AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ – CATS THAT MISS THE LITTER PAN

By Jean B. Townsend, VMD

            After years of living with multiple cats and practicing as a house call veterinarian, I have learned some things about why cats house soil (the proper term for stool and/or urine outside the litter pan).  I have cemented this knowledge by reading and attending many seminars on feline behavior.  In fact, for this article, I have borrowed heavily from Cornell Feline Health Center ’s pamphlet Feline Behavior Problems:  House Soiling. (http://www.vet.cornell.edu/Public/FHC/FelineHealth.html).

            House soiling is the most common feline behavior problem reported and, in fact, is the most common complaint of cat-owners in general.  It also is the most common behavioral reason for surrender of cats at shelter.  In short, it is a life-threatening problem.  Cats get the death penalty for this offense!

            Behavior experts say that we do NOT house train cats – we merely take advantage of their instinct to scratch and cover their waste.  If the most attractive place is the litter pan – great!  But keep in mind that the mere act of emptying the bladder or colon is self-reinforcing – the animal feels better or relieved afterwards!  So it behooves you to address the problem quickly.

            Tackling this problem will be easier if you try to THINK LIKE A CAT. You need to see things from his perspective, at least for this one issue.

            So, why do cats miss the litter pan?  There are three groups of reasons – medical issues, litter pan issues, and social issues.

MEDICAL ISSUES

            Medical issues are a common reason why house soiling starts.  At the top of the list is FLUTD – feline lower urinary tract disease.  This is a disease mostly of younger cats two to five years or older.  This syndrome includes cystitis, urinary tract obstruction, and interstitial cystitis.  Signs include difficulty urinating, bloody urine, frequent urination, painful urination, and the hallmark -- crystals in the urine.  Cats will urinate out of the pan with this condition if they associate painful urination with the pan or if they have increased urgency to urinate.

Older cats or obese cats also can get diseases which affect litter pan usage.  These involve increased frequency of urination, trouble getting to the pan, or not enough room in the pan.  Cats with kidney disease, thyroid disease, or diabetes mellitus often produce more urine and can soak the pan more often than they did a few years ago.  A cat with dementia may not remember where the pan is located if it is too far away.  The arthritic cat may not be able to get down the stairs too well, and once there, may have trouble getting into the pan.  This applies also to obese cats.

            Cats with inflammatory bowel disease may have chronic diarrhea, chronic constipation, or a combination of both.  Again, they may associate painful defecation with the litter pan and start using other areas, or there may be no clean spot left.

LITTER PAN AND MANAGEMENT ISSUES

            This second group of reasons cats miss the litter pan includes the pan, the litter, and location of the pan as well as how clean you keep the pan.  Remember, the cat wants to scratch and cover.  What would your cat use if he were in the outdoors?  He would look for a soft, easy-to-dig material such as garden soil.  He would have lots of room to find a spot, dig, squat, turn, and cover.  And he would have a clean spot to use each time. THINK LIKE A CAT!

            Probably the most common reason for cats to house soil is a dirty litter pan.  The cat avoids using it because it is like a dirty, smelly restroom.  We all have had the experience of traveling and using a public restroom that was anything but clean.  All in all, you’d rather not go there!  It’s the same with your cat. Cats will use a fresh spot each time they eliminate.  If you are not keeping the pan clean, there may be no fresh spot left. This cat will leave stool and urine outside the pan. In other words, they think “outside the box”! The experts recommend scooping daily – at least.  How would you like to use a toilet that only was flushed every few days? The pan itself holds odors if it is not washed regularly or if it is too old, so wash the pan itself weekly in mild detergent.  Do not use ammonia for this since it is an ingredient of urine.

