Does Peeing On The Floor Mean That My Cat Is Ill
If your cat is frequently peeing on the floor, we recommend bringing them to the surgery to rule out any medical issues before trying to address behavioural issues. Some medical conditions that could be causing your cat to wee on the floor include:
- Diseases of the urinary tractThese include bladder stones, cystitis, bacterial infections and other inflammatory diseases that cause pain for your cat. They also cause your cat to have an increased urgency to urinate, which may cause them to wee on the floor
- Kidney and liver diseases These both cause the cat to drink more water that leads to increased urination, which may cause your cat to wee on the floor because their litter tray has become soiled
- Diabetes If your cat is very thirsty and seems to frequently not make it to the litter tray in time, he may be suffering from diabetes. Diabetes can be fatal in cats so its important that you bring your cat to the surgery for an examination.
What To Do When Your Cat Pees Everywhere And Urine Deep
Cats normally go to the bathroom inside their litter box. But when theyre urinating all over your house and anywhere but the litter box it starts to become a problem. You want to make sure that your cat is healthy and your home is clean and doesnt smell bad. Youre wondering: Why is my cat peeing everywhere? And should I be concerned about medical conditions?
Heres the scoop on house soiling, why your kitty has decided not to use the litter box, and what to do about it.
How To Stop A Cat From Urinating In The House
This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years. This article has been viewed 57,884 times.
Most cats learn to use the litter box without much training. However, sometimes a cat might have issues urinating outside his litter box. This can be caused by stress, the location of the litter box, the type of litter, or an underlying medical condition. Figuring out the cause of your cat’s litter box problem and proceeding accordingly can help eliminate the problem.
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Reasons Why Your Cats Peeing In The House All Of A Sudden
Its safe to assume that youve clicked on this article because youre dealing with a cat who is all of a sudden peeing in the house .
I have experienced this with a few different cats over the years and each time it is a frustrating and upsetting problem. Not only was I worried about the cat, but I was concerned about the cleanliness and the smell of my home.
Luckily, once you get to the bottom of the underlying issue, it is easy to fix and both you and your cat will be much happier. Lets take a look at the 9 possible reasons why your cat may be peeing inside of the house so you can get it taken care of as quickly as possible.
Male Cat Urinating Everywhere How To Stop It

Having a male cat urinating everywhere in the house is embarrassing and annoying. Your home will not stop smelling of pee, and your cat will continue behaving this way. However, to deal with a cat that is urinating everywhere, you must be able to understand why he is doing so. It could be a result of a medical issue and also behavioral issues.
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Problems With The Litter Tray
Its fair to say that cats can be pretty fussy about their litter tray and working out which kind of litter your cat prefers may be a process of trial and error. Your cat may be peeing on the floor because they have an issue with the type of litter tray you have bought, the type of litter used and/or where the litter tray is located.
The Difference Between Urination Or Urine Spraying
When your cat is spraying they will typically back up to a vertical surface, like a wall or the side of your couch. They will often lift their tail, it may twitch a little bit and the urine will spray out onto that vertical surface.
On the other hand with inappropriate urinating, they will get into a crouching position and they will urinate as though they’re urinating normally. They might strain a little bit but they will be urinating on a horizontal surface. That’s really the big difference between urination and spraying.
This is vital to identify because the causes of spraying and inappropriate urination are very different and so the techniques to stop your cat peeing everywhere will also be different.
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Cat Peeing Everywhere: 10 Tips To Address The Mess
You may love everything about your cat, but if you find yourself frequently asking, Why is my cat peeing everywhere?, youre probably feeling a certain level of frustration. Cat pee can be tough to clean, and even when you do manage to get the stain out, that pungent smell seems to never go away.
With insights from veterinarians, we help explain what may be motivating your cats behavior, then offer solid tips to help you address it. Weve also added proven cleaning tips so you can spend more time bonding with your cat instead of worrying about messes. Always check with your veterinarian for recommendations and to get a proper diagnosis.
Leave Soothing Music On
This is especially effective in cats that suffer from anxiety. Just like in humans, music is capable of soothing your cat and thus curbing boredom and anxiety. If your cat gets lonely and stressed whenever you leave your house, you may try using music to calm him down.
However, you will have to choose relaxing music at an appropriate volume to soothe him.
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How Do You Stop A Neutered Male Cat From Spraying In The House
There are several things you can do to help stop your male neutered cat from spraying such as the following:
- Keeping their litter tray clean & maintained.
- Keep them away from angry local cats.
- Work on its relationship with any new family members
- Improve its relationship with any new cats
Granted some of these are easier done than others. For example, keeping the litter box clean is easier than improving a relationship with a family member. But, these are the measures required to stop the spraying.
Reduce Conflict Between Your Cats
Conflicts between multiple cats or the introducing a new cat may cause inappropriate urination.
If your cats got into an altercation in or near the litter box, they may choose to avoid the box rather than take the chance that another fight will happen if they use it. Separate your cats for a while to let the tensions fade, and then try gradually reintroducing them.
One cat may also be guarding the litter box. Make sure you have several litter boxes spaced out throughout your house so one cat cant prevent access to all the boxes at the same time. You may also consider an uncovered litter box so that your cat is always aware of their surroundings. This will help make them feel safer and less anxious.
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Could There Be A Medical Reason That My Cat Is House Soiling
“If elimination is associated with pain or discomfort, the cat may begin to eliminate outside the box.”
In summary, if elimination is associated with pain or discomfort, or if access to the litter box is difficult or uncomfortable, the cat may begin to eliminate outside of the box. In addition, those cats with increased frequency of elimination and those with decreased control may begin to soil the house. A complete physical examination, urinalysis and in some cases additional diagnostic tests such as blood tests, radiographs or a urine culture, will be needed to rule out medical problems that could be causing or contributing to the cats elimination problem. Some problems may be transient or recurrent so that repeated tests may be needed to diagnose the problem. For some problems that cannot be entirely resolved, adjustments may need to be made to the box or its location to accommodate the needs of the cat. For example, moving the box to an area that is more easily accessible, improving lighting or providing a larger box with lower sides might be necessary for a cat that has arthritis, declining sensory function or cognitive decline.
Once a cat has persistently eliminated outside of the litter box for medical reasons, the cat may learn to eliminate in the wrong location. Therefore, even if the medical problem has been resolved, behavioral therapy may be needed to re-establish regular use of the box.
The Misconception Of Having A Neutered Cat

