Cat Behavior Problems: House Soiling

What is house soiling and inappropriate elimination in cats?

The most common unwanted behavior described by people that share their homes with cats is house soiling, which includes urinating or defecating in unwanted areas outside the litter box. House soiling is sometimes called inappropriate elimination.

If there is a change in your cat’s elimination habits (location, frequency, consistency, amount), a veterinary visit is highly recommended. There may be an underlying physical illness causing the behavior. Early detection and early intervention are key in helping resolve house soiling.

Supporting the lifestyle and elimination needs of cats can prevent and help reverse inappropriate elimination. Regardless the cause, assessing the needs of your cat is a good starting point.

What lifestyle supports can help cats use their litter box?

All cats need exercise, social contact, and attention. They also need time to rest, opportunities to engage in seeking/finding behavior, and freedom from stress. Whatever the cause of house soiling, you can set your cat up for success by providing for their common, basic needs. Here are some examples:

• Daily opportunities to interact with household people. 
• If appropriate, opportunities to interact with preferred social partners of other species (although this does not substitute for interactions with favored people).
• Daily physical exercise appropriate for the cat’s health, such as opportunities to climb and run.
• Daily mental exercise such as reward-based training, exploring new areas and objects, and interactive puzzle toys.
• Feeding schedule consistent with the normal behavior of cats (numerous small meals daily).
• Foraging toys for cats that enjoy hunting 
• Opportunity to access resources including resting places, food, water, and litter boxes. Multiple feeding stations and elimination stations are needed for multi-cat households.
• Resting places set at different levels, including enclosed cubbies and high perches.

How do I know what my cat likes or needs?

Based on research, here are items most cats prefer when it comes to a litter box:

• Unscented, fine grit, clumping style litter.
• A deep box with at least 3 inches of digging material.
• A large area inside the box with enough room for the cat to walk in and turn around without touching the sides or top.
• Enough room inside the box for the cat to eliminate and dig without touching the sides or touching any clumped waste.
• Boxes in quiet areas that are easily accessible and away from appliances and high traffic areas.
• Kittens and senior cats need lower sides to enter and exit boxes easily.
• Larger homes and homes with multiple cats need multiple litter box locations. (Multiple boxes together in the same area or same room count as one box.)
• Cats who eliminate while standing may need a box with high sides to prevent urine or feces falling outside the box when the cat is inside the box.

Storage containers with an entry door or large sweater boxes often make excellent litter boxes.

How can I tell if my cat is happy with a litter box?

Providing a “litter cafeteria” temporarily can help you determine what your cat prefers. Offer several boxes with a variety of litter types and depths. Include clay clumping, since that is the favorite of most cats. Place the boxes in the same area. Take note of which litter type is used most frequently over the course of a week and provide that litter moving forward.

Next, try putting the favored litter into several types of boxes — high sides, low sides, covered, and open.

If your cat is eliminating outside the box, pay attention to the surface they are choosing. Is it paper, fabric, or towels? Sometimes providing a litter box with the preferred material will prompt the cat to use the litter box. Cat litter can then be gradually mixed in with the preferred material to retrain over time.

Why is it important to keep a cat’s litter box and “bathroom” area clean?

Most cats are fastidious by nature, which means they spend a lot of time grooming themselves. They prefer a tidy bathroom as well. Consider a human going into a public restroom. If someone before you forgets to flush, do you proceed and use the toilet? Doing our best to keep the litter clean and appealing to cats is one of the most important ways to maintain good elimination habits for your cats.

• Every Day: Scoop all clumps. Some cats prefer the litter to be scooped even more frequently.
• Every Week: Empty all litter and residue from the box. Refill with clean litter.
• Every Month: Empty all litter and thoroughly scrub the box with hot water and mild soap before refilling. Some cats prefer this to be done weekly.
• Every Year: Completely replace the litter box.

Can changes in elimination be a sign of illness?

There are numerous physical illnesses that can lead to house soiling, including:

• Bladder or kidney inflammation or infection
• Anxiety and stress, which can lead to bladder inflammation
• Crystals or stones in the urinary tract
• Illnesses that cause increased thirst and urination, such as kidney disease or diabetes mellitus
• Gastrointestinal diseases (chronic or acute)
• Pain anywhere in the body, including dental pain
• Decreased mobility or arthritis
• Cognitive impairment, including brain changes associated with aging

A thorough health checkup, behavioral checkup, and lab testing are the first important steps in changing house soiling. A thorough history, physical examination, blood tests, urine testing, and X-rays may be recommended.

Your veterinarian may recommend follow-up testing and treatment for underlying illnesses as part of a comprehensive therapeutic plan to reduce house soiling.

What are behavioral causes of house soiling?

House soiling can be divided into two categories: marking behavior and toileting behavior. A cat may soil for one or both of these reasons, and underlying stress can contribute to both marking and toileting problems.

Marking: Cats may mark with urine or feces. Marking functions as a form of communication. It is considered a normal behavior, as it allows cats to convey information about their sexual status, social status and territory. When house cats mark, it often indicates the presence of social pressure or other stressors. 

Most cats that exhibit marking behavior continue to use their litter box for full voiding, but deposit small amounts of urine or feces in socially important locations. Urine is most often deposited on vertical surfaces. Surgical de-sexing of housecats greatly reduces marking behavior.

Some examples of socially important locations where a cat may mark:

• Near windows or doors
• Sleeping areas of people or animals
• Territorial boundaries
• Pathways used by household people or pets
• Clothing

Toileting: Cats that soil related to a toileting concern generally deposit a large amount of urine or feces, as the behavior represents full elimination. They often choose hidden areas rather than socially important locations for voiding. Cats who toilet outside the litter box may avoid their box altogether or may continue to use their box occasionally.

Toileting usually involves one or more of these factors:

• Depositing a normal-sized elimination
• Eliminating on similar surfaces repeatedly
• Eliminating near but not inside a litter area
• A change in litter habits after an extended period of consistently using litter
• A history of health issues that could influence litter use (e.g., pain during elimination or pain when assuming the position to eliminate)

How do I help reverse unwanted elimination?

The diagnosis or cause of house soiling is needed to guide treatment. Your veterinarian can help you make this diagnosis and prescribe an appropriate treatment protocol. Most treatment plans involve strategies to help re-establish the habit of using the litter box, for example:

• Keep a journal of where, when, and how much your cat eliminates, both inside and outside the box, to track progress.
• If there are multiple pets, use video surveillance to ensure the proper pet is identified.
• Determine what litter the cat prefers and provide it.
• Block access to areas that the cat has used repeatedly for inappropriate elimination. Be sure there is a litter box nearby.
• Remove stressors. Your veterinarian can help evaluate your cat for signs of stress.

Sometimes, it can be helpful to confine your cat to a small area to re-start litter use. Confinement can be risky, as it can cause many cats to become distressed, so do not attempt confinement training until you have consulted with your veterinarian.

Do not use a squirt bottle; do not scold or punish your cat. Punishment exacerbates behavior problems in cats, as it increases stress and could cause your cat to become afraid of you. 

What medications can be prescribed for behavioral elimination?

Cats that are diagnosed with house soiling secondary to anxiety, stress, or frustration may benefit from medication. Medication alone will not solve or reverse the behavior and should always be accompanied by a detailed re-training plan. Your veterinarian can help determine whether medications are appropriate for your cat.