            Maybe the pan itself is unacceptable.  Put yourself in your cat’s place.  THINK LIKE A CAT!  Watch your cat use the pan.  Is he comfortable in the pan or does he do his thing and fire out of there?  Maybe the pan is too small.  I remember a call where the cat was using the hallway carpet.  The owner had gotten a small covered litter pan for the cat when she was a kitten and she now weighed 16 pounds!  Cats need room to eliminate, turn, and cover without soiling their feet.  A covered or hooded pan can be aversive to the cat.  Too much odor can be trapped inside with the pet which creates an “outhouse” effect.  The covered pan may be too small to let the cat maneuver.  And the covered litter pan, because it has only one way out, has the potential for ambush by other cats or pets.  Think of that – having to fight your way out of or into the bathroom! “Oh, but I like the covered pan because it keeps more of the litter inside and less of it tracks,” you may say.  Yes, but you are not thinking like a cat! If this really bothers you, you can keep a dust pan and brush nearby.

Maybe the sides of the pan are too high for kittens or older, arthritic cats.  The pan may hold too little litter to stimulate digging.  Some cats like to perch on the edge of the pan and not get their feet into the pan at all.  These cats may prefer pans with a frame or rim. 

Some cats will squat to urinate, but will stand up as they go, sending urine over the edge of the pan.  I call these “high pee-airs.” Technically, these cats are in the pan!  For these cats, you need a shower stall type of pan.  There is no shower stall type of pan on the market, so you need to make one yourself out of an 18-gallon (or larger) storage tote.  Directions for this are in another article available at http://www.mdfelinesociety.org/. 

The type of litter you use is critical.  You want to appeal to the cat’s desire to scratch and cover.  How it feels underfoot to the cat is important.  Cats have soft, sensitive feet.  THINK LIKE A CAT!  Most cats prefer a soft, fine-textured, unscented litter such as Ever Clean ES or Arm and Hammer clumping litter. Nine out of 10 cats in a shelter study preferred clumping litter. (BUT do NOT use clumping litter with young kittens under 12 weeks of age.  They tend to eat the litter and it can obstruct them.) Your cat is telling you he hates the litter if he perches on the edge of the pan, refuses to cover what he has done, vocalizes during elimination, uses a spot next to the pan, or flies out of the pan when he is done. These are the cats which are using the carpet or bedding.  Some cats, however, never cover their waste.  Longhaired cats like Persians are prone to this problem.

Unfortunately, cats don’t get to select their litter – people do.  And people tend to think like people and not like cats.  How else can you explain the array of strange litter choices on the market?  Crystal types of litter are poor choices because they pop, fizz, and heat up when urine hits them.  They also have large, uncomfortable granules.  The pine nugget litters may have a strong pine smell when they get wet.  They also give off dust and are too large a granule.  The old clay litters have stood the test of time, but they also may be too uncomfortable underfoot.  They also get smelly in a day or two. There is a new product called Cat Attract which is a litter additive.  The idea is to add a bit of it to your good quality clumping litter as an even stronger inducement to the cat to use the pan.

            Plastic liners may be repellent to your cat.  We don’t know why exactly, but they may hold too much moisture or too much odor.  Scent and other additives may also turn your cat off.  Baking soda, for example, may fizz when urine hits it. 

Be sure to use enough litter.  Most cats prefer 2 to 3 inches in the pan.  One rule of thumb is to have one pan per cat PLUS one.

            Just as with real estate, location of the pan also is important.  The pan should be located not too far away from the cat’s favorite resting place.  This is especially important for kittens and geriatric cats.  I have been in homes where the kitten spends most of his time on the main living level, but his pan is in the basement.  He may be too small to negotiate the steps very well, or he may not have enough time to get there.  The geriatric cat may have a similar problem.  The cat also likes privacy when he is using the pan.  I was at a house call one time and the litter pan was in the center of a very large basement room with nothing else in sight.  I asked the owner if she would like to use a toilet in the same place.  Of course not!  THINK LIKE A CAT!  Or at least try to put yourself in the cat’s place.  The pan should be located away from confusion, interruptions, and unpleasant surprises – like not beside the shower or beside a noisy furnace blower.  Place pans away from a limited access point where the cat can be ambushed by other pets.  Ideally, you will have a pan per house level.

