If the litter you are using is scented or if you are adding a deodorizer with a fragrance to the litter, you can immediately eliminate this irritant from the equation and at the same time improve your cat's quality of life. Perfume is a very effective cat repellent. The feel of the litter is also of great concern to your cat. An abrupt change from a sand-like litter to a pellet or crystal variety may shake her world (and soil yours!). Declawed cats tend to be especially sensitive to litter texture. Most cats prefer the feel of the scoopable litters with a fine grain, and we often recommend these to callers at our Behavior Hotline. (We do not recommend clumping litters for kittens under the age of four months.)
Sometimes the solution to a housesoiling problem is as simple as adding another litter box, keeping the boxes cleaner, removing the hoods, eliminating the liners or offering a more natural litter substrate. (All of these choices were discussed in Part 1 of this article.) When these litter box improvements do not effect a change for the better, and the cat has been given a clean bill of health by the veterinarian, it's time to consider other possible causes of your cat's litter box problem.
One possibility you can eliminate immediately is spite. Spite is a human emotion, not a feline one. Cats don't soil the house of spite. They may, however, soil the house because they are stressed.
Hone Your Detective Skills
Cats are very intelligent and sensitive little creatures. They are highly reactive to their environment (some more so than others), and in cats, stress targets the bladder. Most people recognize the obvious stressors-a new baby, a new pet, remodeling or moving to a new home-but the more subtle stressors may be overlooked: less attention from the cat's favorite person due to a revised work schedule, infrequent or inadequate feedings, the scent of another cat on a visitor's clothing, the sight of a stray cat through the window. We may not be aware of kitty's anxiety until we actually step in it. (This is a good time to remember that punishment never corrects inappropriate elimination problems, but it can make them worse by increasing the cat's stress.)
Sometimes it takes the skill of a detective to determine what is upsetting the cat. The location of the urine or feces may suggest a cause. For example, the cat who urinates on beds, clothes or even directly in front of her owner is often trying to communicate:
- a painful health problem
- severe discomfort over an environmental stressor
- distress relating to the individual whose belongings are being soiled
Ironically, cats often seek out the comforting scent of their favorite person when they are in pain or are stressed, but occasionally a cat will selectively urinate on items that belong the individual who annoys or frightens the cat. As you can see, your detective skills may have to be pretty advanced!
Stress from Other Cats
If the urine or feces is deposited near a window or patio door, the culprit could be a stray cat. The sight of another animal so close to kitty's home often triggers territorial marking, especially urine spraying. These problems are most common in the springtime, when free-roaming cats are more likely to frequent yards and porches. When the windows are opened and the soft spring breeze wafts into your home, so does the urine scent of the local tom cat who left his wet calling card on your front door the night before. There are a few creative products on the market designed to keep animal trespassers out of your yard. One of the newest ones is the Scarecrow-a clever device that hooks up to your hose and works with a motion detector. As the animal approaches the forbidden area, the Scarecrow turns toward the offender and squirts him. (For more information, check out www. scatmat.com or call 800-767-8658.) A simpler solution is to keep the drapes or blinds shut at times outside animals are most likely to approach the house. If this happens only at night, then kitty can be made comfortable in another area of the house away from the room with the view.
Next > Other cats in the home can cause stress
