House soiling

House soiling can be a problem behaviour that is often seen in cats.

Behaviour is something that occurs because of previous learning experiences, genes and the environment a cat lives in. In terms of environment this could be where the litter box is located as one example, learning experiences could be experiences the cat has had with the breeder, and genes can make a cat more sensitive to experiences that are bad.

A cats sensitive socialisation period is thought to be between 2 -7 weeks. This is a key time for learning.

In terms of marking behaviour this includes urine spraying. Reasons can include a medical challenge, or anxiety from sights, sounds or smells. Cats navigate the world through their sense of smell so the smell of another cat can be very anxiety inducing.

For example, a litter tray next to a cat flap or a window may make a cat anxious as they don’t want to use it because of fear of being ambushed.

Making a note of where a cat soils and whether it is urine or faeces can be very helpful for considering consistency.

Medical

Some medical reasons for the behaviour can include:

FLUTD – Bladder challenges may be involved.

Constipation – this can be a reason for defecation outside of the tray

Litter/litter tray

Sometimes the litter is uncomfortable on a cats paws.

The litter tray is sometimes difficult to climb in and out of.

Sometimes there are not enough litter boxes per cats in the home.

Sometimes a cat prefers a certain substrate.

Scent

Sometimes simply changes in scent around the home such as new smells or household appliances can result in a cat spraying on them.

Urine spraying vs urinating on objects

Some cats  will stand up when they are spraying but some may squat. They put the urine on vertical services and they don’t cover it up or scratch in the location as they would with a litter tray.

Spraying

A cat could have a medical condition in this instance. For example, urinary tract disease could be a problem and a male cat could have a blocked urethra.

Small amounts of urine around the house could be a UTI.

Bloodwork, biochemistry and urinalysis, or radiography may be needed to investigate medical causes.

Hormonal

If the reason for marking behaviour is hormonal then neutering could be an option.

Castration can reduce spraying in these cases.

Litter box audit

It may be that the cat does not like the location of the litter box or the litter box or the substrate inside the box.

It can be that the litter box is a bad memory for client.

If a cat is spraying while in the litterbox then having a box with hide sides so the spray goes inside it could be an option.

Ensuring that the cat can walk inside it easily and get outside easily is imperative.

That a cat cannot be ambushed while using the tray is an important consideration as other cats can get inside the tray with the cat.

A tray with a hood and door can potentially result in a cat getting stuck inside a tray.

Environmental Management

A cat perceives their home as a core territory and if there are occurrences that disrupt and make them feel anxious then this can result in urine problems.

Frosting on glass could help if the cats are concerned about cats outside looking in while they are eating or using the litter tray.

Removing the scent of previous items that have been urinated on is key otherwise a cat is likely to go back and mark on them again.

Things to avoid

Shouting a cat will increase anxiety and is likely to make the behaviour worse.

If a cat is stressed then they cannot learn new behaviour

References

Reference: RODAN, I.; HEATH, S. Feline Behavioral Health and Welfare. St. Louis, MO: Saunders, 2016.