Helpful Hints

Cat Pee on the Carpet?

Is your cat urinating or defecating outside the litter box? Here are some hints to encourage the kitty to use the box:

• Take to your veterinarian to rule out medical problems.
• Do not punish the cat. He or she doesn’t understand why and will become less friendly and more anxious.
• Hygiene
  • Scoop (but do not stir) daily
  • Empty box, wash with mild soap and put in new litter every 2 weeks
  • Replace box annually
• Litter
  • Clumping
  • Non-scented (no odor control)
  • Most preferred litters are Cat Attract, Ever Clean, World’s Best, and Swheat Scoop (give your cat a choice of several boxes each with a different litter)
• Box
• Number of boxes = one per cat plus one
• Open box
• Large enough for cat

What if the urine is not on the carpet, but on the wall, the stereo speaker, or the microwave? The cat backs up to a vertical surface and his tail twitches while he produces a small amount of urine. In that case, the cat is spraying- a form of marking. Spraying is more difficult to treat because, in addition to all the steps outlined for elimination problems, the spraying cat usually must be treated with anti-anxiety medication. Spraying usually occurs in multi-cat households and males are most likely to spray, but females can also spray. Tomcats normally spray and neutering will eliminate the behavior unless the cat is socially stressed. Ask your veterinarian about medications.