Feline Inappropriate Elimination

Feline inappropriate elimination is the most common behavioral problem in cats. Approximately one third of cats house soil, urine spray, or mark. House soiling with urine may be differentiated from urine spraying by the amount of urine that is released, and where the surface of elimination occurs. House soiling consists of a complete voiding of the cat's bladder on horizontal surfaces resulting in a large puddle. House soiling may be accompanied by defecation in inappropriate locations. Urine spraying consists of small amounts of urine at a time and is usually on vertical objects. Urine marking on human smell is the exception to the above, consisting of complete urination usually in areas associated with human body odor, i.e. beds, dirty linens, bath mats, etc. Cats rarely mark with feces. House Soiling House soiling may occur for a variety of reasons. House soiling is usually associated with a "litterbox" problem or medical disease. Cats may have developed an aversion to the type of litter, type of box, the location of the litterbox, or litterbox odor. Some cats develop a surface preference, for example carpet, or a location preference. Medical diseases that increase thirst and increase urination can manifest as house soiling. A medical workup is always indicated in cases of house soiling. Minimum diagnostic workup should include a FeLV/FIV test, CBC, General Chemistry, and UA with culture and sensitivity. Treatment of house soiling Addressing litterbox problems The goal of addressing litterbox problems is to make the box as attractive and easily accessible as possible. The number of litterboxes should be 1 + the number of cats in the household. Litterboxes should be in easily accessible, high traffic, lived-in areas. Many cats don't like covered boxes. Try to offer a large, open box. Litterboxes need to be scooped daily. Use a premium, unscented clumpable litter. Stick with one brand. Cats tend to prefer fine substrate. Clean the litterbox with warm water only. Some cats find citrus, pine, or lemon scented detergents aversive. Do this at least monthly. Do not use litterbox liners. Do not use any form of punishment is the cat eliminates outside of the box. Clean soiled areas and make those areas aversive The smell of soiled areas attracts the cats to eliminate in these areas again. Enzymatic cleaners are the most effective in eliminating odor from soiled areas. Soiled areas should be blotted up, or cleaned with warm water, and then with enzymatic cleaners, paying special attention to both horizontal and vertical surfaces. Equalizer and Anti-icky-poo are two enzymatic cleaners that are recommended. Most cats find mothball crystals aversive. Make soiled areas aversive by applying a