Spraying or over shooting?

Today for the first time today I saw Jordan pee outside the box. He went in the box, got in his usual squating position with one leg up on the side of the box, but as he was peeing he started to raise his butt. Levi does this all the time but usually just ends up dribbling outside the box. Jordan actually shot so far back that he was peeing on the wall. When I leave work today I'm going to replace the litter box he was in because it's old & buy one with higher sides. I'm also going to change the litter in all the boxes & clean the other 2 but my question is does it sound like he did it to try & tell me something, or did he just over shoot the box the way Levi does?

Is he neutered?
when they spray their tail is straight up and kind of shakes, also it smells much different to pee (really stinks)

Keep an eye on him to see if he has any trouble going, because you don't want him to end up with urinary crystals... a big problem.

He's neutered.
Crystals & UTI's are something I worry about all the time, especailly with 3 boys. I changed the litter in all the boxes yesterday & replaced the oldest box. I figure I'll replace the others over the next month or 2.

Sounds like overshooting. The #1 cause of this is a litterbox that is too small for the cat.

Instead of commercial litterboxes, I use large storage boxes - the kind that have a "footprint" that's just a little bigger than a normal litterbox but with sides that are about 2 feet high. Even if he does stand up, he'll just hit the side of the box.

Stores like The Container Store often have these containers with missing lids for about $2. It's a great deal - cheaper than any litterbox!

I'm glad to have found this thread. I just noticed my cat doing the same thing this morning! I am a little worried because he has the crystal problem and had a total blockage this winter. However, he went through a course of the dissolution diet and just had his follow-up visit (with great results). He is now on Royal Canin S/O (very strictly so) with very good results.

So this morning he was peeing as usual, then he stood up (without stopping the stream) and stepped out of the box (stream still going) and finished peeing while standing out of the box and projecting the stream into the box.

it was a good steady stream, good amount of pee, no straining, etc. Then he covered it up as usual. The last bit of stream (as it got weaker near the end) did end up beside the box. Other than that it was perfectly in the box.

Any others observed this in their male cats? I did notice one older thread that someone posted with the same problem. I'll bump that up just for interest sake.

p.s. Thanks all--I'm new here!

Originally Posted by semiferal

Sounds like overshooting. The #1 cause of this is a litterbox that is too small for the cat.

Instead of commercial litterboxes, I use large storage boxes - the kind that have a "footprint" that's just a little bigger than a normal litterbox but with sides that are about 2 feet high. Even if he does stand up, he'll just hit the side of the box.

Stores like The Container Store often have these containers with missing lids for about $2. It's a great deal - cheaper than any litterbox!

Click to expand...

I use the 18-gallon Sterilite or Rubbermaid totes from the dollar store. I haven't had any trouble with 'overspray' since switching to those.

Oreo's the one in my house who sprays high the most frequently, and he's been neutered for years. It's just how he pees - the times when he's had urinary issues, he let us know by urinating on the bathroom and kitchen rugs (he's normally very good about using the box).

To be safe, try to keep an eye on Jordan and see how often he's going - if he seems to be going in frequently and not producing very much urine each time, get him to the vet.

Interestingly, it's not always just the boys in my house who spray - I got quite a shock a few days ago when I heard someone spraying the sides of the litterbox in the computer room, looked over, and saw Sylvestra (spayed female) spraying against the sides in there!

I'm lucky because mine actually prefer covered litter boxes, so the one I bought yesterday was covered so if he does this again it just hits the back & rolls in. I know because Levi has been an over shooter as long as I had him, hence the covered boxes. I did see something intresting, it's called the Clever Cat. For those that don't know it's a top entry box; however, I wonder if my guys would use it?

my cat does this, but she's a female. She's done it the whole time I've had her (8.5 months). She's my first cat and I figured she wasn't doing it on purpose because she is in the litterbox when she goes. I finally had to get a box with the lid and door. Sometimes it still manages to get outside the box, but at least it doesn't hit the wall. Should I be concerned?

I don;t think you need to be concerned Soojee.
You could always just experiment with other sizes and styles of litter box or rubbermaid containers or even a dog litterbox as they are huge. I haven't seen a covered one though.