Can your cat urinate randomly? What you need to know about the causes of urinating in cats.
Cats urinating indiscriminately is a common problem, but it does not necessarily mean that the cat deliberately makes the owner angry. Sometimes, cats may urinate everywhere due to physical discomfort, excessive stress, environmental changes, or dislike of cat litter.
You should pay more attention to and accompany your cat so that it can feel your love and trust and reduce its stress and anxiety. In this way, your cat may improve its urination problem and make your relationship more harmonious.
In this article, we’ll share what’s wrong with cats peeing indiscriminately and tell you how to deal with them.
List of articles on improving the problem of cats’ urination
Cat’s peeing habits
Why do cats pee randomly? This starts with the fact that cats need cat litter in their toilets.
After excreting, the ancestors of cats would use soft sand to cover their excrement. This is an innate behavior that can prevent diseases and prevent prey and natural enemies from discovering their traces. Therefore, we will give cats a soft and clean environment. Make room for sand to go to the toilet.
But even if there is a litter box, why do cats still urinate in other places? In fact, the cat wants to express something to you!
Cat peeing randomly is not intentional
Perhaps parents and mothers think that the cat peeing indiscriminately is retaliating against us for neglecting it, scolding it, or not being at home often.
But in fact, cats will not urinate on purpose because they do not have the complex cognitive ability to carefully plan a revenge plan, and they cannot control urine storage until they urinate when they want revenge.
There are actually reasons why cats pee randomly. Let’s understand its difficulties together!
Reason 1: Disease will cause cats to pee randomly
One of the reasons why cats urinate randomly may be due to physical discomfort.
Kidney disease, urinary tract disease or hyperthyroidism, etc., will affect cats' excretion function, making them unable to control their bowel movements outside the litter box.
Solution
If your cat suddenly develops this condition, you should take it to the veterinarian as soon as possible to rule out the possibility of illness.
Reason 2: Cat doesn’t like its toilet
Cats have high requirements for toilets. If the location, cleanliness, litter type or size of the litter box are not suitable, they will refuse to use it and choose to pee elsewhere.
Behavioral characteristics of cats that are dissatisfied with the litter box include: not removing sand after going to the toilet, avoiding standing in the litter box, leaving the litter box and shaking their feet, etc.
Behavioral characteristics:
- Peeing outside the litter box
- Do not remove the sand after peeing
- Avoid standing in the sand basin
Solution
- To solve this problem, first ensure that the litter box is placed in a private and safe place so that the cat can go to the toilet without interruption.
- Secondly, clean the cat litter box every day to keep it clean and odor-free. Furthermore, you should choose the type of cat litter your cat likes, which is usually fine and odorless cat litter. If you want to change the type of cat litter, gradually mix the old and new cat litter to allow the cat to adapt.
- Finally, provide a litter box that is large enough for your cat to turn around and scoop sand freely.
Generally speaking, the size of the litter box should be 1.5 times the length of the cat's body. If there are multiple cats in your home, it is best to have multiple litter boxes in different locations, at least as many as the number of cats plus one.
Reason 3: Estrus and emotional stress
Cats sometimes spray urine, which may be related to their heat or emotional stress.
When cats pee, they stand with their tails raised and twitching, then squirt a small amount of urine onto the surface. This is their way of marking territory or seeking comfort.
Solution
To solve the problem of cats spraying urine, you first need to find out what is causing their anxiety. It may be that the home environment or living habits have changed, or a new cat has joined the family, causing the original cat to feel stressed.
Parents should carefully observe their cats' reactions and try to minimize their uneasiness.
Secondly, consider whether to sterilize your cat. Male cats without birth control will express their needs by spraying urine because they are in heat and unable to vent.
Birth control can effectively reduce the frequency and intensity of cats’ estrus, and can also improve their spraying behavior.
Finally, if your cat is under a lot of emotional stress, you can consult your veterinarian to see if you need to give them some antidepressants or neuroleptics.
These medications can temporarily relieve your cat's anxiety, but should not be used long-term. Parents still need to fundamentally improve the quality of life and mental health of cats.
Summarize
There may be many reasons why a cat urinates indiscriminately, such as physiological problems, environmental stress, unsuitable litter or litter box, etc.
If your cat behaves like this, don't rush to scold or punish it. Instead, find out the reason behind it first and give it appropriate help and care.
The cat is not deliberately trying to make you angry, but is expressing its dissatisfaction or discomfort in its own way. As cat owners, we should understand more about our cats’ psychology and needs and provide them with a safe and comfortable home. Only in this way can you reduce the number of cats peeing indiscriminately and make both you and your cat happier.
