Cat Behavior Concerning Urination
If all your efforts to make your cat stop urinating in the house are futile, and you can’t for the life of you understand why your cat insists on this irritable habit, then this is exactly what you need to read.
Cat Behavior Problems ~ Urinating
Despite how much you love your cat, there are some habits that you simply can’t tolerate and you have to draw the line. One of these is that of urinating in the house. The worst part of this annoying habit is the stains it leaves on the rugs and the persistent stench. As for the cause of this behavior, it can either be to mark their territory, or a physiological (health related) or psychological problem.
Urinating in the House
A cat urinating on vertical surfaces such as doors, curtains, walls, etc., is known as spraying. Cats use their urine to mark their territory so they can remember where they have been and also as an announcement to other cats that it owns the territory. Also, when a female cat is sexually mature, it alerts tomcats for mating by spraying. Tomcats on their part spray to announce to intruders that they are intruding.
Urinating in the house is also common when there is more than one cat in the house. A cat in such a house urinates to place his mark on furniture around the house and keep order in his chaotic world. Rearranging the furniture or buying new ones will not solve this problem.
Urinating on Bed
A cat undergoing stress will most likely urinate on the bed, even on shoes and freshly done laundry. The source of this stress can be issues with other pets, new objects around the house, litter box problems or new people in the house. On rare occasions, the cat considers the bed its litter box for reasons best understood to them.
Sometimes, cats love to urinate on things or places that have your scent because to them, this strengthens the bond they share with you. This is a sign to other cats that you are his and they should back off.
At other times, the reason your cat urinates over and over on the bed is because it is strongly attracted by the strong scent of urine lingering on the bed. Cleaning the bed properly and ridding it of the stench of urine could be of great help in such cases.
Cat Behavior ~ Urinating Outside Litter Box
Your cat urinating outside the litter box may be a sign that it is infected. Urinary tract infections cause painful urination and the cat starts associating the litter box to pain and would rather pee out of it. Aside this, urgency in passing urine, caused either by liver problems, intestinal parasites, kidney disorders, thyroid diseases, etc., can urge the cat to urinate and even defecate outside its litter box.
Older cats may no longer use the litter box because it is difficult for them to jump in and out of the litter box. This difficulty can be caused by nervous system disorder, muscular disorder or arthritis and a visit to the vet can quickly eliminate any of such health defects.
Cats are very neat animals. If its’ litter box is not properly cleaned or smelly, the cat may evade the litter box. Other times, a cat may not like the fragrance or the feel of the granules under its paws, of a litter box bought for him. This makes him urinate out of the box.
Cats too prefer to do their business away from prying eyes, thus if the litter box is constantly under surveillance, or located in open space, the cat will not use it and tend to urinate and defecate in unwanted places.
If your cat constantly avoids the litter box, use a strong enzyme cleaner or detergent to sanitize the area, then, cover the area with foil or plastic. This will make it unpleasant for the cat to walk and thus urinate in this area. If your cat is spraying to mark its territory, getting it neutered can be the solution. If your cat is neutered, then there may be a health problem and a visit to the vet will help. Your cat may also urinate out of the box just to get your attention or separation anxiety.