. Any type of moving or change can bring out insecurities cats possess.

Addition to the family

Cats require attention. If you have recently brought another animal into the household or even a baby, cats may get jealous. If it is another cat, you should have one litter box per cat. Either animal or baby, give your cat, who is having trouble peeing outside the litter box, great attention to convey they are still very loved.

Serious medical problem

We hope that you can stop your cat from urinating in the house with one of the above tips, and that the reason is one of the above scenarios. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

A serious reason you cannot stop cats from peeing outside the litter box is a urinary tract dysfunction, known as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). The disease causes painful urination which the cat may associate with the litter box. So if none of the above scenarios exist in your household we recommend you make an appointment with your veterinarian.