How To Stop Your Cat From Peeing Everywhere

You walk into your house and catch that distinct ammonia aroma of cat pee.

I have a small army of cats, six to be precise, and so we have had accidents outside the litter box on several occasions. I know this exact ammonia moment all too well. So, I went out to find the answer to how to solve the problem of cats peeing outside the litter box.

So, How to stop your cat from peeing everywhere? You need to ensure that you have the right ratio of litter boxes to cats and keep a strict cleaning cycle. I have found that a ratio of 2:1, litter boxes to cats, works very well for over three cats. A 3:2 ratio works great for when you have three cats. And 1:1 ratio if you only have one or two cats. You also need to make sure to scoop the boxes nightly. Once a month you should do a full litter removal for any old litter and replace it with fresh litter.

While this is a tried and tested formula that has worked very well for me in my house there are a number of reasons you cat could also be urinating outside the litter box. If any of these issues are present, then cat pee on your sofa may still be in your future!

Cat Peeing Everywhere Test Results

When this problem occurs the first thing you need to check is your litter box situation. In short, are the litter boxes clean? When was the last time you cleaned them?

If it has been a week and they are FULL of feces, well you wouldn’t want to poop or pee in that environment either, so don’t blame your cat.

If the boxes are clean, then how many cats do you have?

Cats are not like people and are going to patiently wait in line to use their litter box. If you have two cats and one litter box and both need to use the bathroom at the same time… well this is a recipe for a cat peeing on your bed.

In our house when this problem occurred we continued to add litter boxes until the problem was resolved. Once we had four litter boxes, we noticed that three of them were being used and one was almost always clean. So, we scaled back to three boxes and that number has worked out perfectly.

So to summarizes a tried a tested method to stop your cat peeing on things outside their litter box:

1. Make sure to clean litter boxes nightly
2. Add additional litter boxes until you start having unused boxes, or just maintain our tested ratios!
   • 1-2 cats = 1:1 (litter boxes:cats)
   • 3 cats = 3:2 (litter boxes:cats)
   • 4+ cats = 2:1 (litter boxes:cats)
3. Once a month do a full box clean and replace all the litter

But there could be other problems that should be looked into as well.

Health Issues

While this is very vague there can be a number of health-related causes that would cause your kitty to be less inclined to use its litter box. These can range anywhere from an older cat becoming arthritic and having trouble getting in and out of the box to more concerning health problems like FIP, which I have been through personally…. Twice!

In short always if you have tried the above method and your cat is still peeing outside the litter box then I would get them scheduled to see a veterinarian to ensure there is not a medical problem.

I highly advise you not to try and “guess” your cats medical problem by browsing online. Read through the rest of the possible problem areas in this article.

Get your cat checked out for a nice peace of mind but don’t jump to the worst conclusions.

Cat doesn’t like their litter box

A lot of manufacturers put out TONS of different types of litter boxes. And people love to get boxes that are best suited for them but not necessarily for their cats. At the end of the day your cat might not like the fancy top feeding litter boxes or even ones with door flaps.

Our youngest girl Piper will not use any of the litter boxes we have that had door flaps on them. So, we had to remove the door flaps from those boxes.

Keep this in mind if you tried the above and are having problems still. I have personally found that the best litter boxes are simple dome boxes with no door to get in or out.

They give your cat privacy, while not making them have to do tricks to go to the bathroom. Try to put yourself in your cats shoes, when buying their litter box!

Stress related urinary problems

Another possible reason is your poor cat is stressed out!

This can occur when you are moving to a new home, thus there is a brand new territory to stake out. Or perhaps you added a new cat to the house, or dog, and it is causing your cat anxiety.

Well these common instances can lead to stress related urinary problems and your cat peeing in the house.

I do find these instances to be very rare! In my personal experience. Which keep in mind is moving several apartments and homes with three and then six cats!

The easy way to do this is to follow what I have mentioned. Ensure the proper ratio of cats to litter boxes. If you buy a new cat make sure that he has his own box, at least at first.

Also make sure your cat has places to call their own. Adding additional cat tree’s or window perches, things that are unique to each cat can help them develop their own stride, and not pee inside your house.

At a worst case scenario pick up some Feliway. These are made to combat stress and really can make the difference if used properly. If you want to be safe, place a few in the house before you set the cat up to give the pheromones time to disperse.

How to stop my cat urine marking

Have you noticed that your cat is urinating not just outside the litter box, but on places closest to you?

Does your cat urinate on your bed? What about the sofa?

If you have a bed or couch peeing cat then you might be dealing with territorial marking. This can be for a number of reasons. Our Maine Coon, Michi, is a territorial urine marker. In October each year he has consistently hit something in the house that is close to us, generally he will pee on the bed, the year before it was the couch.

This last year we purchased pheromone dispensers, which have worked wonders in the past for behavioral problems such as urine marking. And I am proud to say we had our first year with zero cat urine marking occurring.

You can pick up a two pack of Feliway Dispensers, which is the one I personally use. That will cover an entire room or apartment. If you are working with more area than that I would recommend a couple packs.

This should resolve cat peeing on your bed, sofa or personal belongings as long as you have clean litter boxes!

Resolving Cat Peeing Problems

Cats are very clean animals by nature. So, if your cat is defecating in the house or peeing outside the litter box, then you need to make sure you are taking care of his needs before putting too much of the blame on your cat.

Plenty of times in the past I had smelled cat pee outside the litter box and jumped to blame my cat, when the real problem was I was not taking care of his desire to use a clean bathroom.

I promise that if you follow these steps in the article your cat will happily stop peeing everywhere and will use their litter box!

Related Questions

How to stop my cat peeing on couch?

As mentioned above if your litter boxes are clean and you have the right litter box to cat ratio; this is a territorial display. I would recommend two Feliway dispensers for a large room or apartment.

How to prevent cat peeing on carpet?

Be proactive in your litter box planning and cleaning. Whenever you are buying a new cat always purchase a new litter box at the same time. Make sure to clean your litter boxes nightly! Litter box maintenance is as easy task if you are proactive with it.