How to Stop Your Cat From Peeing Where He Shouldn't

All cats need a clean, fresh litter box where they can feel comfortable to eliminate properly. Just like humans, no one wants to do their business in a dirty bathroom! Therefore, it is important to make sure you clean the box daily.

If you have a clean litter box and your kitty starts peeing in the sink or any other unsavory place, there might be a bigger issue at stake.

First, as always, rule out medical issues such as a urinary tract infection

As with any behavioral change in your cat, you should take your kitty to the vet to make sure nothing is wrong. When cats start urinating in areas other than litter boxes, it could be a sign of an illness, maybe even a Urinary Tract Infection. If a medical condition has been ruled out, you need to re-train your cat to use the litter box.

Below are some suggestions to make the litter box more enticing:

Make sure that your litter box is clean at all times

Most litter boxes need to be cleaned once a day, sometimes even multiple times a day. Try picking out the discards every morning and night o see if that helps, especially if your cat is avoiding it. And then refresh with clean litter about 1 ½ inches from the base.

Do you have enough litter boxes in your home?

While it depends on your home and your preference, the common rule of thought is that you have one litter box per cat plus one extra. So, if you have two cats, you should have three litter boxes.  Some cats do not like to share litter boxes, or some cats like to use one box for urinating and another box for defecating.

The litter boxes should be placed in private or less trafficked areas

Your cat likes his or her privacy when it comes to urinating and maybe your litter box is in a public location? If you think this is the case, try changing the location of the box.

Your litter box should be easily to climb into

Did your cat outgrow the litter box? It might now be too small for her or maybe the litter box has a hood or liner that makes your kitty feel uncomfortable.

Below are some suggestions to stop your cat from peeing in the sink:

It is not uncommon for some cats to pee in the bathroom sink. If your cat does this, you should try to make the sink undesirable to your cat. Place sheets of aluminum foil, plastic or anything else your cat may not like over the sink so he cannot access the bowl of the sink to urinate. If your cat does not like touching the items on or around the sink, your kitty will stay away from it.

Move the litter box to somewhere other than the bathroom

Sometimes, it is as simple as relocating your litter box to a different room. Leave your bathroom door closed at all times and your cat will find the litter box in the new location.

Clean the sink thoroughly to remove any urine smells

Many cats associate smells of urine with a place to urinate. If you clean using white vinegar or a cleaning product with a strong scent (bleach or lemon), your cat will usually find it less appealing.

Leave water in the sink – cats hate wet paws!

Leave a little bit of water in the bowl of the sink. Chances are that your cat will not want to get in a wet sink in order to urinate and then start avoiding the sink.

If you have a clean litter box, make the sink as undesirable as possible and your kitty continues to urinate in the sink, it might be worth speaking to a cat behaviorist. It could be anxiety or another stress-related item.