My cat gets in the litter box and pees outside of it!

by Denise
(California)

It's the weirdest thing! We have the litter box that looks like a globe and it rotates.


So, he will get in and turn his bottom towards the inside like he is supposed to do when he poops.

But if he is going to urinate, he gets in with his head towards the back of the litter box and his bottom sticking out the front and urinates all over the front and on the floor!

He did have a urinary blockage but I can't seem to get him to turn around in the litter box to go properly and it's driving me nuts!

Any suggestions?

My Thoughts: Crazy cat! It's possible that even though he's over his urinary tract problem, he still associates some unpleasantness with urinating in the litter box. So, my guess is that he's trying to give it a go, but can't quite do it.

Do you have a regular litter box (preferably one with high sides)? I would see if he would retrain with a regular box, set up so that he has little choice but to urinate inside the box.

He may not associate the pain with a regular box and that might get him back on track.

As always, make sure your boxes are squeaky clean.

You might try using Feliway. It doesn't work in all cases, but it has been known to reduce anxiety and curb behavior problems in many cats. Some cat owners have reported that litter box problems disappear when using the Feliway dispenser.

You might also try adding Cat Attract to the litter. This again is a hit or miss product, with some success stories and some reports of no results. Cat Attract is designed to bring cats to the box.

Since your cat is already making it to the box but pointing his equipment the wrong way, I'm not sure this is the right product for this problem. I thought I'd mention it though in case nothing else works.

Try to exercise him more than usual with several short play sessions. Several short sessions are usually better than one long one, and the extra exercise should help him to burn off steam and release some stress.

I hope that gives you some ideas. Please let us know how he's doing.
-Kurt

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May 22, 2018
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starstarstarstarstar 		Is the hole on the side of the box?
by: Kurt (Admin)

@Old cat potty problems,

Did you cut the hole at the long end of the box or on the side? There's a theory that if the hole is on the side, it encourages your cat to turn so that the length of your cat's body lines up with the length of the litter box. That way, you've got high sides at his back no matter which way he turns and the "door" area is to his side. This might keep him from sticking his back end out the door.
May 20, 2018
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starstarstarstarstar 		Old cat potty problems
by: Anonymous

My 17 year old cat is doing this same thing. I bought a Rubbermaid tote and cut a hole in it for a door. It worked really well for awhile, but now he stands there and pees without turning around so the pee goes back out the door. I was hoping for an idea of what to do to get him to turn around and poke his head out like he used to.
Dec 05, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Same deal
by: Cat Janitor

My cat is about 17, she is now completely deaf but still purrs and plays (albeit slower these days) and I can tell now that her balance isn't what it use to be.

About the time we noticed she couldn't hear (about a year or so now) she started to do this exact same thing... gets in the box but her hind end is up when she urinates (she can squat fine when she defecates).

I had an automatic litter box which she used for years without issue. So I now have a deeper box which still doesn't get the job done. I am going to get one a little taller to test it out but this has become a real problem!!
Nov 17, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Cat Peeing outside of the litter box
by: Anonymous

This is a very common problem and not that mysterious. Your cat needs a box with a higher back and/or sides. Most litter boxes are too small.

However, even with a large box, there may still be some pee going outside if your cat raises its butt when it pees and my solution was to get some puppy pee pads and clip them on a piece of carboard which I put behind the box (or whichever side they are peeing on). It works great and they are easy to replace and discard.
Oct 06, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		My elderly cat does the same thing.
by: Anonymous

My 16 year old cat has been doing the exact same thing. I haven't found a solution yet, but I am going to try the high sided regular litter box. I will let you know how this works. My vet is completely dumbfounded about his weird tweak of peeing outside the box even though he's in it. I need to figure out something soon.

Editor's note: Yeah, the high sided box may work. One thing to watch out for, though. If he's doing this because of some discomfort due to arthritis (maybe crouching hurts), a high sided box may be hard for him to get into and may throw him off the box completely.

You can solve this by using either a ramp or stairs or using a plastic tub (as recommended in the other comment) and cutting a doorway for him (which allows for easy in-out).

Take a look at how Lisa Pierson uses a high sided plastic tub for a litter box but cuts out a doorway for easier access. Scroll down once you get to that page and you'll see the picture.

Hopefully he doesn't pee right out the doorway! Please let us know what works for your cat -- it helps all the other cat lovers who visit here. :)
-Kurt
Aug 22, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		I had a cat that did the same thing...
by: Anonymous

I solved my problem by buying a tall Rubbermaid storage box for a litter box! Problem solved.

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