SOCIAL ISSUES

Third group of issues – social issues – occur more rarely than other causes, though everyone thinks this is why his cat house soils.  It is normal for cats to mark.  Cats do head and cheek rubbing, for example, on doorways and even on owners to show friendly associations.  Cats also mark territory by clawing. They are depositing their scent from glands in their cheeks and paws. A third way to mark is by urine spraying.  This is a normal behavior in cats but unpleasant for us.  It is their calling card to indicate that they were there, to mark boundaries, and to announce sexual availability.  Spraying involves leaving small amounts of urine on vertical surfaces.  The cat stands backed up to something, raises his tail, shakes it, and squirts a bit of urine straight back.  Usually this is done by unaltered males and even females, but 10% of altered males and 5% of altered females still spray.  One recent study, by the way, shows far less of this in males neutered at 5 months or younger, such as the early neutering done by shelters. Urine spraying often is seen in multi-cat houses with more than 6 cats in response to the stress of social conflict with the other cats.

            Why do cats spray?  It is NOT spite!  It is anxiety!  What makes a cat anxious?  For unaltered cats their hormones can make them anxious to advertise themselves.  There can be territorial issues that make cats anxious.  Strange cats hanging around outside can upset your inside cats.  Inside your house, multiple cats can make each other anxious.  This usually involves the boldest and the most timid.  The bold cat wants to declare himself and the timid cat wants to reassure himself that he has a safe place to be, so he reassures himself with the scent of his own urine.  Experts say that the incidence of house soiling may approach 100% in houses with more than 10 cats.  New items or situations also can stimulate anxiety in cats.  A new sofa or carpeting, for example, can set off insecure cats, as can a new baby or a new pet. A new person in the house may stimulate the cat to urinate on that person’s belongings.  This often is interpreted mistakenly as “spite.” Even someone moving out of the house can prompt urine spraying.

            Cats with social issues may not spray but simply house soil.  You’ll see large amounts of urine (and maybe even feces) on horizontal surfaces.  Cats may get even more fastidious with stress and have little tolerance for a dirty litter pan.

COMBINATION OF ISSUES

            Cats may house soil because of a combination of issues.  The cat with urinary tract disease may also hate his litter or litter pan, for example.  Or a cat living in a multi-cat house may develop urinary tract disease secondary to the stress he is experiencing.  These combination situations are fairly common.

DECISION ANALYSIS FOR CAUSES OF HOUSE SOILING IN CATS

            I have developed a “Decision Analysis for Causes of House Soiling in Cats” which follows.  In this diagram, I have started with what you start with – what you are finding on the floor.  If you are finding only feces out of the pan, for example, you look to the right to see the most common causes for this behavior.  Use this decision analysis diagram to see if you can decide the cause of your cat’s problem.  Then you can decide how best to treat it.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM

            You want to address the problem promptly. Do not let this continue for weeks or months.  The longer you wait, the more embedded in the cat’s behavior this will become.  You also need to know who the culprit is if you live in a multi-cat household.  For urine marking, you can use fluorescein stain, the same dye your veterinarian uses to find corneal ulcers.  See your veterinarian for the supplies.  You place 4 to 6 strips of the fluorescein paper in a plain gelatin capsule and give it to your suspect.  Then you check your house (carpet especially) with a black light for the next 3 or 4 days and see whether anything fluoresces.  If not, move on to the next suspect.  For stool, grind up one or two orange or yellow crayons and feed them mixed into canned food to your suspect. Check the stool which you find out of the litter pan for the next one to two days for crayon specks.  You also can separate the cats to try to identify the culprit.  Confine one cat to a room for several days and see if the problem stops.

            Once you have found your culprit, do NOT punish him.  It only increases his anxiety and teaches him to be more secretive.  Do NOT rub his nose in it!  This is a myth!  But DO make an appointment with your veterinarian since many cases of house soiling are caused by medical issues.  It would help if you took a urine sample with you.  Collect urine by isolating the suspected cat in a bathroom with a litter pan with a thin plastic bag (like a dry cleaner bag) patted completely over the litter.  Wait up to 12 or 14 hours or more. Hopefully, the cat will hop into the litter pan, feel the litter through the bag, and urinate on top of the plastic.  Pour the urine into a clean, dry container and refrigerate.  This type of sample is fine for any testing other than culture.

