This box ain

*Accidentally hit 'enter' instead of the apostrophe button while I was coming up with a creative title - yikes!*
Hi all! I need some advice on my cat urinating outside of the litter box. My family has 4 cats and recently [starting about a month ago] our cat, Miss Kitty, has decided to urinate right outside the box. I've caught her on numerous occasions draping her tail over the side of the box so it seems she is doing this in efforts to keep her tail clean from the litter or make already inside the box. When I've caught her in the past I have gone over and held her bottom down into the box so she doesn't miss, but I can't keep doing this every time she goes, and cleaning all her piddles every day is just getting ridiculous! We have a very small house and we only have room for one litter box even though we have multiple cats so getting another is not an option at this point. I've thought of getting rid of our box now and getting another which has some sort of privacy door/screen which would prevent Miss Kitty from letting her tail drape outside the box, but if at all possible I'd like to figure this out some other, inexpensive way. Note: We have not taken her to the vet since this seems to be a vanity issue with her [we didn't name her Miss Kitty for nothing... ]

If this is a recent behavior, then it could be a health issue. When was her last checkup?
The box with a cover is a good idea but you really should add more boxes. Your other cats may start doing their business elsewhere too.
I assume your cats are indoor? I am asking because if they are not, another option would be to train them to do their toilet outside.

Has Miss Kitty gained weight recently? It could be she's just not fitting in the box any more.

Some people here have made their own litter boxes out of large rubbermade tubs; search the forum for the many made-my-own-litter box threads. That might be a reasonably cheap first thing to do.

I agree that a visit to the vet with the introduction of new urination problems makes sense, but you really need more litter boxes anyway, so buying a new, bigger litter box to add to what you've got now makes sense.

It doesn't matter how small your house or apartment is; if you've got room to sit on the floor, you've got room to put another litter box down. It might not be a pleasant situation, but it's better than having urine on the floor.

First of all, how old is Miss Kitty and the rest of your cats? I have one kitty (Monster) that did that as soon as she was getting adult age. She wasn't trying to pee on the floor, she was just pretty prissy also. That was solved by getting one of the covered litter boxes (I got mine from the dollar store for $15.00, and it was worth it!). She also was more comfortable with it because the other cats couldn't pounce on her while she was doing her business.

If she is older (and not just outgrowing the litter box) I agree taking her to the vet would be a good idea. Just to rule out any infections she may have, but I agree, it sounds like either a preference thing or she's just too big for the box now.

Also, with 4 cats and 1 litter box, how often are they cleaned out? If they are indoor only cats, they need it cleaned out a few times a day, or you should add another litter box. I have 6 cats and 3 litter boxes, and I know I have to add at least one more, but I'm kind of in you position where there isn't that much room. My cats make sure I know when they want their boxes cleaned, and I figure another litter box is better than the alternative of cleaning up their messes.

Welcome to TCS, BTW! This is a great site for info and suggestions. Many of us have multiple cats and its not always easy.

I hear you on the small apartment! If I had to add another litter box (luckily, my 2 don't seem to mind sharing, they'll hop in there together sometimes ), I don't know where I'd put it.

I second the large rubbermaid container as a larger, cheap alternative. If you keep the lid on and cut a whole in it, it will be a covered one without the door (mine won't use the door anyway). If you have the vertical space, you might even be able to put your current uncovered one on top of it so that you have 2 boxes. I've never done this, but it seems it might work!

These options aren't cheap, but you can get more hidden boxes that might be able to fit a little better into more public areas of your apartment! I've seen one that is concealed within the pot of a artificial floor plant!

Good luck!