Does Your Cat or Kitten Pee Outside the Litter Box?

All cats, male or female, neutered or not, will mark out their territory with urine spraying. Normally this is rare and discrete. But when this natural behavior happens in your house, it can be very frustrating. When this happens, it is due to fear and anxiety.

It can be a reaction to:

• Recent changes at home
• New home or new furniture
• New cat or kitten, or a new dog
• New family member, baby, etc.
• Conflict with other cats:
• Competition for access to litter box

It can also be caused by a medical issue. If your cat starts peeing outside the litter box, please consult your veterinarian. Especially older cats, who are at risk of more medical issues.

Using FELIWAY® Optimum Diffuser continuously may help stop and prevent spraying, especially if your cat seems emotional and sensitive to any change at home.

It can be difficult to get rid of a cat urine smell. If your cat has recently targeted your sofa, bed or furniture with urine spraying, the situation can quickly become unpleasant. To stop the smell from persisting, and to avoid your cat spraying in the same places, start by removing anything that attracts them.

This can be done by carefully cleaning up urine traces, to remove odor and visual marks.

To prevent the situation from continuing read our article on how to get rid of a cat
spraying smell with 6 different tips.

There are many things that can cause a cat to choose to pee all over your home, rather than in the litterbox. In fact there are two types of cat soiling issues:

1. Cat spraying on walls, doors and furniture (vertical spraying) - learn more from this blog

2. Cat peeing outside the litter box, on floors, beds, clothes (horizontal peeing)

While spraying is a natural behavior for cats, there are steps we can take to minimize this behavior and help prevent your cat from feeling as though they need to mark their territory. First, identify and address any factors that may be causing your cat to feel insecure in certain areas. For example, this could be conflict with other pets, changes in the household, or outdoor cats near your home.

It may be helpful to keep a record of when and where your cat
is spraying to see if there is a pattern that can help you identify the cause. Next, aim to provide a stable environment with regular playtime, attention, and enough resources, including litter boxes and spots to eat and drink. The general rule for resources it to have one more than the number of cats in your home. 

FELIWAY® Optimum can also help calm your cat and reduce the urge to mark territory. If your cat’s spraying behavior continues, consult a veterinarian or a feline behaviorist for further support.

Yes, neutered cats can still spray. Neutering will reduce spraying behavior related to sharing reproductive information with other cats, but both neutered males and spayed females may also spray for other reasons. For example, this can include stress and anxiety. If a cat is spraying, it’s important to look for underlying issues.

FELIWAY® Optimum can be an effective solution for providing social and environmental support and for enhancing your cat’s serenity, helping them to feel more comfortable and secure in the home.

Cat spray can be quite hard to spot as cats tend to only spray a very small amount. It is essentially a concentrated amount of urine (with a complex pheromone added in), so you’re far more likely to be aware of the smell than you are its appearance.

Rather than identifying what the spray looks like, it can be more helpful to recognize your cat’s behavior when they’re spraying. Cats will often sniff an area first, then back up to it with their tail erect and quivering before spraying a small amount of urine on the surface. Their back legs may also ‘tread’ as this happens.

If not properly cleaned, the smell of cat spray can last for weeks or even months.

Warm, soapy water will generally be enough to remove the smell, but it’s important to make sure you’ve cleaned it all. Carpet and floorboards can be
tricky if it’s able to soak in or get into any gaps. Likewise, if your cat sprays on any curtains with a delicate fabric, it may be a good idea to seek professional cleaning advice!

Yes, FELIWAY® Optimum has been shown to help 9/10 cats reduce their cat spraying behavior by releasing “serenity messages”. These promote a sense of security and well-being in the environment, making cats less likely to spray as a territorial or stress-related behavior.