How to Stop Your Favorite Cat From Peeing in The House

Cats, though well loved among those who have befriended them as pets, tend toward some behavioral traits that humans find frustrating and distasteful. These include peeing or soiling outside the litter box. Several factors can contribute to a cat's anti-litter box behavior. Diagnosing the main issues and changing whatever motivates the cat to avoid the acceptable elimination area, as well as figuring out why it has chosen a different area, all play a large part in ending the problem for both you and your cat.

Things You'll Need

  • Odor neutralizer
  • Litter box
  • Container of fine-grained, clumping litter
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Instructions

    • 1

      Clean all soiled areas well with an odor neutralizer; if the cat can still smell the soiling, it will reuse the area.

    • 2

      Place one litter box in your home for each cat, then add one. For instance, if you have three cats, have four litter boxes available and keep them as clean as possible.

    • 3

      Take your cat to its veterinarian for a full check-up to make sure it doesn't have a physical issue causing the unwanted behavior; if the vet gives the cat a clean bill of health, begin investigating the cause of stress for your cat in regard to the litter box.

    • 4

      Fill an uncovered, clean litter box 2 inches deep with the clumping litter. Place the litter box over the area the cat frequently uses in place of its litter box.

    • 5

      Change scented litter to unscented; many cats don't like the smell of perfume.

    • 6

      Separate your cat from the other cats in your household, if you have more than one cat. Place the cat in a separate room with its own litter box, food and water bowls, preferably near the people it loves. Observe the cat for at least one week to assure use of the litter box. Allow the cat out of the separate room, but allow it access to the box within, for one day. Observe the cat to assure it uses of the litter box. If the cat restarts the bad behavior, isolate it in the room once more; the cat possibly has a problem with one of the other family cats and needs its own area.

    • 7

      Deny access to the area your cat soiled by keeping the door closed to keep other cats from using that area.