            Next, address the management of your litter pans.  Are they clean enough?  Are you scooping the pans daily?  Washing them once a week?  If you are using liners and covered pans, get rid of the liners and lose the lids.  Is your litter soft underfoot?  Is it too heavily scented?  Are you using enough litter?  Are the pans themselves large enough?

The next step is to play detective.  What are the circumstances?

1.     Is there a particular surface on which your cat prefers to eliminate?  If the cat is using soft surfaces, you may be able to modify your litter to match it.  Use a softer litter like Ever Clean ES, sand, or even a carpet remnant in the litter pan.  If the cat is using hard surfaces, maybe use a very large litter pan (like a large cement mixing tray) with a small amount of litter.  You also can try a “litter cafeteria” approach.  This is like consumer preference testing. You isolate the cat from the other cats and fill 4 or more litter pans with different types of filler – two different kinds of clumping litter, potting soil, and sand, for example.  Let your cat “vote.”  See which one he prefers.  Then during week 2, you use the winner from Week 1 plus two or three new fillers.  You can try shredded newspaper, paper towels, and baby diapers.

2.     Is there a certain location he prefers?  Put a pan in the preferred location. “But I don’t want a litter pan in my dining room!” you may say.  That’s understandable, but consider that you are negotiating with the cat.  Once he’s using the pan in the new location reliably (say 2 weeks or more), gradually move the pan a few inches a day to the desired location. If this is a very young or very old cat, you may need to live with the pan in the cat’s location at least for a while.

3.     Is another cat terrorizing the cat while he’s in the litter pan?  You need to study the dynamics in your household to see if this is a likely scenario. If so, use a pan with a 360 degree view, not a covered litter pan.  Or use multiple pans in different areas.  The bully cat can’t be in two places at once!  I had this situation in my house.  Rufus, a rather timid cat, began to use the dining room for his toilet.  We observed that Tabitha, a fairly assertive cat, liked to sit at the top of the stairs near the entrance to our library where the litter pans are located.  We watched as Tabitha, like Cerberus guarding the entrance to Hades, challenged Rufus when he had to use the pan.  He was too timid to face her so he started to use the dining room.  The solution? A pan in the dining room.

4.     Is your cat telling you he hates the litter?  He may cry, refuse to cover his waste, perch on the edge of the pan, or eliminate near the box.  Be sure your pans are clean. Maybe your pans are too old and, despite washing, are holding too much odor. If your cat is super fastidious, consider an electric litter pan.  It is always clean!  Maybe the pan itself is the offender – too small or too high.  Try different things for litter pans.  A low-sided storage container for gift wrap may work well for a low-sided pan.  A cement mixing tray works well for chunky cats.  You may need to add litter pans.  Remember the rule of thumb – one litter pan per cat plus one. Extra pans increase the amount of litter available.

CATS THAT SPRAY—A  SPECIAL CASE

            What if your cat is spraying urine?  You need to identify the culprit. You can use the fluorescein dye method discussed earlier. If the cat is not altered, take care of that first.  Try to identify what triggered the spraying. Look for the source of anxiety. When did it start?  Did it start when someone moved in or out?  When a new pet arrived?  With the start of lower urinary tract disease?

            Look at where the spray is found.  If it is beside windows or doors, look for an outside cat hanging around.  You can try motion detectors (like the Scarecrow – http://www.scatmat.com/) that trigger sprinklers or noise.  Or you can block your cat from seeing the interloper by using opaque contact paper on windows or patio doors.

            Are there territorial disputes within your house?  These will usually involve the boldest and the most timid cats.  If you have more than 6 cats, consider dividing them into two groups with doors between the groups.  Divide up the bullies.  Or you can separate the aggressor for a week or more and then slowly reintroduce him by feeding the cats successively closer to each other.  Or you can try giving the marking cat his own space for some time each day.  If you cannot separate the cats, you can alter the environment to let them avoid each other more.  This includes using more vertical space such as shelves, perches, and climbing trees.  There also is a commercial product called Feliway on the market.  This is a synthetic version of the cat “friendly” pheromone that cats use when they cheek rub.  It is available as a spray and as a diffuser.  This may help the insecure cat feel more reassured.  If the cat has a conflict with a particular person, you could have that person feed the cat.  Experts also recommend keeping the anxious cat indoors because outdoor access often triggers urine marking.

