7 Reasons Why Your Kitty Pees in the Wrong Place

"Your Cat and Their Litter Box”  

It can be such a wonderful thing when your cat neatly uses their litter box for their business and covers it all up.  

Your part in all of this is just to keep it clean and refill with litter.  

Easy peasy right?

But. what if your cat has decided to act out and has stopped using the litter box?

O M G - this is probably one of the worse pet problems you will ever deal with!!

I mean, cat urine, has a distinct smell that is very, very difficult to remove.  

This is especially true if they peed on your bed, carpet, or any other material in your home.

Let’s explore some reasons why your furry feline may be “acting out” outside of OR away from their litter box.

Here are 7 Reasons Why Your Kitty Pees in the Wrong Place

1 - DIRTY 

Generally speaking, your cat wants a clean and fresh litter box to go "potty” in.   If you haven’t cleaned it in a while, that may be the culprit.    

If they cannot detect a clean enough area in the box to use, they may just hop out, and go beside the litter box.

What you can do: 

• Clean the Box and fill with fresh litter.     
• Clean up any pee areas around the box with a great cat urine cleaner.
• Start scooping out every single day.    I know this may sound like a lot of work, but trust me - it’s far less work in the long run.  This is going to be much easier than always cleaning up cat pee and poop that is “outside” of the box.    And when you get into the habit of doing it daily, it really won’t seem like much at all - about the same amount of time it takes to wash your face!

2 - SMELLS TOO GOOD

What?  How can this be a problem?  

Well, some of the litter out on the market today has all types of fragrances in them to appeal to our noses, not your cat’s nose!     Some smell like flowers and others fruity.  

These smells are not natural for your cat and may just offend them.   This may encourage them to hop out and find a more “neutral smelling” spot.    

I mean, when is the last time dirt smelled like flowers to you?  

What you can do:

• Dump out the really great smelling litter and choose a more neutral smelling litter that will capture the urine smell and break it down with enzymes.    This keeps the “potty smell” down without all of the lovely fragrances.  
• If you want a fragrance for your nose in the area, plug in an air freshener in the room.   Just make sure it isn’t too close to their box.
• Clean any pee areas around the box with a great cat urine cleaner.

3 - INTIMIDATION 

If you have multiple cats that DO NOT get along, one or more of your cats may be trying to control the litter box area.  

I have seen males, especially, run to the box to intentionally try to stop a female from getting into the box.  

What you can do:

• Establish multiple litter boxes in multiple areas of the home.   (I'm a huge fan of boxes with high sides - keeps litter IN the box.) 
•  This will ensure that everyone has a private and peaceful spot to do their business!   A good rule of thumb is to have 1 litter box/cat in the home.
• Clean up any pee areas around the box with a great cat urine cleaner.

4 - URINARY TRACT INFECTION

If your kitty isn’t feeling well, they may become agitated to the point where they just potty anywhere and everywhere.    

An infection could cause them great pain and sometimes confusion.     Jumping into the litter box may also be too painful to the point where they become discouraged from using it.

What you can do:

• Take your kitty to their vet to be checked out for any sickness or infections.

• Move the litter box to a more convenient place if they are not well.
• Clean up any pee areas around the box with a great cat urine cleaner to discourage a repeat offense in the location.

5 - HOODED/AUTOMATIC CLEANERS 

Litter boxes come in all shapes, sizes, and configurations these days.    

Some boxes are enclosed with a hood and some even have a battery operated cleaning mechanism on them.

Just like the scented litter, these inventions are for you, not your cat!    I understand you want to keep the smell and unsightly view down but you need to understand that these setups will make some cats feel a lot of anxiety and fear about using the box - especially skittish kitties that tend to run from strangers that enter the home.

What you can do:

• If a hooded litter box, try removing the hood.
• If an automatic cleaning litter box, take out the batteries OR replace with a plain litter box.
• Clean up any pee areas around the box with a great cat urine cleaner to discourage a repeat offense in the location.
• Use a room divider to hide the box instead of a hood.

• Figure out the best time each day for you to clean the litter box.   Then, commit to always doing it then intend of depending on the automatic cleaner.

6 - NEW PETS IN THE HOME

Have you recently brought in a new cat, dog, or another animal into your home?  

If so, this could have your kitty feeling very uneasy and fearful.    

Many times, when your cat is scared, it will throw them off in the bathroom department.    

 For example, if they are fearful of the new pet AND they have to go by the new pet to get to the litter box, they may just decide it's not worth it and pick a new spot (new corner, etc) and make this their new bathroom spot.

What you can do:

• Observe your cat with the other animals.   Who are they fearful of or who is stressing them out?
• Move the litter box to a “safer” location where they do not feel threatened when going to it.
• Control the “new pet's” access to the litter box area (by using another room, doors, pet gates, etc.)
• Clean up any pee areas around the box with a great cat urine cleaner to discourage a repeat offense in the location.

7 - ANGRY AT YOU

So, what have you done to make your cat mad at you?    

Did someone new just move into the house?   Did you scold your cat too harshly?    Have you changed your level of affection to them?   Are you staying away from home more?  

Sometimes, a cat will feel just plain hurt and abandoned.    Something about their environment has changed so much that they are just not happy with you.    One of the ways they can show their displeasure is to act out with their potty habits.    

What you can do:

• Analyze what you have changed lately.
• Do whatever you can to make sure your cat still feels loved

• Make changes in your cat's environment to reassure them that all is okay.
• Clean up any pee areas around the box with a great cat urine cleaner to discourage a repeat offense in the location.

Do you own multiple cats and don’t know who is acting out?    

You first need to figure this out before you can know how to help your cat.

Get a motion activated outdoor camera, wildlife camera, or pet camera and set it up at the litter box.   You’ll know in no time.... 

 OR set the camera up at the spot where they are now pottying!  

Summary:

Your cat just doesn’t stop using their litter box for no reason.    

There is normally a logical reason why and it is your job to figure out why.   After you know this, it’s just a matter of making a few adjustments to get your kitty back on track.    

The reasons range anywhere from infection to being upset with you to feeling anxious and fearful.     

Stay calm, think through the situation, and I know you’ll be well on your way to solving your kitty pottying issue.   

Can I help?    If you still can’t find a solution, I would love to hear your situation and offer other possible reasons/solutions. 

You can comment below or drop us a note! 

Need more kitty reads?   Check out Pet Hangout's post 16 Things You Need to Know About Your Cat's Eyes, How to Make Your Crazy Lazy Cat Go Wild, and 12 HIdden Kitty Facts that will Blow Your Mind.