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Nobody knows your cat better than you. But when you have a question or need an expert opinion, the Purina® Cat Chow® brand Cat Food Mentor panel is here for you.
The Purina® Cat Chow® brand Cat Food Mentor Panel is comprised of qualified cat care specialists ready to help answer your Physical, Nutritional, or Emotional cat care questions - no matter what your cat’s life stage. |
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Purina® Cat Chow® has experts who specialize in the fields of emotional behavior, physical health, feline nutrition, and life-stage-specific issues. |
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| Inappropriate Elimination |
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Q: We have two cats, spayed female 2 years old and neutered male 5 years old, the male cat has recently been urinating in many spots around the house and having bowel movements in one particular area. We have two litter boxes and scoop them every day. What could be causing him to do this and how can we get him to stop?
I have two cats just about six years of age and pretty friendly. I recently found cat urine in some pretty odd places in our home, including on clothes, bedding, sofa, etc. How can I discourage this type of behavior?
Answer: First, whenever there is a sudden change in behavior, consider that it might be a health condition. Take your cat to the veterinarian for a good examination. Be sure to tell your veterinarian about the house soiling problem. If your cat gets a clean bill of health, here are a few things you can consider:
In order to eliminate your cat's behavior, you must try to determine the reason and understand how it may have begun. To help evaluate the situation you must consider the following:- The progression of and during the behavior.
- Is your pet experiencing some type of anxiety and/or fear. In a home with multiple cats, there may be subtle underlying tensions that may make one or more cats anxious. This could lead to non-litter box usage. Make sure the box is in a secure and private area. A litter box should be provided for each cat. Sometimes adding an extra litter box will sometimes help to solve the problem as some cats do not like to urinate and defecate in the same box.
- The location for the elimination and type of surface preferences or aversions (what type of material or substrate is the elimination on - carpet, wood floor, clothing, etc.). Be sure that the litter box is clean as some cats will not eliminate in a dirty box. Litter boxes should be cleaned daily and changed weekly. Also make sure the box is in an accessible private location.
- Limit ability to house-soil where it would be inappropriate. Observe pet and confine to appropriate area at the time it usually occurs.
- Clean and make inappropriate soiled areas aversive, otherwise the pet will return to the same location.
- Continued use of one particular material - if your cat has been eliminating outside of the litter box for some time, it may have developed a preference for another material besides litter. If this is the case, consult your veterinarian for help or a referral to a veterinary behaviorist or an applied animal behaviorist.
You will want to keep in mind that your cat could be marking his territory. Marking/spraying is a behavior that cats use to identify territory. Cats spray urine and defecate, scratch, and rub against objects to leave visual and olfactory cues. These signals not only indicate ownership but also tell other cats who has been there before them, how long ago the mark was left, the sexual status of that cat, and other important information. Because the pungent scent tends to fade as soon as it contacts the air, markings must be constantly freshened with new markings on top of or near the original. As a result, cats can avoid confrontations by recognizing how fresh or old the mark is, and adjusting their paths accordingly.
Territorial spraying is a sign of dominance and is a normal behavior for sexually intact cats, particularly males. Spraying marks the boundaries of the cat's territory, and works toward suppressing the sexual behavior of less dominant cats that venture into that territory. Intact female cats who spray do so more often during breeding season to announce their availability to potential partners.
Normal spraying behavior is a nuisance to humans, particularly when the cat is an indoor pet. The unaltered male cat's urine has a particularly strong odor that is difficult to eliminate from household furnishings. Neutering the cat may considerably reduce territorial spraying.
Altered cats of either sex that spray are usually experiencing stress. When feeling insecure, a cat attempts to assert control over his or her environment by aggressively marking territory with the comforting familiarity of scent.
While cats normally cover their waste, aggressive cats tend to leave their droppings uncovered and prominently displayed as a sign of their dominance and ownership of a particular territory. Cats less self-assured or those who are 'trespassing' in another cat's 'owned' territory cover their waste to avoid detection and, perhaps as a sign of deference to the cat in control.
Cats that leave their waste uncovered may be signaling that the territory belongs to them - but they may also be expressing dissatisfaction with a situation. However, inappropriate elimination can also be caused by certain health conditions and should never be ignored. |
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| According to the ASPCA Complete Cat Care Manual, the Ragdoll breed gets its name from its tendency to go completely limp, like a ragdoll, when it is picked up. It is extremely docile and gentle. |
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