Mary Allen
Cats are usually considered clean animals, but sometimes they relieve themselves outside of their litter box. “Why does the cat pee everywhere?” Desperate cat owners then ask themselves. Here is a list of possible reasons behind the uncleanliness.
Important: If in doubt, go to the vet to rule out illness if your cat pees everywhere. This behavior is usually not normal, because even as small kittens, velvet paws learn from their mother how to properly dispose of their leftovers and how to use the litter box. So if your cat is normally housebroken, you should start looking for clues when it becomes unclean.
Cat Pees in the Apartment: Is It Sick?
If your cat pees everywhere, it could be due to a urinary tract disease. For example, a bladder infection can cause your kitty to relieve itself outside of the litter box. Urinary crystals such as struvite stones or oxalate stones are also a common pathological cause of impurity. Neutered cats who drink too little and eat too much dry food are particularly at risk.
Stress & Anxiety as a Reason for Uncleanliness in Cats
If your vet was able to rule out an illness, psychological problems may be the reason for the unwanted peeing. When cats are stressed or scared, they often seek out a soft spot with a familiar smell to calm them down. By peeing on the sofa, bed, carpet, or your laundry, they mix their own scent with your scent. This makes them feel safe and secure. Have you recently moved house, gotten a new roommate, had visitors, or been particularly noisy (e.g. on New Year’s Eve)? Then stress and anxiety could have triggered the uncleanliness.
Why Does the Cat Pee Everywhere? Litter Box as the Cause
If your cat seems healthy and you’ve ruled out stress, check the litter box. Cats don’t like to urinate in their toilet if it’s dirty or if they don’t like the litter in it. Using a strong-smelling detergent to clean can also tempt cats to pee elsewhere. In multi-cat households with only one litter box, mobbing can also be a cause. Bullying cats occasionally block the way to the litter box for their fellow cats, so that they have to relieve themselves in the apartment. In addition to being denied access to the toilet, this is compounded by stress and anxiety.
Unneutered Tomcat Pees Everywhere: Urine Marking VS Uncleanliness
If you have a cat that is not neutered, he may pee everywhere for urine marking purposes. Cats usually squat down when they are not clean, i.e. when they urinate in unwanted places. When tagging, the tomcats stop, stretch their buttocks up, and erect their tails before squirting their scent tag vertically backward. Therefore, have your cat neutered as early as possible so that he does not get used to this behavior in the first place.
Territorial Behavior as a Reason for the Cat Peeing Everywhere
It sometimes happens that even neutered cats mark their territory with urine. This can be the case, for example, when a new velvet paw moves into the house. Your old cat wants to stand out and continue to claim its territory. That’s why she then places her scent mark in the usual places. You can prevent this in part by carefully considering which partner would be the ideal match for your first cat before getting a second cat. When introducing them, you should proceed step by step and give the animals as much time as they need to get to know each other.
Myth: Cats Pee All Over Their Home to Protest
Some cat owners think their pet pees everywhere in protest, revenge, or defiance. But that’s nonsense. Cats are not capable of such feelings at all. They don’t plan their pee accidents or strategically use their urine to annoy people. Even if cats were intellectually capable of plotting revenge, they wouldn’t do it. They would not see the benefit of such an endeavor and would rather save their time and energy for useful and pleasant things.
So don’t scold your cat when she pees in the apartment. She means no harm, and your aggressive demeanor may scare or unsettle her. This in turn can increase the problem of uncleanliness.