Minnesota Valley Humane Society

The most common complaint of cat parents is that their cat does not always use the litter box. It is, however, a problem that can often be solved. The first step is to find out why your cat no longer wants to use a litter box. It may take some sleuthing by looking for “clues” and putting together “evidence”. Sometimes, you need to employ the help of a professional to get to the bottom of your cat’s behavior. Once you discover the reason or reasons that your cat has stopped using his or her box, a thorough cleaning and assessment of the situation is in order so your cat doesn’t go back to its bad habits. Finally, some re-training may be needed to ensure that your cat has a smooth transition back to its box. With a little work, your cat will be back to “thinking inside the box” and back to being your best friend.

This handout is divided into four sections.

1. Why isn’t my cat using its box?
2. The how’s and why’s of cleaning up.
3. Getting back on track.
3. My problem still isn’t solved. Now what?

SECTION 1: Why isn’t my cat using its box?
There are three main reasons why a cat stops using a litterbox.

• Health Problems
• Litter box Preferences
• Social Concerns

Health Problems
Before considering non-medical reasons, make sure your cat is physically healthy by bringing them to your veterinarian. Bladder infections can cause litter box lapses as can painful kidney or bladder stones. Male cats can develop microscopic crystals which can cause severe, yet often undetectable, pain and completely block urine output. These crystals can create a life or death situation in a matter of days. Diabetes is another disease which can cause a cat to eliminate inappropriately. Colitis, constipation, and diarrhea may also change litter box habits.

These are just a few health reasons why cats may stop using the litter box and they must be ruled out before addressing behavioral reasons or preferences relating to the litter box. The first step of identifying any litter box problem is to always visit your veterinarian.

If you discover your cat has stopped using its box due to a health concern, your problem may not end after treating the medical condition. You will need to thoroughly clean up any accidents (Section 2) and you may need to help your cat get back on track by litter box re-training (Section 3).

Litter Box Preferences
Cats can be very particular about the condition and location of their litter box. It is very important that cat pet parents make their cat’s litter box desirable to use.
If your cat stopped using its litter box, be sure to consider the following:

• Is the litter box clean? It is best to scoop your cat’s litter box daily or even several times a day. With some cats you can get by with less frequent cleaning, but make sure there is plenty of litter in the box.
• Oftentimes cleaning the litter box IS the problem. It is important to remove the entire contents of the box every few weeks to a month and wash out the box with warm, soapy water. Do not use harsh cleaning chemicals as they can be offensive to your cat.
• Litter type can be very important. Most cats prefer soft, scoopable litter. Others will use any clay litter. Many cats dislike scented litter. This can be more offensive to your cat than the odor of his own waste.
• Do you use a liner? Some cats tolerate a plastic liner in their box, which makes your cleaning job easier, but some do not like it. If you do use litter liners, avoid the scented liners.
• Is it private? Some cats like hoods on the top of the litter box for privacy. Others will not go in a hooded box. Avoid keeping a litter box near a mirror or window. Many cats react negatively to their own reflection or to cats they see outside through a window.
• Is it comfortable? Note the height of the sides of the litter box, especially if you have a kitten or an older cat that may have some stiffness in his legs. Big boxes provide lots of room, but if they are too difficult to get in, another spot may be chosen by your cat.
• Location, location, location. Put a box in an undesirable location and a cat will avoid it like the plague. Litter boxes should not be in high traffic areas of the house, yet should be easily accessible. Do not put their food or water near their litter box. No one wants to eat dinner in their bathroom. Keep the litter box away from noisy appliances like the washing machine or water softener.
• Do you have enough boxes? There should be a litter box for every level of the house— even more if you have a very large home. If you have multiple cats, a good rule to follow is having a box for every cat plus one. Follow this rule even if you think the cats are sharing.

Consider these individual preferences when trying to identify the source of a cat litter box problem. If you think your cat is not using his litter box due to a location, size or substrate preference, curing your cat’s problem can be as easy as correcting the issue, thoroughly cleaning the mistakes (Section 2) and re-training your cat (Section 3).

Social and Territorial Concerns
Many times a change in the household can cause a house cat so much anxiety that he or she may begin to mark territory with urine. If your cat used to use the litter box all of the time and has recently changed his habits, think about what changed at the time the cat started to urinate or defecate outside of the box.

• Do you have a new baby? Have you adopted a dog? Have some house guests stayed over? Cats, in general, can feel threatened by any perceived addition to the family. This stress can cause litter box problems.
• Do you have new furniture or new carpeting? Are some home repairs taking place? Many cats dislike change. The anxiety they experience can cause some cats to mark their territory.
• Did you get a new cat? The more cats you have in your household, the more likely one of them will start urine marking. Statistically speaking, an unneutered male is most likely to urine mark, even if he is the only resident cat, followed by a neutered male who comes into the territory of a female cat. Urine marking can be an indirect challenge to a dominant cat in the household or a sign of reasserting dominance by the lead cat. Some cats will even chase others out of a litter box, forcing them to urinate in other areas of the house.
• Are there outdoor cats or neighbor cats that are being let outside? Sometimes it’s the presence of an outdoor cat that is causing your cat anxiety. They may begin to mark their territory if they think the outdoor cat is a threat to them.

Thankfully, there are ways to help a cat though its anxiety and lead it back to its box. The first step is to understand why cats mark.

What is Urine Marking?
Both male and female cats have the ability to mark their territory with urine, even if they are spayed or neutered. Marking is a very instinctive and anxiety-relieving behavior.