The fact that she peed on you and not on a piece of furniture suggests it could be a medical issue. But, this is not guaranteed because there are several factors.
Most cat owners assume that their cats will not urinate when they are neutered . The reality is, this is not the case. Just because theyre neutered does not mean that they will not urinate around the house.
Cats have other motivations for urinating other than reproduction.
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Take Precautions When Decorating Or Moving House
Your cat has a very sensitive sense of smell, and even the most subtle of new scents could cause them to urinate inappropriately. Replacing furniture also means you have removed the item that was marked with your cats scent and replaced it with strange smells. When you do decorate or get new furniture, you should try and keep your cat out of the affected room until the new scents have mixed with the existing scents in the house. You could also try wiping a soft cloth over your cats face and then wiping it on the new furniture/room so that their scent is already there.
Another Cat Causing Stress
Stress is a big factor for cats urinating inside of a house. This can be triggered by just the mere presence of another cat. The other cat doesnt even need to be a physical threat, are you with me?
The reality is, cats are ruled by territories and, this is a big focus of their day-to-day. Therefore, the presence of another cat even close to their territory will make them feel anxious, stressed, and infiltrated.
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Why Do Cats Spray Or Pee Outside Of The Litter Box
The answer to why do cats spray? is usually pretty simple. In most cases, male and female cats spray as a way of communicating and marking territory. Cats urinate outside of the litter box because they have a behavioral or medical issuewhich is not so simple.
Keep in mind that if your cat urinates outside of the litter box, its not because they are trying to be a menace. This type of behavior can be due to stress, urinary diseases, litter box issues, and so much more. Heres a deeper look into the reason this behavior is taking place.
How Do I Tell That My Cat Is Bored
We cannot spend much time with our cats due to our busy schedules at work and the modern lifestyle. This means that you may not be able to tell when he is bored or not. In return, you will not be able to curb the inappropriate elimination behavior in your cat. However, you can examine your cat for boredom and look for the following signs.
Over-eating is a common sign of boredom in cats. You will notice that your cat cannot get enough of his meal. However, it would help if you did not encourage this behavior as it may bring obesity. Other cats will experience a loss of appetite on the contrary.
A bored cat will also experience difficulty sleeping and engage in other destructive behaviors. Peeing everywhere and anywhere in the house is a common characteristic of boredom in cats.
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Why Do Cats Urine Mark
Animal species who live in social groups in which the members depend on each other for survival have sophisticated interpersonal communication. Particularly animals who can cause significant harm to each otherlike dogshave developed a social mechanism for preventing conflict through interpersonal ranking. They are prepared to assume either a leadership or deference position, and they can read another animals body language to interpret his intentions and react accordingly. But cats have a somewhat unique social structure in that they do not hunt, eat or sleep in groups like dogs.
Given the opportunity, cats go off on their own when they mature and claim certain areas or territories for themselves. They might share a territory with other cats, but its a time-share approachthey avoid each other whenever possible. They havent developed a social system or a communication system like dogs. Socially, cats who greet often handle things like two neighbors in an argumentalthough one might back down if he thinks he might get injuredneither individual will ever perceive himself as having lower status than the other. Cats have no system for working out face-to-face disputes, so face-to-face disputes can be dangerous for them. To avoid disputes, cats communicate indirectlythey leave messages.
Provide More Litter Boxes
If youve determined that your cat is urinating inappropriately rather than spraying, its time to take a close look at your litter box.
First, how many do you have? One litter box is often just not enough. The general rule of thumb is one box per cat, plus an extra one.
Cats can be very picky about using a box that already contains urine or feces, particularly if that urine or feces is not their own. The more litter boxes you have, the more likely your cat is to find one that suits their needs.
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Vinegar Cat Pee Cleaner And Repellant
This is the best method I have found to remove cat urine. It’s also very cheap. Vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide: You can buy all these for less than five dollars.
Changing The Litter Box

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Reduce Your Cats Stress Levels
Stress can really be the main causes of your cat wanting to mark their territory. And not just mark their territory, to saturate it! As well as spraying, they might also be clawing and scratching the furniture, again just trying to mark out their territory. Stress is a huge issue in cats and it’s often one that we don’t recognize as well as we should. This is because the signs of stress in cats can be very subtle.
Spraying urine everywhere is not subtle and is a big sign a cat is stressed.
Cats can be stressed about a lot of different things and there are a whole number of ways that we can go about correcting these. This might involve environmental changes, making sure other cats aren’t coming into your house and eating their food as well as making sure there’s the right number of food bowls and litter trays depending on the number of cats in your house. That’s just the start though and I’ve got a lot of other tips in my article all about reducing stress in cats.
If you’re not convinced your cat is stressed then see if they are showing any of the other signs of stress cats can show.