# Cat peeing outside litter tray



## Jduh (Apr 2, 2013)

One of my cats Millie who is approximately 5 months old has started randomly weeing on either my Papasan chair or bean bag in the living room and I can't work out why!

So she continues to use the litter tray for poo and most of her wee but once or twice a day does it on the above mentioned furniture. This is usually in the evening but not exclusively. She has even had a wee on the chair and then climbed down and gone straight to the litter tray to have a poo.

I thought it might be because she thought the litter tray wasn't clean enough but she did it today and the trays were both cleaned and washed out today.

We have 2 big covered litter trays and we use Catsan non clumping litter. The older 2 go outside during the day so only really use the litter tray at night.

It's so confusing. Any ideas why and advice to stop it?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I think the clue may well be in the fact she used the chair for a wee and then went straight to the litter tray for a poo: there are a number of cats who don't like using the same litter tray for weeing and pooing in, and she may be one of them.

Two litter trays for 3 cats is not enough, even if the 2 older cats only use them at night. The rule of thumb is 'one tray per cat', and ideally plus one extra tray. Certainly at night I would put out 4 trays. They all don't need to be large trays.

The problem with any non clumping litter like Catsan, is that it only takes one poo in a tray for the whole of the litter to be contaminated by the smell. Meaning the trays need emptying out completely and refilling almost every day. This is why I much prefer the cereal based litters such as Cats Best Oko Plus which clump beautifully, and are so easy to scoop leaving the rest of the tray uncontaminated. Although possibly more expensive to buy than Catsan it is so much more economical in use. 

At 5 mths old a kitten is beginning to assert herself more and express her likes and dislikes more, which may be the reason she has just started doing this..

On the other hand it could be that she has a urinary tract infection or bladder irritation (cystitis), as cats will often choose to wee on a soft surface when they have a bladder problem. Have you noticed any signs of her drinking more or weeing more often than usual, or straining without passing anything? 

Or it could be her urine is very concentrated and is uncomfortable to pass. 
If you are feeding her dry food she might be low on fluids, as cats, and kittens especially, find it hard to drink enough water to hydrate dry food fully.
Dry food is responsible for causing many bladder and kidney problems as well as constipation.

If you have not seen any signs suggesting a possible UTI I would see how things go with extra trays, and perhaps a change of make of cat litter. But if it continues to be a problem then I would have her seen by the vet. 

It is essential to get rid of any lingering whiff of urine where she has weed away from the trays or she will treat it as a toilet and keep going back there. Clean up with a solution of Biotex or Urine Off. Soft furnishings are best dry cleaned. 
Washable items really need laundering at 60 degrees in bio laundry liquid to eradicate the smell, or soaking in Biotex for half an hour before washing at a lower temp.


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## Jduh (Apr 2, 2013)

Thank you for your reply. I will put another litter tray down and see how that goes.

I've not noticed an increase in urination but going to phone the vet tomorrow for advice. She's fed an all wet diet so it's definitely not dry food problems.

We tried clumping litter when I first got the older 2 but they tried eating it and it worried me as people said its dangerous so we changed to non clumping but I guess now they are older they won't try and eat it so I will try switching over gradually.

I've put the cushion from the chair in our room so she can't get to it when we aren't in the house. Hopefully this will help.

Could it be her spraying? Do female cats urine mark? She has been spayed.

The weird thing is she does 90% of her wee in the litter tray. It's only been in the last week and it's happened 4/5 times over the whole week. That's what I find strange.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Yes, female cats do scent mark with urine. Less usual if they have been spayed, but if they feel a threat to their territory from some source they may do it. 
I didn't realise she was doing most of her weeing in the trays - that would suggest the odd time might be scent-marking.

Have there been any recent changes in the home? Have you moved house, or has a new human or new pet moved in ? Any work being done on the house so workmen are coming in? Any house guests staying? How does she get on with your other cat?

If there has been no change to her routine, it could be she is seeing cats through the window and feeling threatened. I don't recall whether you said in another post if your cats go outside or not? Scent-marking indoors is more usual with indoor-only cats. Or if they are cats who go outside it could be a reaction to a strange cat getting into their house through the cat flap.

If there is a chance she is seeing strange cats from a window (perhaps cats in your garden) it might be best to block the *lower* part of the specific window with glass obscuring film. Very easy to apply and it doesn't mark the glass. Can buy it from ebay.

Re litter: it is the clay clumping litters that are dangerous for kittens to eat, as the stuff swells in their gut and can cause a serious blockage. The cereal clumping litters would not harm them if they ate some. But as you say they are old enough now not to eat it.


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## Jduh (Apr 2, 2013)

When scent marking do they wee in a different position? She still sits slightly crouched staring straight ahead when she does it.

My older two go in and out during the day through a micro chip cat flap which has a sensor to lock itself at night to keep all of them indoors. She doesn't go out at all as she is still too little but sometimes she sits by the cat flap when they've gone out. It almost looks like she's waiting for them to come back in.

She is the new pet in the house so no other changes in that sense. She gets on beautifully with my older two. She wants to be with them all the time and they play, sleep and groom her. I feel very lucky with how she's been accepted into the cat pack.

I haven't seen any cats in the back garden for ages but there are a couple who walk about out the front that she might be seeing from the kitchen window.

Could it be anything to do with the firework noise?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I had a (spayed) female who used to spray the bushes in our garden whilst standing in a similar position that a male cat would adopt to spray. I have also seen females scent-marking whilst squatting. So I think it can vary from individual to individual.

Loud noises such as fireworks going off might frighten a cat if the noise occurred whilst the cat was in litter tray, and might make them jump out mid-wee, run and hide, perhaps weeing when they felt safe. But I think it would have to happen a lot on a regular basis for the cat/kitten to begin to associate the litter tray with scary loud noises and refuse to use it for that reason.

On the other hand if a cat or kitten were to be frightened suddenly by a 
very loud noise close at hand they might lose control of their bladder and wee in fright. Does this seem to happen every time there are fireworks going off? I would be worried if she is getting so very frightened by the noise she is regularly losing control of her bladder.

If you think the firework noise might be to blame I would give her a course of Zylkene, a supplement which is good at helping with anxiety issues. The capsules are to be opened and the powder added to food.

Zylkene Capsules - Priced Per Tablet - 75mg - Animed Direct

The Zylkene may help her anyway, if she is a bit anxious about something, so I'd give them for a month to see any benefit. And when the fireworks are going off I'd keep her in one room, perhaps the living room and put the TV on a bit louder, or play music to mask the sound of the fireworks.

It sounds as though she has settled in very well with your other two and they have accepted her well. But it is possible there could still be some territorial issues, and cats often internalise unease they may feel and express it in other ways e.g. as scent-marking.

One of my cats seemed to get on really well with my two 5 mth old kittens from the moment they arrived, and I was delighted, but then he sprayed in the house a few times, something he had never done before. My other 2 cats on the other hand don't like the kittens and growl and hiss at them if they see them through the door to their room. But they are not spraying in the house, as evidently they feel comfortable expressing their disapproval openly and verbally!.


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