That Definitely Doesn’t Go There: Or A Year and a Half of Inappropriate Urination

That Definitely Doesn’t Go There:  Or A Year and a Half of Inappropriate Urination

Most of the time you smell urine before you see it; or step in it.  You know it’s somewhere, it’s just a matter of pinpointing where exactly it is.  Not only where it is, but whose it is.  If you have one cat in your house, it’s relatively simple to name the perpetrator.  When there are multiple cats in your house, sleuthing out the guilty party is often much more difficult.

If you’re like me it’s a matter of who has a wet bottom, or you take to hiding behind doors to possibly catch them in the act, or hauling everyone into the vet to do urinalysis testing in hopes that it’s something as easy to treat as a urinary tract infection.   Let’s say you find out who is the culprit, urinating outside of his or her litterbox.  The hard part is over, right?

Not always.

Now begins the task of finding out the reason for the inappropriate urination.  The age old battle of Medical vs Behavioural.   If it is a medical reason, why s/he is peeing where they’re not supposed to  can be easy to treat.  (Please note I say, ‘can be’).  Find the cause of the issue, be it bacterial infection, crystals/bladder stones or stressed induced inflammation, pinpoint method of treatment (diet vs. medication vs surgery) and start the healing and treatment.

Personally, I think that it’s important to rule out a medical reason for the open house litterbox bonanza.  Has your cat been in for his/her annual wellness examination?  If so, was blood or urine run?  If not, that’s a great way to rule out any potential problems, be it known or unknown.  Once you’ve ruled out medical reasons you can focus on other avenues.

If it is behavioural, well that is a completely different battle to take on.  There are a number of reasons why cats will urinate out of their boxes when it is behavioural.  Do they like the litter you’re buying? Is it too dusty?  Not dusty enough?  Is it too smelly?  Is it not smelly enough?  Are there enough litter boxes?  Are the litter boxes covered or uncovered?  Are the litter boxes placed in high or low traffic areas?  Are they being scooped frequently enough?  Are they being cleaned frequently enough?  Where is your cat urinating?  Does he or she have a hard time urinating?  Is it possible that s/he is marking his or her territory?  Does your cat simply like to watch you work harder than necessary?

These are all valid issues that cats are prone to when it comes to bathroom habits.  It is a time- consuming endeavor that can be frustrating.  But the great news is that we’ve heard it all and will be able to help.  Odds are, we’ve gone through the exact same issues ourselves at home and if not, other clients have and we have resources to help ease the frustration and confusion.

If it’s not a litterbox issue it could be due to the introduction of a new pet or family member. Have you brought in a new cat/dog?  Is there a new person or baby living at the house? Each come with their own new scents as well as your attention which your cat previously held.  There are also a number of jealous reactions your cat may have regarding this new ‘intruder’ in their space.  Certain parts of the house (or the whole house itself) previously had been theirs, and now they are being forced to share it with a stranger.  Cats can be very territorial and this is a big stressor that can cause inappropriate urination and/or marking.

Currently, I’m going through this exact issue.  It took a while to narrow down who it was that has been “decorating” my front hall and once that mystery was solved, I moved onto the second level of treatment.  Ruling out any urinary infection.  I started off with a urinalysis that came back clear.  I then signed my ‘interior designer’ up for a culture and sensitivity test, which also came back clear.  It was diagnosed as a raging case of “Cattitude”.

That was when my real work began.  First, I purchased a fourth litterbox for the house.  The rule of thumb is generally to have one litterbox per cat in the household and then one extra.  So I have four boxes and two are in very low traffic areas.  If the issue was that there was no privacy for ‘box duties’, I had hopefully addressed it.  In addition, I started to scoop the boxes twice a day (where I had previously been scooping once a day).  This helped for a little while, until it didn’t.

There are a number of odorizing products on the market that you can add to your cat’s litterbox to help with the scent, as some cats have an issue if the litter smells too much.  Their sense of smell is much more advanced than ours, so I started to use products to help make the box smell clean.  In addition, I also purchased a Feliway Diffuser which emits pheromones for cats to help with anxiety, marking, inappropriate urination and other issues along the same lines.

This all worked as well; for a period of time.  Weeks would go by with no “accidents” until just one episode would start us on the same road back to square one.  I’ve now built a cool fort at square one where my cat and I are facing off in this battle of wits.

I feel it necessary to point out that it’s important not to get outwardly angry at your cat if they are urinating out of the box or marking their territory.  Sometimes they just can’t help what they’re doing, other times your anger and any punishments can just make things worse.  What is important to remember is that they’re not doing it to be spiteful.  They aren’t malicious and making them anxious and afraid will only heighten the issues at hand.  As strange as it may sound they need to feel secure and reassured of your love and attention as you work together to try and solve whatever problems that your cat is experiencing.

We, your veterinary health team, are there for you every step of the way in addressing your cat’s urination issues.  From helping you to start with a simple examination and lab work to test his/her urine, to problem solving ways to make your cat more at ease in his/her environment, we can offer ideas and suggestions to ease your confusion and frustration.   Call us today if you think that your cat is urinating inappropriately or marking his/her territory.

Julie