I am having an issue with eliminating outside of the box with my cats. The problem is, I have 3 cats inside and trying to narrow it down to see who is doing it, has proven difficult. But, I have caught my female in the act so I think it's her. Someone is peeing right beside the box on the floor. Someone also will pee on any plastic grocery sack if it is left on the floor. Someone has even peed in their water dish overnight because the dog drank all the water and it was empty, leaving the bowl for someone to pee in it. I'm at my wits end and am ready to put them all outside. No one is acting sick at all, but someone is peeing at least once a day outside the box. How do I narrow this down and correct this behavior? I know you're going to suggest a vet trip but that's not possible right now and I truly feel it's not medical related at all. It's behavior. Should I get all new litter boxes? I do have 4 boxes so that's enough for each cat plus one more. Help before I lose my mind.
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Elimination Problems
- Thread starter katina128
- Start Date
It's always tricky narrowing down culprits in multicat households. I usually take the view that the one I've caught in the act is responsible for all the incidents (whilst keeping an eye on the others just in case I'm wrong 
).
What's the dynamic like between the three of them? Is anyone getting picked on at all? What about other changes that could be stressful for kitties? Has anyone's behaviour changed in other respects?
My first stop with any kind of litterbox avoidance is always the vet. Only once I've ruled out physical causes do I start treating it as purely behavioural. I know you say the vet isn't an option right now, but if there IS a physical reason behind this behaviour, it'll e easier, quicker, and cheaper to treat if you catch it early.
Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet
Something else to consider is cleanliness of the boxes. Sometimes a cat will go outside the box if it's in need of scooping, and some cats are fussier than others. Four boxes is the minimum with three cats, really. If you're only scooping once or twice a day, adding in extra boxes may help, as it ensures there's always somewhere clean to go. (Extra boxes are never a bad idea in any case ). It can help to dump out the litter, thoroughly scrub out the boxes, and start fresh - especially if it's been a while since the last litter change. Especially with covered boxes, it's amazing how much dirt builds up in there, and it can't make them pleasant to use.
As the issue is peeing right outside the box, I'd suggest you put puppy pee pads down in front of/around the boxes for the time being. I've done this in the past (one of my old boys was a master at going into the box, then peeing out the door), and it works really well. It's a cheap and eaay way to protect your floors while you work on fixing the issue, and it makes cleanup a breeze.
It's hard to suggest more precise courses of action until you have a better idea of what the root cause is. The following article (and links within in) is pretty compehensive though, and a great start point:-
How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide
).What's the dynamic like between the three of them? Is anyone getting picked on at all? What about other changes that could be stressful for kitties? Has anyone's behaviour changed in other respects?
My first stop with any kind of litterbox avoidance is always the vet. Only once I've ruled out physical causes do I start treating it as purely behavioural. I know you say the vet isn't an option right now, but if there IS a physical reason behind this behaviour, it'll e easier, quicker, and cheaper to treat if you catch it early.
Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet
Something else to consider is cleanliness of the boxes. Sometimes a cat will go outside the box if it's in need of scooping, and some cats are fussier than others. Four boxes is the minimum with three cats, really. If you're only scooping once or twice a day, adding in extra boxes may help, as it ensures there's always somewhere clean to go. (Extra boxes are never a bad idea in any case
). It can help to dump out the litter, thoroughly scrub out the boxes, and start fresh - especially if it's been a while since the last litter change. Especially with covered boxes, it's amazing how much dirt builds up in there, and it can't make them pleasant to use. As the issue is peeing right outside the box, I'd suggest you put puppy pee pads down in front of/around the boxes for the time being. I've done this in the past (one of my old boys was a master at going into the box, then peeing out the door
), and it works really well. It's a cheap and eaay way to protect your floors while you work on fixing the issue, and it makes cleanup a breeze. It's hard to suggest more precise courses of action until you have a better idea of what the root cause is. The following article (and links within in) is pretty compehensive though, and a great start point:-
How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide
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Have you tried increasing their canned food?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
I do need to give them canned food more often. I'm sure of that. So I will start there as well as increasing the amount of scooping. I have a tiny house with 5 people in it, and no room for more boxes at all. I am making do with 4 as I don't even have room for all of them but have to. LOL I do have some dynamic issues I think. Katniss my girl gets picked on by Solomon a little bit, but not too bad. So maybe she's acting out over that. I try really hard to make sure there's nothing on the floor she can get to. But, I will pick up puppy pads and see if that at least helps around the boxes. I am at my wits end with this mess. It's at least once every day I have to clean up cat pee and that's ridiculous.
If you can't do more boxes, maybe scrub them out etc and increase the number of times you're scooping. (Don't misunderstand, this is NOT a criticism. It's just that keeping the boxes extra clean removes one possible trigger ).
My biggest instinct is that stress is involved here - it almost always is with litterbox issues, and often the trigger that kicks off the physical causes too. No matter what else you do, work on de-stressing the kitties (especially Katniss, as she's the prime suspect). Interactive playtime is a wonderful tool for this, and can't possibly do any harm.
I still think the vet should be your first stop though
). My biggest instinct is that stress is involved here - it almost always is with litterbox issues, and often the trigger that kicks off the physical causes too. No matter what else you do, work on de-stressing the kitties (especially Katniss, as she's the prime suspect). Interactive playtime is a wonderful tool for this, and can't possibly do any harm.
I still think the vet should be your first stop though
