Toileting Outside Litter Box
When your cat toilets outside of their litter tray, it can be incredibly frustrating and stressful for you and the household.
Almost always, house soiling comes down to one of three things:
- a medical problem
- stress
- litter tray set up not suited to the cat
Your cat isn’t being spiteful, manipulative or bad.
As smart and sneaky as they can be, a cat’s little brain doesn’t actually have the capacity to think that way. A cat doesn’t think, “dad went to work today and left me alone, better poop on the carpet for that”, even though that's sometimes how it feels. Not using the litter tray is a sign of something else happening.
What do I do when my cat doesn't use their litter box?
When your cat doesn’t use the litter box, don’t scold or punish them. Punishment likely make them more stressed and anxious, therefore making their issues worse. Be sure to make a note of where and when it happened, then clean it up with an enzyme based cleaner, preferably one that’s made for breaking down animal urine/waste, and then use a regular cleaner. Your cat has a better nose than you and may still be able to smell the urine. Do not use ammonia based products as this can smell like urine to cats.
Vet Check First: It may be a medical issue
If your previously house-trained cat has suddenly started soiling outside the litter box, a vet visit should always be the priority. Painful or uncomfortable conditions are a very common trigger for a cat to start avoiding the tray, including but not limited to:
- Urinary tract infections
- Bladder inflammation or Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC)
- Kidney disease
- Arthritis or other conditions that make the cat physically uncomfortable
- Constipation or diarrhoea, which can make defecation painful and cause them to associate the pain with the tray itself
- Chronic anxiety or stress due to environmental changes, such as moving, or getting a another pet
Once your vet has ruled out or treated any medical issues, you're in a much better position to work through the behavioural and environmental side of things.
It’s also worth talking to your vet about nutraceuticals or diet changes that may assist with your cat’s litter box habits such as Zylkene, Feliway (calming pheromones) or a specialised diet.
Check your litter tray set up
Cats can be picky with their toileting preferences. A lot of house soiling issues can be resolved by tweaking your cat’s tray set up.
1. One tray for every cat + an extra one
Did you know that your cat needs one tray plus an extra? If you have two cats, that means three trays!
2. Check your placement
Put your litter trays in quiet, low-traffic spots where your cat can toilet without feeling exposed. Is their tray in the laundry full of noisy appliances and intense smells and that is why they’re avoiding it? Is it in the hallway where the dog is waiting to eat their poo, or kids are running past? Stressful! Try having a few different placements for litter trays. Don't line all the trays up in one room, especially in a multi-cat household. Cats can read clustered trays as one tray, and may guard their toilet from the other cats in the home.
3. Check your litter type
Cats can be particular about litter type, like we can with toilet paper brands. It may take trial and error to find what your cat likes. If you have recently adopted your cat, ask their previous carers what type of litter they were using and try that. Softer, finer, non-scented litter is often preferred, as rough crystals may be uncomfortable especially for older cats. You should allow a depth of at least six centimetres of litter as this is important for them to perform their natural behaviours of digging and covering waste. There are heaps of litters on the market, and it may take some trial and error to find the one.
4. Tray set up
Can your cat get into the tray? Do they know how to use it? Can they turn around comfortably and dig? Are they getting older or have they injured themselves, causing them to find it harder to get into the tray? Sometimes trays can be too high for your cat, or may be too enclosed, making them feel trapped.
5. Cleanliness
Cats, like us, like their toilets clean. Imagine going into a toilet and it was covered in wee on the seat, you’d be kinda annoyed and maybe go find another toilet. Scoop your litter tray daily, change their litter regularly and deep clean the tray monthly.
6. Don’t forget to clean up the soiled spot properly!
A cat's sense of smell will draw them back to a spot they've already toileted on, even after regular cleaning products have made it invisible to us. Use an enzymatic cleaner, made specifically to break down the compounds in urine and faeces. Then clean as needed.
Step three: look at stress and the wider environment
Cats are creatures of routine, and even changes that seem minor to us, such as a new neighbourhood cat visiting your yard, a visitor sleeping over, moving furniture, or changes to their human’s routines can be enough to unsettle them. Stress-driven toileting is often a coping response, and in some cats it's closely tied to Feline Idiopathic Cystitis, a painful bladder condition that flares under stress which begins a vicious cycle.
Practical ways to support your cat:
- Keep your daily routines predictable: feeding, play, and attention at consistent times
- Give your cats their own spaces to spend time away from each other
- Provide multiple safe, elevated, and/or hidden spaces the cat can retreat to
- If a neighbourhood cat is triggering stress at doors or windows, block the sightlines. Let your neighbour or your local council know if their cat is meant to be indoors.
- Increase activities for your cat. Targeted enrichment and food puzzles, scheduled play sessions, attention, connection and even training can help.
- Address any aggression to you or other cats in the home with a fear free cat behaviour consultant - yes, they exist!
- For persistent cases, talk to your vet about supporting your cat through stressful situations with medication or diet changes.
