litter box question

by Jesse
(Long Island NY)

I have a 2-year old spayed female cat that I adopted just over a year ago - she has always used the litter box with no problems - I originally got a covered litter box after I discovered our dogs eating the cat litter - I have solved that problem with a pet gate that keeps the dogs out of the room but allows the cat to jump over & get to the litter box - about a month ago the cat started peeing just outside the litter box - she is part Maine coon cat so she is very large - I then took the cover off the litter box thinking maybe there just wasn't enough room for her - but even with the box uncovered she still pees just outside the edges of the box - she poops inside the box though - what can I do to get her to pee inside the box instead of making a mess on the floor?

Answer by Kate
It is likely that this behavior has more to do with scenting than a problem with the litter box.

as you know cats use their urine a scent marker and it could well be that she feels the need to scent this area to make it her own. Why she would feel this need can often be a mystery to us. Sometimes its because something has changed in the home or even frightened her a little.

You could try a period of confinement training to help her calm down and become more confident. It would mean moving the litter box into another room with her for a few days. During this time clean the whole area where the litter box used to be in case there are small spots of urine around which could be encouraging her to use it again.

The litter box training method is described on this page

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-litter-box.html


best wishes Kate

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