DON’T DESPAIR: LEARNING TO DEAL WITH INAPPROPRIATE ELIMINATION IN CATS

BY ANDREA S. MULLEN, DVM, President, California Cat Center, Inc.

Feline elimination disorders are the most common behavioral complaint of cat owners. Between 40 and 75% of cats taken to the vet for “behavioral problems” have elimination disorders. It boils down to two main causes:

  •  “Marking” in about 35% of cases

  • “Aversions” to litter or location constituent the other 65% of cases.

It is helpful to understand normal feline habits:

  • Neonates can’t voluntarily eliminate for the first several weeks of life. 

  • Kittens have a natural tendency to “earth-rake” sand/dirt. Around 30 days of age, a cat will spend time investigating the litter box. Ingesting a little litter at this time is common at this time (oral stage) and is OK. This is usually followed in a few days by eliminating in a normal manner—in the same location and covering it. 

  • ·Cats normally visit the litter box three times a day for two short visits to urinate and one longer visit for defecation.  (73% of these trips occur in the morning).

  • ·It is normal for a cat to “mark” its territory. The cat wants fellow felines to recognize the area as belonging to that cat—and no other. Virtually every cat marks its territory with cheek rubbing. Scratching, which releases odors from sweat glands in the feet, is another common form of marking. Urine and feces marking are escalated marking techniques. Although these marking techniques may be perceived quite differently by owners, they are all part of the cat’s repertoire of staking its claim on a territory.

TERRITORIAL ‘MARKING’

Urine marking is different than urination. Distinguishing between the two can make the difference between finding an acceptable solution and asking the cat to find another home. Urination occurs in a single spot, leaving a puddle.

 “Marking,” on the other hand, is a stream of urine, either on a horizontal or vertical surface. When vertically marking, a cat assumes a very characteristic posture and behavior during the act of spraying. The cat will back up to a vertical surface. While standing with its tail up and quivering, the cat will step alternately with the hind legs and direct a small amount of urine (often many times repeatedly) at the surface it is marking. The cat will then walk directly away from the area, without sniffing or digging. You can detect urine at the cat’s height, dripping down the surface. It may create a puddle below. 

The cat may mark many different areas of the house, especially near doors, windows, on beds and new furniture. If the cat sprays on a flat or horizontal surface, it can be differentiated from urination in that it typically leaves a long, thin wet area, rather than a puddle. Urine marking can be performed by any cat—male, female, altered or not.

NON-SPRAYING marking behavior look like this: The frequency or location of the cat’s elimination indicates that it is urinating or defecating not to empty the bladder and bowel but to relay social messages. For example, the cat defecates next to the other cat’s food dish or urinates only on the husband’s pillow -- not the wife’s.

Doors or entranceways frequented by you or other cats may be marked. Often, objects that smell like you such as bedding or laundry may be marked. Stress or anxiety can trigger marking behavior. For example, the cat picks up clues the owner is preparing for a trip and urinates in the suitcase. Another example: your cat marks a piece of furniture after a new cat is introduced into the household. 

For a cat that is anxious about its relationship with a family member as might be exhibited by urine in that person’s shoes or on that person’s bed, we need to help improve the relationship with more positive contact and avoidance of all punishment.

LITTER BOX AVERSION

A shy cat might prefer a covered litter box. A cat that feels vulnerable to other cats might prefer a litter box in a closet or one behind a kitty door. Location preferences are difficult to understand but easy to remedy. Just put the box with the same litter in it in the area the cat uses for elimination. If the cat then goes next to the box, it is exhibiting either a mixed litter-location preference or litter preference.

After cat has been using the box in the preferred location for a week or two, and it has demonstrated that it is not going to choose other areas.   Move the box 1 to 2 inches a day until it is in a more appropriate place. The biggest mistake is moving the box too fast.

When urine and feces are found in unwanted locations (anywhere other than the litter box), the first step should be to identify whether it is an act of marking. If your otherwise healthy cat is leaving urine and feces “messages” outside the litter box, it could be from either marking or litter box aversion. If you can rule out marking, then it is due to some form of litter box aversion. Distinguishing between the two be the key to successful resolution. Although the carpet may smell the same if the cat is “marking” or averse to the litter box, the solutions are different. Learn to identify marking and you may be able to create a happy home.