How can I stop my new kitten from peeing outside the litter box?

I am asking this question for my daughter. She has a 4 or 5 month old male kitten. He will use the box if she puts him in it, but other than that he pees on the floor.

There are 7 other cats in the house. She has tried everything, every product on the market, including litter that is guaranteed to attract the cats to it. She had to tear out her carpet and replace it with laminate flooring and he is still peeing on it.

He is a gorgeous cat, great personality. I have 3 cats of my own, but have never had this problem. I welcome any suggestions Asked by tukatzmom 49 months ago Similar questions: stop kitten peeing litter box Pets > Cats.

Similar questions: stop kitten peeing litter box.

Territorial issues ... With seven other cats in the household, it sounds like there are some serious territorial issues happening over the litter boxes. This is a very common problem in multiple-cat households and generally is caused by problems over territory and dominance. The older cats have "marked" the litter boxes as their own with their urine.

The fact that the litter boxes are marked would pose no problems for a dominant adult cat, but for a kitten, it could be very intimidating. Because the kitten is likely at the bottom of the food chain, the other cats are in essence not allowing him to use the litter boxes. Cats are usually really good about using their litter box, so the fact that he is peeing on the floor is a big red flag -- almost all cats would much rather go in a box where they can cleanly bury it than go on the floor and get it on their fur.It would not surprise me if there were serious cat relationship problems happening to cause him to not want to go in the box.

The general rule of thumb for multiple cat households is to have *two* litter boxes *per cat*. This kind of sounds crazy, and not everyone can do it -- certainly, fourteen litter boxes would seem impossible. But it could be that increasing the number of litter boxes will help the kitten find a spot that is "okay" for him to pee in.

A second option would be to find a way to set up a litter box that only the kitten could or would use, so he could have his own place to go to the bathroom. This might be really tricky in an eight cat household. If there is a way to rig up a box that the other cats are too big to get into, to use a kind of litter the other cats don't like, or to keep the box in a place the other cats can't get to, that might work.

Good luck -- sounds like a difficult issue. Sadly, sometimes cats who have territorial or dominance issues in a multiple cat household will only improve when they are found an alternative home. I know that would be something that nobody would want, but it could be this cat is crying out to have a more quiet, relaxed home where he can use his litter box in peace.

Sources: personal experience .

Here are some things she can try. Different litter, a different box (we have 5 cats and have had to switch to a kiddie swimming pool for our litter box), a different location for the box, hooded (or unhooded if it's covered), bigger, smaller and make sure she's using either an enzyme cleaner or white vinegar on the pee spots when she cleans them, otherwise the scent remains and he'll continue to go there. She may want to try some Feliway if she hasn't already.

And of course, a vet check to rule out any physiological problems.

Need more boxes you should have 1 litter box for every 2 cats so she should have at least 4 boxes -- I would use several differant kinds of box and several differant substrates -- also place them in several locations -- cats are fastidious about their bathroom habits - he may be avoiding a dirty box or it may just be occupied when he wants to use it -- also is the kitten neutered -- 5 months old he may be beginning to mark his territory -- I always start by having a urinalysis perfomed on the cat -- he may have a bladder/ kidney infection -- if this is normal he needs to be retrained to use the box -- usually I will confine the cat to the smallest space possible -- a small pantry - laundry room - or bathroom - with a clean litter box -- keep him there for 5-7 days - if he has no accidents then he can come out to the rest of the house if supervised - if no accidents in another week allow him freedom to roam unsupervised -- you can solve the problem - you just have to find the right combination to make him feel comfortable going where you want him to -- I will say that any time you have more than three cats in a house your likelyhood of having behavioral problems goes up dramatically .

Possible motivation Tukatzmom: My ex had this problem with a new cat we brought into the house, and it took a while to figure out "Tripod's" motivation here. Some cats are very finicky with litter boxes, and he would pee outside of it instead of getting in it if, IT WASN'T CLEAN. The other cat, Kukuiyu, didn't care one way or the other, (and there were several litter boxes around the house for use) but if they weren't cleaned daily, and in the morning, Tripod would show his displeasure by peeing on the nice hardwood floor... If the cat is a sort of prima donna (and Tripod is, they are both male, but Kukuiyu is the very easy going laid back one and Tripod is the one always demanding attention) then this is probably you're kitten's way of showing its not pleased with your housework schedule!

=) .

I would suggest a box with lower sides so the kitten can get in and out easily. If the kitten uses the box when placed in it, that suggests that the kitten has a hard time getting in and out or wants your daughter standing guard while using the box. How many boxes are there?

The rule of thumb is one box per cat plus one. 8 cats = 9 boxes. Also, if your daughter lives in a place with more than one story, boxes should be available on every level of the house.It's possible the kitten was ambushed by another of the kitties when using the box which makes him uneasy that it will happen again.

Is the box covered? If so, that also might be making the kitten uneasy about ambushes.Be sure the boxes are cleaned once, preferably twice a day. Think about it!

Cats are very tidy creatures. Would you want to put your feet in that litter if it's dirty? Last, is the kitten neutered?

(4 to 5 months is plenty old to be fixed.) Is your daughter sure the kitten is simply urinating outside the box and not spraying because spraying is a completely different behavior. You can tell by the posture of the kitty. If he squats, he is urinating.

If he stands or barely squats, he's probably spraying. Good luck! .

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One of my two girl cats is peeing & pooping right outside the litter box and I don't know why. How do I fix the problem?

My make cat is peeing RIGHT outside the litter box. He poops in it and pees outside of it... How do I remedy this?

My cat is peeing right outside his litter box.

I had suspected that our new kitty (which we've had for about 2 months now) has been peeing outside of her litter box.

My cats poops in the litter box but pees all over the house have 2 other cats.

I've a friend who wants to get rid of her two cats because they are urinating outside the litter box - what choices ...

I have 3 cats and all of them use the floor as a litter box how can I prevent them from using the floor as a litter box.

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