My cat is urinating by the litter box

by Darlene King
(Unionville, TN)

I have 3 litter boxes and 3 cats. I keep them clean and scoop every other day. I had 4 boxes and it didn't matter.

I recently bought a twin size washable pad so when it happens I can wash it immediately. I use fresh step...

I had used Tidy Cat multiple cats, but I can't afford it. I use Fresh Step and change each week to keep it smelling good.

I have been told to use the litter like they use to soak up gas and oil so what's your answer.

My thoughts:

I'm sorry to hear that your cat is having problems, Darlene.

It sounds like you've been told to use litter on the urine on the floor to soak it up? That is not something I would do.

Instead, I'd get an enzyme-based or CO2 based cleaner (Fizzion) and make sure all traces of urine and odor are gone (using a black light is a good idea to check for residual urine).

Sometimes, when a cat is urinating in the same spot over and over again, you can place a box right on the spot and the cat will use it. If the cat is urinating right next to the current litter box, then side-by-side boxes can work (although I would normally not recommend side-by-side if possible).

Is it just one of the cats?

Which cat is it and have they been checked by the vet?

Is it one cat, or is it 2 of them, or all 3?

It's important to know who is having the problem. If it's just one cat with a urinary tract/bladder infection, kidney problems, or other health issue, you're not going to solve this without a vet.

So I would get that cat checked out by your vet and cleared for take off.

If it's more than one, then perhaps the others are attracted to the smell, and urinating outside the box as well.

Or, perhaps they all have a health issue... hard to say without further investigation.

Scoop more

Fresh Step is fine, in my opinion, as long as it is unscented, you have enough litter in the box, and keep it clean.

Three boxes is probably OK, especially if a fourth box didn't do the trick. I would recommend, however, that you scoop at least once per day, preferably twice. Every other day is not usually enough.

Isolation

As I've mentioned many times, when there's no medical problem and you've got an extreme case, isolation retraining is often the way to go.

I hope that helps and please let us know how it turns out or if you have any questions or anything to add.

-Kurt