Your cat just doesn’t want to use its litter box and prefers to go next to the litter box? This can quickly become a test of your patience and quite frustrating. However, there is always a reason why your kitty stops urinating in her litter box. Here you can read about the cause and what you can do about it.
These 5 tips will help you and your cat
The most important thing first: If your cat suddenly doesn’t pee in its litter box but next to it, it’s not doing it to annoy you. You should therefore not be angry with her, because this is her way of indicating that she has a problem or that she is not feeling well.
Therefore, you should find out as quickly as possible what the cause of their uncleanliness is.
Make a vet appointment
If your cat pees next to the litter box, health issues are a very likely cause. Therefore, your first step should always be a visit to your veterinarian.
Tip 1
Have your cat checked over completely by the vet!
Ask for a blood test and a urine test to be done.
If your cat is ill and therefore has pain when peeing, it can unfortunately quickly lead to a momentous mismatch: it thinks that the litter box is to blame for its pain and therefore prefers to urinate next to the loo.
However, it is also possible that your cat is unable to control its bladder due to health problems and simply cannot make it to the litter box in time.
The most common diseases associated with uncleanliness are:
- kidney problems
- cystitis
- urinary crystals and stones
- Incontinence (due to illness, dementia or old age)
- diabetes
Hopefully, once your cat has been diagnosed and given the appropriate medication, he will soon be free of pain when he pees. This should allow her to get used to her litter box again after a while, forgetting the link “litter box = pain” after a while.
Change the litter box
If your cat is physically healthy, she may just not like her current litter box.
Tip 2
You should find the right litter box for your kitty. You can read how to do that here: Buying guide: Which litter box is right for my cat?
There can be several reasons why your litter box suddenly pees next to it instead of using it:
The type of toilet is not appropriate. Have you ever changed your kitty’s litter box? If not, it may be that your cat’s litter box has become too small or cramped, or that she no longer likes the high rim as she gets older. Or she once got very frightened in her closed litter box. In these cases, only one thing helps: You need one or preferably several new litter boxes. It can be helpful if you offer your kitty two different litter box models in different locations in the home. So she has more choices.
The location is inappropriate. A litter box should be in a quiet, sheltered spot so your cat won’t be disturbed while she’s doing her business. However, it should not be in a place outside of the social sphere of living together, such as far away in the basement. It is also important that the litter box should never be in the same room as the food and water bowls.
The litter box is difficult to reach: if the litter box is in the basement, for example, it is no longer so easy for an older cat to get down the stairs. You should therefore make sure that the litter box is easily accessible and that your cat can easily get in at any time.
The environment has changed. Did you use a different cleaning product to clean the litter box or put a new dresser next to the litter box? Small changes like this can be enough to get your cat to stop peeing in her loo and prefer to urinate next to it.
Keep a clean litter box
If the litter box isn’t cleaned regularly by you and it’s dirty, then your cat, being a very clean animal, probably just won’t want to use it.
Tip 3
Clean the litter box at least once a day.
It’s even better if you clean the toilet immediately after each use.
You should also wash out the toilet once a week and completely replace the litter.
It’s also possible that your cat just doesn’t like the current litter in her litter box and prefers to pee next to the litter box.
If so, you can switch up the litter and try different materials, from pellets to shavings to scented litter.
Take care of security
Cats are creatures of habit and like routines. Changing routines can stress your cat, causing him to pee next to his litter box.
Tip 4
Take a lot of time for your kitty and give her a lot of love and attention.
Provide lots of treats and cuddles.
You can distribute special scent diffusers with pheromones in the apartment. These are endogenous odor messengers that give your cat a sense of security.
In particularly stressful times (moving, new family member, renovation, etc.) you can also support your cat with Bach flowers, which are herbal tranquilizers. Talk to your vet first though.
Always introduce socialization to new cats, dogs, other pets, or new family members slowly and carefully.
There are many situations that can frighten your cat and cause stress.
Changed environment. Have you moved or bought new furniture? Then your kitty can be overwhelmed and just needs time to get used to it.
A new family member or pet has moved in. Have you had a child or has a dog or a second cat moved in with you? Then your cat can be very insecure or even develop jealousy of the competitor.
New daily routine. Do you have a new job or new working hours and are you suddenly out of the house at different times? Or do you feed your cat at other times? That can be enough to make her urinate next to the litter box in protest when you’re not around.
conflicts with peers. Do you maybe have several cats? Then it may be that your kitty is in constant competition for important resources such as bedding, toys, or food, or is being bullied by another cat. Here you should keep a close eye on your kitties and make sure there is enough food and places to lie down for everyone.
Remove urine thoroughly
If your cat goes next to the litter box, you should definitely clean it well and thoroughly.
Tip 5
Clean the floor and any items that have been peed on very thoroughly.
Thorough cleaning of the affected areas around the litter box is also absolutely necessary as an emergency measure. Firstly, cat urine stinks and secondly, cats like to pee in the same place over and over again if they can still smell their urine.
You can use various cleaning agents or home remedies for cleaning:
First of all, it is important that you really find all the urine stains. Small stains in particular often smell rather weak, so that we humans can no longer perceive the smell, but your cat can smell it very well.
You can use a black light lamp to find all the spots.
Use vinegar or an enzyme cleaner to clean. This removes the smell of urine.
Inform you
If you want to know what else you can do to prevent your cat from being unclean, then we recommend you go to the vet. There you will find many tips and assistance.
