Although frustrating, it is not uncommon for a cat to urinate outside the litter tray. Unwanted urination, where a cat repeatedly pees against the wall or other vertical surfaces in the home – can be a natural response for your cat, but be upsetting for a pet parent. So when it happens, it’s important to work out the reasons why, and resolve or redirect!
First, we need to understand the difference between urine marking or ‘spraying’ and house soiling/ unwanted urination. Urine marking/spraying is a form of cat ‘communication’. Often, spraying indoors is a response to stressful situations, and can be a sign that your cat doesn’t feel completely secure. Urine spraying is also a marker to show a cat’s territory. Particularly outside, you might see a cat spraying trees, bushes, fences and other objects. This is typical! They are alerting other cats of their presence, and the area they have claimed as their space. Cats can also use urine marking to let other cats know when they are looking for a mate.
Unwanted urination is different to spraying or ‘urine marking’ however. Let’s explore:
If you spot your cat standing with their tail upright (it may be quivering too) and a small amount of urine is sprayed backwards onto a vertical surface, they are urine spraying to mark their territory. Typical places are against a wall near a door, window, or on curtains or a sofa.
When marking, a cat’s urine smells pungent. This is because the urine is concentrated and it also contains extra communication chemicals that have a strong smell for humans. These communicate messages to other cats, such as ‘I am here’ or ‘I am a male cat’!
As we know, cats don’t like change, and any changes in the house or in their daily routine can make them feel insecure, leading to urine marking. For example, bringing new items into the home can make them feel anxious, so they may urine mark the item or somewhere closeby to make them feel more secure.
In addition, often a cat that urine marks a wall or other vertical surface will still use their litter tray for urination and defecation.
Any change in a cat’s routine or around the home can be stressful for a cat, and therefore they may start urine marking. This can range from the arrival of a new baby to another cat joining the household, to having visitors, or even redecorating.
As soon as you see your cat urine marking, it’s important you clean up immediately – the quicker you act the better. This should help prevent your cat from feeling encouraged to repeat the behaviour.
There are many different behavioural reasons for a cat to begin to urinate in areas other than their litter tray – frustration or stress can result in a cat changing their urinating habits.
If you see your cat squatting and peeing on a horizontal surface, such as a carpet, cushions, your bed – or, indeed, anything else outside the litter tray – they are house soiling (rather than urine marking).
Consider any changes that may have happened recently in the home that coincide with your cat starting to urinate outside the litter tray – is there anything you can do to help your cat with this change? Perhaps you need to limit access to a newly decorated room until the strong smells have dissipated, or plug FELIWAY Optimum into the room to help them feel at home.
Whether you have an indoor-only cat, or a cat who sometimes goes outside, a litter tray should always be in the home, as there may be times that your cat can't get to where they want to toilet (due to the weather, other cats, or landscape changes etc).
If you do find that your cat has started house soiling or urinating outside of their litter tray, there are various steps you can take: