Feline Inappropriate Elimination

Feline inappropriate elimination is a frustrating and difficult problem for everyone in the household.  Oftentimes, a cat may begin eliminating outside of the box due to medical reasons such as a urinary tract infection or orthopedic pain.  Once your veterinarian has ruled out medical causes, the problem will be approached as a behavioral issue.  There are several different things you can do at home to help stop behavioral inappropriate elimination.  Please note that urine spraying (marking territory on a vertical surface) is a different issue and requires a different approach.

Make the inappropriate place unattractive to your cat.

• Treat soiled areas with an enzymatic cleaner to remove all odors.
• Place a vinyl carpet runner, spiky side up, on the inappropriate area.
• Use perfume or potpourri in the area.
• Remove the area if possible, such as when a cat has chosen clothing on the floor.

Make the appropriate place attractive to your cat.

• Litter Box:
  • You need 1 litter box per cat in the household, plus 1 extra.  (Example:  3 cats in a household would need 4 litter boxes.)
  • Place at least 1 box on each floor of the house.
  • The litter box should be large, without a cover, and without a liner.

• Litter:
  • If using clumping litter, the box should be scooped daily and washed thoroughly weekly.
  • If using non-clumping litter, the box should be washed daily.
  • Wash the box with a mild dish soap that has little to no fragrance.
  • Litter should be 1 to 2 inches deep, and preferably a very fine grain

• Litter Box Environment:
  • Place the litter box in a low traffic area of the house.
  • Do not place food near the box.
  • The box should be easily accessible.
  • Make sure that a cat coming out of the box cannot be ambushed by another cat or pet hiding behind furniture or just around the corner.

Medication: 

• The veterinarian will decide if medication is needed on a case by case basis.
• This will generally help if anxiety is part of the problem.
• It is usually used for a minimum of 6 months.