1. There could be a medical issue! Kidney stones, infections, urinary tract infections, diabetes and other conditions cause painful or frequent urination. This could be causing your kitty to go outside the box. Cats will often urinate outside of the litter box if there is pain associated with it.
2. Your cat is aging or has joint issues. As people age their joints get stiff, achy or painful, the same thing happens with cats. If your kitty has trouble getting in/out of the litter box or squatting, they may start to avoid the litter box. Diminished sensory function or cognitive abilities due to age or other problems may also make using high walled or enclosed litter boxes a no-go. If this is the case for you, open litter boxes with low walls might solve your problem. If it continues after replacing the box, there may be other reasons.
3. Your cat is declawed. When cats are declawed the whole first joint of the toe is removed. This can cause discomfort for cats that have hard litters. When urination is associated with pain, your cat isn’t going to want to use the litter box. There are many alternative litter substrates that you can try and see what your cat prefers, however the best way to avoid this is to not declaw your cats.
The first thing to do if your cat begins urinating outside the litter box is to make sure the litter is being cleaned daily, if not twice. If your cat continues to go outside the box, it's time to visit the vet. Only a professional will know how to help your cat and luckily carpet cleaning professionals, like us, know how to remove pet urine odor for good! Cat urine is extremely pungent and the smell can last for years if not properly cleaned. A & B Chem-Dry cleans for your health, removing 99.2% of the bacteria in your carpets too!
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