The most common unwanted behavior described by cat owners is house soiling. This includes urinating or defecating in unwanted areas outside the litter box. House soiling is sometimes called inappropriate elimination. If there is a change in your cat’s elimination habits (location, frequency, consistency, amount), a veterinary visit is highly recommended. Early detection and early intervention are key in helping resolve house soiling.
Supporting the lifestyle and elimination needs of cats can prevent and assist in reversing inappropriate elimination. Regardless of the cause, assessing the needs of your cat is a good starting point.
Whether the cause is an illness, a behavioral disorder, or an unwanted habit, the checklist for encouraging litter use in cats is largely the same. Follow these steps to set cats up for success, especially those with underlying illness.
1) Identify the correct cat or cats. The easiest way to do this is to set up a small video camera to observe the location where the elimination is happening. It may surprise you that many cat owners improperly identify the “culprit” (in a multi-cat houselhold).
2) Meet the needs of the cats. Cats need exercise, social contact, and attention. They also need time to rest, opportunities to engage in seeking/finding behavior, and freedom from stress. Cats also require:
Based on research, here are items most cats prefer when it comes to a litter box:
Providing a “litter cafeteria” temporarily can help owners assess what a cat prefers. Offer several boxes with a variety of litter types located in the same area. Providing a box with sand and one with soil may also be helpful. Take note of which litter type is used most frequently over the course of a week, and provide that litter moving forward.
If your cat is eliminating outside the box, pay attention to the surface they are choosing. Is it paper, fabric, or towels? Sometimes providing a litter box with the preferred material will prompt the cat to use the litter box. Cat litter can then be gradually mixed in with the preferred material to retrain over time.
Most cats are by nature fastidious which means that they spend a lot of time grooming themselves. They naturally prefer a tidy bathroom as well. Consider a human going into a public restroom. If someone before you forgets to flush, do you proceed and use the toilet? Doing our best to keep the litter clean and appealing to cats is one of the most important factors in maintaining good elimination habits for your cats.
Every Day: Scoop all clumps. Some cats prefer the litter to be scooped even more frequently.
Every Week: Empty all litter and any residue from the box. Refill with clean litter.
Every Month: Empty all litter and thoroughly scrub the box with hot water and mild soap before refilling. Some cats prefer this to be done weekly.
Every Year: Completely replace the litter box.
There are numerous medical concerns which can lead to house soiling including:
A thorough health checkup, behavioral checkup, and lab testing are the first important steps in changing house soiling. A thorough history, physical examination, blood tests, urine testing, and x-rays may be recommended.
The veterinarian may recommend follow-up testing and treatment for underlying illnesses as part of a comprehensive therapeutic plan to reduce house soiling.
Marking and toileting are the two main strictly behavioral causes of inappropriate elimination. These behaviors can be caused by stress.
Marking can be done with urine or feces and is a normal behavior in cats. But marking with urine or feces outside the litter box can be a sign of social pressure or stressors. Most cats who are marking will also use the litter box sometimes and deposit small amounts of urine or feces in other, socially important locations.
Some examples of socially important locations:
Toileting is a term used to describe relieving a full bladder or bowel. Cats who toilet outside the litter box rarely also use the litter. They tend to void fuller amounts, and not necessarily in socially important locations.
Toileting frequently involves one or more of these factors:
The diagnosis behind the cause of the inappropriate elimination will help guide treatment. Your veterinarian can assist with making this diagnosis and in prescribing an appropriate treatment protocol. Most treatment plans involve trying to re-establish the habit of using the litter box.
Some suggestions:
Sometimes medications are prescribed for behavioral elimination, especially medications that reduce anxiety and stress. Medication alone will not solve or reverse inappropriate elimination and should always be accompanied by a detailed retraining plan. Your veterinarian can help discuss whether medications are appropriate and how they might be incorporated to facilitate litter retraining.