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We have six cats. Some mostly stay inside, some prefer to be outside most of the time. It is now months into a loonger winter with -F temps every night. So all of them have been cooped up indoors too much.
A month ago, somebody urinated in our dish drain-board. I noticed when I started to put the dishes away. So I re-cleaned the dishes, scrubbed the drain-board, etc.
Now someone is doing this every few days.
We have not spotted who is doing it.
Our cats range from 10+ years old to 6 months old, and include 2 fixed males, the rest are females.
They have 3 litter boxes, and a dozen indoor houseplants that they sometimes urinate in [I have a bunch of trees that I bring indoors to winter-over].
Any ideas that would explain why a cat would do this?
They probably have a urinary tract infection. We have had cats do this. Our vets say that since urination in painful, they avoid the litter box. Also it's cool if there is metal at the bottom of the sink.
It can be life threatening if it's a male cat. The urinary tract can become blocked and the kidneys fail. Our first cat died this way.
We now have a female cat and she started doing this. We had to put her on antibiotics and it was cured fairly easily.
Increase fluids to your cats by using a syringe full of water and shooting it down their throats. Then watch them go potty. If they are straining and going more than the other cats, you have found the culprit.
Yes, it could very well be a UTI or some other medical problem. I currently have 5 cats so I understand it's sometimes difficult to pinpoint who's having the problem (been there and done that). You will have to watch them ALL very closely and figure out which one it is. Excessive drinking is the obvious thing to look for. Loss of appetite and/or change in usual habits is another indication something's not right. Not much help I know, just watch them like a hawk & good luck.
Just a couple of questions to see if we can figure this out for you! First, what type of litter do you use? By that, I mean is it clumping litter or regular litter? If it's clumping litter, how often do you scoop per day? Next, what size are your litter boxes? Are they standard litter boxes? A lot of us on here make our own litter boxes from storage bins. They're deeper and bigger. Cats seem to like these "homemade" litter boxes because they're roomier. Is there any way you can keep the plants and trees in another room away from the cats? The cats that do go outside might find your plants and trees more attractive as a litter box since they are used to going outside amongst the trees and plants!
Just a couple of questions to see if we can figure this out for you! First, what type of litter do you use? By that, I mean is it clumping litter or regular litter? If it's clumping litter, how often do you scoop per day? Next, what size are your litter boxes? Are they standard litter boxes? A lot of us on here make our own litter boxes from storage bins. They're deeper and bigger. Cats seem to like these "homemade" litter boxes because they're roomier. Is there any way you can keep the plants and trees in another room away from the cats? The cats that do go outside might find your plants and trees more attractive as a litter box since they are used to going outside amongst the trees and plants!
We use clumping litter.
We have three litter boxes, roughly 1 foot by 18" and 6" deep. Two of them were store-bought and are covered [doorway that they wall into a little dome], the third is open [and rubber-maid bin].
Until winter ends, I am stuck with having plants inside. They should be moving out now, but, ... winter has not ended yet.
We have three litter boxes, roughly 1 foot by 18" and 6" deep. Two of them were store-bought and are covered [doorway that they wall into a little dome], the third is open [and rubber-maid bin].
Until winter ends, I am stuck with having plants inside. They should be moving out now, but, ... winter has not ended yet.
It could be that one or more of the cats don't like the covered litter box. This is common with some cats. The odors are trapped inside and a lot of cats don't like that. Can you take the covers off?
The general rule is to have one litter box per cat plus one extra. I don't follow that rule though. I have 4 cats and 2 HUGE litter boxes I made from 2 45 gallon plastic bins. This works fine and I scoop a couple times a day. Your litter boxes sound a little small maybe. You could also try getting a bigger one and see if the cats gravitate to it more than the smaller ones. It takes a lot of experimentation to find what works best for your situation. Good luck!
I second the suggestion to get rid of the litter box covers. They not only trap odors, but dust as well and that can be unhealthy for your cats when using them. Covered litter boxes are mainly for the benefit of humans..... not the cat.
My vote for UTI also. My Son's one cat, Sassy, would do that when she had a flair up. Other times she was fine, but when she had the problem she would pee in the sink or tub. They put her on some medication that she took every day and that cleared it up.
You never know. One of my cats is urinating outside the box also. I took her to the vet, and everything is fine. I was sure it was a UTI, because she has had them before, but no. No UTI, not kidney related, not hyperthyroidism, and not diabetes.
The vet said the next thing to check for is cancer, as that will cause them to pee outside the box. Never heard of that one before.
You never know. One of my cats is urinating outside the box also. I took her to the vet, and everything is fine. I was sure it was a UTI, because she has had them before, but no. No UTI, not kidney related, not hyperthyroidism, and not diabetes.
The vet said the next thing to check for is cancer, as that will cause them to pee outside the box. Never heard of that one before.
Cats are mysterious little creatures. Like you said, it's not always a medical issue when it comes to urinating outside of the box.
OP...I wondering if maybe there are some territorial issues amongst the cats concerning the litter boxes. We had that problem one time. The older male would not let the younger male in the litter box. We had to move one of the litter boxes to another spot and I would stand guard when the younger male needed to use the litter box.
You could also try using a different brand of litter. There is a product out there that's supposed to attract the cat more to the litter box. Can't think of the name of it. Any one know what I'm talking about?
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Is there any way you can keep the plants and trees in another room away from the cats? The cats that do go outside might find your plants and trees more attractive as a litter box since they are used to going outside amongst the trees and plants!
We had that problem one time. The older male would not let the younger male in the litter box. We had to move one of the litter boxes to another spot and I would stand guard when the younger male needed to use the litter box.
