Soiling Outside the Box: Behavioral Causes

If a physical cause has been ruled out by your veterinarian, then you must look for another, non-organic reason for the litter box aversion. If your cat is not sick, then you probably have not noticed any blood in the urine, diarrhea or hard stool when you were cleaning up the messes. Therefore, there must be a behavioral problem here.

Let me define what I mean by "behavioral". I don't mean that your cat is trying to punish you for something, like not buying his favorite food, having a baby or not paying enough attention to him. Animals react to their environment, no more. They don't plan retribution; that is a characteristic of human beings only. Punishing or trying to psychoanalyze a cat that is soiling the house will only prolong the agony, believe me--much as punishing a toddler only makes toilet training that much harder.

What I do mean is that the cat is reacting to changes in his circumstances and/or environment that are messing with his happy little routine, and he doesn't like it. Cats love routine and don't like change, just like most humans. The difference is that humans can understand the reasons behind the disruption, while the cat cannot. Think about what might be going on in your and your cat's life. Moving, getting married, domestic arguments, having a baby or adding another pet to the household can all upset your cat. If you bring another adult cat into the home, for instance, your cat may start spraying in order to protect his territory.

Other, more mundane problems may be dirty litter boxes, or not enough boxes for the number of cats in the household. One per cat is de rigeuer, though we have two for three cats and it works fine (I clean them at least twice daily, though). Keep the boxes in the same location once the cats know where to find them. Hooded boxes really turn some cats off, since it captures smells inside. Changing litters can also be a problem; if you want to switch to a natural brand, for example, add a little at a time to the usual litter so that the change is gradual. Don't use deodorants or scented litter. Most cats don't like perfume-y smells.

How do you stop this behavior? Clean the messes well, using white vinegar in water to rinse. Don't make an issue of it; the cat won't understand, anyway. Keep kitty under surveillance and, when you see "bathroom" behavior start, scoop him up gently, cooing and whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Put him in the clean box, help him paw the sand (as if he's a kitten again) and praise him constantly as he does the right thing. Then, give lots of attention so he knows this is what you want him to do. Even though he's not doing this for attention, you should give him extra anyway. Something's upsetting him, and TLC is always good for that. It never hurts anyone to be treated like a king (or queen) sometimes!
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Soiling Outside the Box: Physical Causes

If you have a cat who suddenly starts soiling outside the litter box, the first thing you should consider is whether or not this behavior has a physical cause. Cats are extremely fastidious creatures, so for them to soil where they know it is not appropriate is a very big deal. For a cat with no prior litter box issues, the reason is almost always that they are ill. Before you head off to the veterinarian, take the opportunity to examine not only the circumstances but also the appearance of the "mistake" so that you can give your vet the tools she needs to make the correct diagnosis.

Before you clean the spot, make some observations. If the problem concerns urination, note whether the amount is small or large. Also note any red or pinkish tinge; this indicates the presence of blood, not a normal state of affairs. This could indicate cystitis (bladder infection) or irritation due to crystals (feline urological syndrome, or FUS), or both. Don't assume that if you don't see any blood that there isn't any, though; sometimes, only microscopic examination will discover it. The chances are still very good that the problem is cystitis, and antibiotics will be necessary. If you have an older cat that urinates larger amounts (sometimes while asleep) you could be dealing with kidney failure. This disease, while incurable, can sometimes go into remission for a period of time; be prepared, though, for the worst.

If the cat is moving its bowels outside of the box, you will probably notice one of two things: The stool is soft or watery (diarrhea) or very hard and pebbly (constipation). As we all know, the urge to pass stool when one has diarrhea is conducive to accidents. With constipation, the problem is more along the lines of pain associated with trying to move the bowels. The animal starts to associate this pain with using the box, so tries alternatives. Also, partial passing of stool sometimes results in "drop-offs" elsewhere. Try fasting with cooked brown rice and baby food meat for a day or so for diarrhea; for constipation, try the "bomb" (courtesy of The New Natural Cat): 1 tbsp. baby food meat, 1/2 tsp. melted butter, 1/8 tsp. ground psyllium husk; 1/8 tsp. wheat bran and at least 2 tbsp. water (use enough-otherwise, the psyllium will turn to cement!). Cats love this, and so far, for me, it always works, usually within an hour or two. If either problem persists for more than a couple of days, consult a veterinarian.

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at behavioral causes of litter box "un-training".
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