Cat Urinary Habits And How You Can Help Them

We all know how particularly fussy cats are about cleanliness and their toilet habits, especially their litter boxes. However, even though our precious kitties are such habitual cleaners, they also often urinate in some of the weirdest places.

House soiling is a common behaviour problem in felines and owners usually have a difficult time dealing with a cat that pees all over the house. Some cat owners have been known to give their cat away or even put them to sleep because of this problem.

We look at the urinary habits of cats and what you can do to help them!   

Is my cat urinating inappropriately or spraying?

Firstly, before you even tackle what is causing your kitty to urinate in odd places, it is important to distinguish between inappropriate urination and spraying.

Most people think that cats spray to mark their territory. While this is mostly true, cats may also spray for other reasons which is known as indiscriminate urination.

When a cat urinates indiscriminately, you will find urine on horizontal surfaces such as a rug, carpet, sink or bath and your cat will squat down to urinate.

This type of behaviour usually occurs because there is an underlying medical condition or your kitty is not happy with his litter box – it could be the type of litter or the litter box location that he doesn’t find appealing. Your cat may also feel too anxious to use the litter box because the environment is stressful.

When a cat sprays to mark their territory, he or she will stand erect, tail straight in the air and spray against a vertical surface such as a wall, on doors, curtains, under windows or the couch.

The amount of urine sprayed is generally less than the amount that is voided in the litter box. Spayed and neutered cats seldom spray in the house.

Cats that haven’t been spayed or neutered spray, (males in particular) because they want female cats to know that they are available.    

Why is my cat peeing in odd places?

Cats are fastidious about cleaning, so when they start urinating outside the litter box or spraying, it is usually a sign that something is wrong with them.

There are various causes for inappropriate urination in cats which could either be a medical or a behavioural problem. It’s always recommended that you rule out underlying medical conditions first.

Medical conditions include:

• Urinary tract or bladder infection, cystitis
• FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease)
• Diabetes
• Kidney stones
• Bladder tumour
• Arthritis
• Liver disease
• Senility

Behavioural causes include:

• Stress, such as changes in daily routine, moving home, changes in family dynamic, even the holidays
• Litter box location – your kitty may not like where his litter box is placed. It could be too close to his food and water, where he sleeps, in a high traffic area or too near to another cat in the house.
• Type of litter – the type or brand of your litter that you are using may not appeal to your cat.
• Cleanliness of litter box – your kitty may not want to use the same littler box to urinate and defecate. If it hasn’t been cleaned regularly, he may not want to use it.

What you can do to help your cat

There are a number of things that you can do to foster healthier urinary habits in your cat:

1. Have your cat checked by the vet

Rule out the possibility of an underlying medical condition. If your vet gives kitty a good bill of health, then you know it’s a behavioural issue that must be addressed.

2.  Check the litter box location

Where have you placed the litter box? Change the location if it’s near to your cat’s sleeping or eating areas.

If it’s situated in an area where there is high traffic, your cat may not be happy about that either.

Cats enjoy their privacy, so place the litter box where they can’t be disturbed.

3. Place a few litter boxes around the home

If you have one cat, you should have a litter box for urinating and one for defecating. For multi-cat households, there should be a few litter boxes placed around the house for each cat to use.

In homes with more than one cat, one cat may be bullying another because of a litter box.

4. Change the type of litter 

Your kitty may not like his litter box or the type of litter that is used.
Most cats prefer an open tray litter box where they can sit or dig around in.

The material of litter used may have a fragrant or antiseptic smell – provide your cat with soft textured, fragrant-free litter.

5. Reduce stress in the home

Be aware of any changes in your daily routine that may cause stress and anxiety in your cat. Moving to a new home, bringing another pet into the home, a new baby or divorce can trigger stress in your cat.

There may also be another cat in the neighbourhood or the home who is terrorising your cat or your kitty may have a nervous disposition and be very sensitive to stress. This often happens with rescue cats.

Keep your cat’s home environment as stress-free and calming as possible. If any major changes are going to happen, or your cat tends to be nervous by nature, use PetCalm which is a 100% homeopathic remedy to calm, soothe and reduce stress in your cat.

6. Use natural remedies to treat urinary problems

Bladder infections, UTI’s and other urinary conditions are usually treated with antibiotics which doesn’t always treat them effectively.  They then become a recurring problem while also weakening the immune system. Natural remedies are gentle and safe to use for cats with urinary problems without the harmful effects of conventional medications.

Use the following natural remedies from the Feelgood Pets PetAlive range to treat urinary problems in cats:  
1. UTI Free – 100% homeopathic remedy to treat urinary tract and bladder infections in pets
2. Better Bladder Control – a 100% homeopathic remedy to treat incontinence and leaking, dribbling urine in pets
3. Immunity & Liver Support – a herbal remedy which strengthens and boosts the immune system
4. PetCalm – a 100% homeopathic remedy which soothes and calms anxious and stressed pets.  

If you have any health-related questions, please contact us or leave a comment below for FREE advice. We always love hearing from you!