            Discuss with your veterinarian using an anti-depressant medication for your cat.  Spraying is more responsive to anti-anxiety drugs than are other types of house soiling.  But medication is only part of the solution.  You also need to address the social issues such as the social grouping that have led to the spraying behavior.  The main drugs used at this time are amitriptyline, clomipramine, diazepam, and buspirone. All of these drugs have problems with dosing, administration, and side effects.  I have discussed this last because this is a difficult area.  The pet may be very sleepy for the first few weeks on medication and the owner may feel guilty that he is “drugging” his pet.  Once the initial induction period is complete, the pet will be much more like himself.  Medication will help with the problem but it may not eliminate it.

            You may want to consider placing the pet in a new home.  Sometimes these cats do well in a new home and do not spray.  They are away from the other cats or the person they conflicted with.  Sometimes with a new diet and more to do they do very well.

OTHER THINGS TO DO

            Cats live in a world dominated by scent to an extent that is difficult for humans to understand. Most experts, therefore, recommend that you clean the affected areas thoroughly with enzyme-based cleaners to remove all scent cues which may prompt the cat to return to the scene of the crime.  These cleaners include Vet Strength Outright (my personal favorite), Nature’s Miracle, Anti-Icky-Poo, The Equalizer, and Urine-Off.  You may need to clean the area three or four times with drying times in between to remove all odor.  You may even need to inject the cleaner through the carpet.  If the underlying floor is damaged and soaked, you may only have success if you remove the carpet, carpet pad, and wood floor – the surgical approach.  Some of my clients only have had success after the carpet was removed.  Once you have cleaned thoroughly, keep frequently sprayed objects and any new objects out of the area.

            You also can place objects which discourage the cat from getting to the area which he soils – several solid air fresheners (especially citrus), heavy builder’s plastic, sandpaper, contact paper sticky side up, carpet runner with nubs up, aluminum foil, or a Scat Mat (see http://www.scatmat.com/. or try pet supply stores). You also can use a motion detector to keep the cat out of the area. Radio Shack sells a small one for about $25 that works well with cats (cat. no. 49-425). Some of these tips are aimed at changing the texture of the surface.

            You can try to change the significance of the soiled area.  Feed the cat on the preferred spot, for example.

            You can close the area off.

You can try to catch him in the act.  Put a bell on him so you know where he is.  If you catch him as he starts to eliminate, startle him with water from a water pistol or plant sprayer or shake a jar of pennies.  Try to stay in the background as if the environment punished him.

            DO NOT PUNISH the cat.  Do not even scream at him.  If anxiety is the cause of his house-soiling, it will only make things worse.

CONCLUSION

            House soiling is a common and frustrating problem.  It is best to try to see it from the cat’s point of view.  Usually anxiety is the root of the problem.  In my experience, the top reasons are a dirty pan and/or poor location.  Other top contenders are pans which are too small and multi-cat households with social stresses.  Medical issues often are lurking in the background, as well.

            Many people may not understand why you would want to keep a cat who house soils.  Many times additional stress comes from a spouse who is screaming at you because the cat is house soiling.  But now you have a plan of attack.  Many cat owners are highly motivated to solve the problem and play the game of chess.  The cat makes a move, you make a move, and the cat makes another move!

THE LITTER PAN FOR STAND UP CATS

          Here is an idea – The Litter Pan for Stand Up Cats.  For more information, click Stand Up Litter Pan

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

          http://www.catsinternational.org/ – Excellent, comprehensive website about cats and behavior.

          http://www.vet.cornell.edu/ – Behavior pamphlets available on line as well as information on vaccines, senior care and medical disorders.

          http://www.westwoodanimalhospital.com/ – Behavior pamphlets by Wayne Hunthausen, DVM.

          www.vet.osu.edu/indoorcat - The Ohio State Veterinary College behavior website.

          http://www.perfectpaws.com/ – Training information and products.

© Jean B. Townsend, VMD, 2/25/06 ,

© Revised, Jean B. Townsend, 1/16/2007

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