Many cats mark by spraying either a vertical or a horizontal surface. When spraying a vertical surface, a cat will back up with its tail quivering and spray urine onto the surface. When cats spray a non-vertical surface, the urine will form a line on the surface. Other cats may mark by squatting. In this instance, there will be numerous, small, round puddles on the ground. Sometimes this type of marking is almost undetectable, especially if the surface is absorbent, such as on carpet.

SECTION 2: The how’s and why’s of cleaning up.
Cats have an extraordinary sense of smell. In their evolutionary past, they scent marked their hunting territory so as to prevent coming in contact with other wild cats. These scent messages told other cats in the area whose territory it was and when they had been there. It prevented direct confrontation with another cat, which reduced fighting. This was mutually beneficial for a species that is a solitary, nocturnal, hunter by nature. Scents can also draw males to females in heat, thus allowing for procreation of the species. This scent marking can be achieved with urine, feces, or scent glands between the paws, on top of the head, on the sides of the body and around the cheeks and chin. You may see your own cat rubbing these areas of his body on items in your house or even on you.

So what does this have to do with litter box problems? Unfortunately, a cat will often times go back to the same place or places in the house to “freshen up” its previous spot. This can be the perimeter of an entire room, or just a spot or two. Therefore, it is important to clean up a cat’s inappropriate elimination very well. A few important cleaning tips:

• Always use enzymatic cleaners when cleaning up after a cat’s accidents. Enzymatic cleaners, if used properly and allowed to work over time (at least two weeks without any remarking), will essentially degrade the components of the urine so that it is no longer recognizable as urine to your cat. This is your goal.
• Avoid steam cleaning when you are trying to clean up urine in your home. Steam cleaning alone can bring up the scent of the urine and make it more obvious to your cat that this is a place that he has eliminated.
• Do not use any cleaners containing ammonia, as this is a component of urine and may encourage the cat to mark or remark the area
• Replacing carpeting may not correct the problem, as urine can soak through the carpet pad and onto the surface below. At least one enzymatic product can be injected into the carpet pad below, or even on furniture cushions, using a syringe and needle, thus preventing expensive carpet and furniture replacement.

SECTION 3: Getting Back on Track
Any of the above listed situations could be the reason or reasons why your cat had originally stopped using the litter box. If you remedy the situation, such as clearing up a bladder infection with a prescription from your veterinarian, or changing the litter and cleaning the litter box more frequently, your cat may still be in the habit of eliminating in the wrong place, especially if the behavior has gone on for months or years. We are all creatures of habit and old habits die hard. Unfortunately, the longer the behavior goes on, the tougher it will be to change, so addressing the problem immediately is your best solution for a quick turn around.

You may need to retrain your cat to use its litter box. This is a simple and important step to help ensure your cat continues to use its box. During the retraining process, you should:

• Make the inappropriate elimination spots undesirable and unavailable for your cat. If you are dealing with a spot or two, you may try to put a bowl of food over the spot. Cats don’t want to eliminate where they eat. If it is feasible, you can try putting a litter box over the area or in the chosen corner and then slowly move it to a more discreet area (an inch a day) if your cat has chosen this place to do the majority of his eliminating. Aluminum foil can be a deterrent, as it makes a sound when sprayed which some cats don’t like.
• Decrease access to the area or areas where there were inappropriate eliminations. Consider confining you cat to a room with a clean litter box, a comfortable sleeping spot, and his food and water (across the room) for a week or two. This time can be used to do thorough cleaning and allow for enzymes to do their job in getting rid of odor on marked spots. This alone can help many cats get back on track.
• Make your cat’s litter box as accessible and desirable as possible. If you don’t know his preferences, prepare several boxes and monitor which ones get used. The results may surprise you.
• Sometimes a cat chooses a particular substrate such as towels or a certain rug. If your cat continuously uses a given throw rug or particular material to eliminate on, use this material to retrain the cat to use the box by replacing the litter temporarily with the preferred substrate (rather than just throwing it away). Slowly add litter back into the box while reducing the size of the other material over time.

To prevent litter box problems, keep your recently acquired cat or kitten in an area where they can always see their litter box for at least a couple of weeks. Instant access to the entire household can be overwhelming and frightening to a cat in a new environment, especially if the home is large or there are other resident cats already there. A new cat needs to feel secure and safe with the ability to slowly explore the new territory gradually and under direct supervision.

SECTION 4: What Else Can You Do?
Despite your best efforts, you may be unable to discover the cause of your cat’s litter box problems. Thankfully, there are a few more resources for you to try:

• A product known as Feliway can be used to decrease urine marking over time. It is a calming pheromone for cats which cannot be detected by humans. It comes in a spray bottle or as a plug-in, automatic dispensing system. It must be sprayed daily to be effective, so the plug-in, although more expensive, is much less work.
• Some overly anxious or nervous cats may be candidates for anti-anxiety medication. Because urine marking is an anxiety response, prescription medication may help to decrease or eliminate the behavior. Ask your vet to partner with an animal behaviorist if they are not well versed in cat behavior and appropriate anti-anxiety medication. Medication should always be accompanied by a behavioral treatment plan, or at the very least, some preventative house management. Medication does not address the reason or reasons for the problem. It will not take effect immediately, and possible side effects must be considered. It should be used as a last resort, as dispensing the correct dosage on a daily basis may in and of itself increase anxiety in your pet.

Trying to determine initial triggers, whether it is a urinary tract infection, changes in the cat’s home territory, or issues with another cat in the household, may allow you to get at the root of the problem and solve it. It is not always possible to completely solve the mystery as to why your cat stopped using the box, but it is certainly worth trying.

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