Cat pees in litter box and on carpet

by Anonymous

I have new cat, about 12 weeks old. She will pee in the litter box once, then the next time on the carpet. She goes back and forth. Why is she not using the same place each time?

My thoughts: I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble with your kitty. Sometimes younger cats are busy playing and exploring and don't quite make it back to the litter box in time. It can be helpful to have a box near where your cat spends a lot of time.

If she had an accident once on the carpet, the scent may attract her back to that spot. Make sure you get all traces of urine out of that carpet or she may keep coming back.

One trick is to place a litter box right on top of the spot she's using. That can reveal if she's developed a location preference for urination.

If your cat is urinating near the box, it's possible that she's not happy with the box in some way. I would start scooping the litter after each time she uses the box and see if the behavior changes.

As I've said many times, cats can develop a preference to pee in one box and poop in another. For that reason and others, having two boxes is a good practice.

In my experience, she's a little young to be experiencing urinary tract problems, but that's a possibility as well.

I hope that helps. Please let us know how she comes along.
-Kurt