Cat Owner's Manual › Chapter 3: Daily Interaction With Your Cat › Cat Litter Box Training ›

Reasons for Cat Litter Box Mishaps

Feline house-training glitches can occur for any number of reasons, including physical illness. If the problem has no obvious cause and continues for more than a few days, consult your veterinarian. Common causes of litter "accidents" include:

Territorial Marking: Non-neutered males will often mark their territories with sprays of urine, usually deposited on vertical surfaces. In some cases this behavior may be adopted by neutered males and occasionally females. Spraying behaviors can often be initiated when a cat is made to feel insecure—for instance, by the arrival of a new cat or some other addition to the household.

Litter Brand Change: Felines can become extremely upset if their familiar brand of litter is changed to one with an unfamiliar consistency or—far worse—scent. Cats are actually repelled by the scent of strongly perfumed varieties, and they may refuse to use them.

Poorly Positioned Litter Box: A cat may reject a litter box that is in a noisy, high-traffic area offering little privacy. Relocating the box may remedy the problem.

Poorly Designed Litter Box: Some cats refuse to use hooded litter boxes, perhaps because they feel trapped while inside. Kittens may have trouble climbing into high-sided models.

Poorly Maintained Litter Box: Litter should be cleaned or scooped daily. A feline may reject an odorous or overused box.

Medical Conditions: A range of malfunctions, including diabetes or kidney and bladder conditions, can cause urine regulation issues. Intestinal parasites can trigger unauthorized feces downloads.

Psychological Disorder: A bored, depressed, lonely, or spiteful cat may sometimes "miss" its litter box.

Comments (4)

Chapter 3: Daily Interaction With Your Cat

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You didn't mention that a declawed cat is more prone to not using the litter box. Their paws are so tender from having their toes removed to the first joint that the litter hurts them.

purred by Cat Smith-Ward on Aug 14, 2008 AT 3:46 pm PDT
8 people found this comment helpful.
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My Snowshoe is also Bailey. They are the BEST cats, aren't they?

purred by Kathleen Lyons on Aug 16, 2008 AT 7:36 am PDT
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Cats can certainly have psychological disorders, but they are not "spiteful"!

purred by Agi Kiss on Aug 18, 2008 AT 9:27 pm PDT
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Why is an 18 mo. old neutered male peeing on the owner's clothing or jumping into the hamper? He's a seemingly happy well adjusted kitty adopted at 5 mos. of age and has just started doing this. It's not marking, it's a flood!

purred by Micky Clute on Nov 11, 2008 AT 11:06 am PST
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Quirk BooksThe Cat Owner's Manual is a basic guide to cat care.
The book was written by a celebrated veterinarian and an acclaimed author. It provides cat owners with well-researched and helpful information presented in a lighthearted manner. The creators chose to write the book in a style similar to what you'd find in "operating instructions" for a car or computer. Of course they--and we--respect the fact that our beloved pets are not products or machines!