Cat Changed His Litter Box Behavior Recently - For The Worse

[teenbop]

My cat recently started doing something unusually and I’m not sure of the cause. He pees with his butt down like usual and then he stands up and pees on the side of the box (and out of the box and on to the floor/wall.)

The only thing that has changed recently is we switched to an unscented litter and my husband and I are out of the house longer for longer commutes. We have another cat but they have lived together for years and get along well.

We went away for the weekend and left them alone with 2 litter boxes and they were out of food when we got back (our bad ) and it seems to have started after that.

Does anyone have experience with what this could be? A UTI? Stress? Is he mad? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Meieiei]

It sounds like it was stress or anxiety, if it's something that your cat has never done before. Try to leave more food than what they will be needed, just in case. Sometimes your trip can be delayed for whatever reason and your cats will be left with no food. And lots of water!

About the litter, try mixing them? So the change is not as drastic.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS.

It suppose it could be the "running out of food", but I'm thinking maybe he was uncomfortable using the litter box that hadn't been emptied during your absence. So maybe he leaned up against the side to get away from earlier "deposits".

The change of litter could be part of it too. I agree with Meieiei trying mixing in some of the old litter for a while. Could also be the change in your daily routines/commutes. As well, it could be an UTI.

Maybe try getting a high-sided litter box, so he can't pee over the top. And definitely keep an eye on him, and if he appears to be having trouble peeing, or in pain, obviously a vet visit would be required.

TCS has some articles that may help to explain your cat's new "habit". Here are the links:

How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet
How Many Litterboxes Should You Have?
Cat Litter - The Dust Settles

 

[teenbop]

So the box i have is high sided on 2 sides and he was peeing on one of the shorter sides near the wall. I ended up turning the box and he isn't able to pee over the side (and I'm not sure if he's still trying to do it anymore anyway.) I also got one of those pheromone diffusers.

Thank you for your help! Hopefully he sticks to the tall side of the box