# Cat peeing in front of litter box- I'm new so be gentle!



## rrs814 (Jun 10, 2004)

There are probably hundreds of posts regarding this, but I'm new so please forgive me!
We have a LARGE male (22 lbs) and a "normal" size female. He's 4 yrs old, she 13. We've had 2 covered boxes, 1 large-1 med, for several years (after the 3rd littermaid went down). Never had a problem until recently. I've moved them around some, ripped up the carpet to bare tile where it first stated, etc etc. I'm now going to try placing the box he/she uses most over the area, hoping he/she won't choose another spot to mark. Both cats are "fixed" and are indoor ONLY. ANY ideas would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## 93SRV (Oct 27, 2003)

Have you tried to keep them uncovered? If not, do you clean the litter everyday or twice a day even?


----------



## rrs814 (Jun 10, 2004)

No. I'll try it. Thanks!!


----------



## Annissa (Dec 9, 2003)

I think 93SRV is right on the money. Remove the covers and clean the surrounding areas with an enzyme cleaner. You might also consider having them checked for UTIs, a common cause of urinating outside the box.

Another thing I just thought of is your 22 pounder might be too large for the litter boxes you have on hand. When my cat weighed 19 pounds he barely fit in an extra large box with no top. Perhaps he feels he doesn't have enough room to maneuver inside the box?


----------



## rrs814 (Jun 10, 2004)

WOW. Thanks you two for the quick, considerate input. I thought of getting one of those "Rubbermaid" storage "trays" (like 36"X17", or whatever they are) and using it for both cats. However, it does seems that it's evolved into an individual use "thing" with the smaller cat in the smaller box. I thought the peeing was/is teritorial, as it's right in the doorway of the large box. This happened about 2 mos ago, I cleaned up, turned boxes 180 degrees (doors on the hood, ya know) and it stopped. Now here we go again. Hey S R V. Do you play? my site -- www.guitarcrazy.com.


----------



## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

We usually give every new member twenty lashes, but since you asked nicely, we'll be gentle! :wink: 
You have already received some good advice. I just liked the title of your post!. The only other thing I can suggest is that your cat might not like the litter. That happens on occasion.


----------



## ospunkyo (Sep 3, 2003)

Is it both of them doing this - or just one?

My only other thought on this subject is to suggest a vet visit. When my cat started peeing outside the box, I tried a bunch of things I thought might help, and then finally called the vet to ask their opinion. They told me to bring her in, and discovered she had a mild urinary tract infection.


----------



## Annissa (Dec 9, 2003)

I just thought of something else!

Imagine you're a cat and you have a covered litterbox. You go inside and you're doing your thing. You cover it up and you're ready to leave. You go out the only way you can when suddenly...YOU'RE AMBUSHED BY ANOTHER CAT! AAAH!

Scary. I wouldn't go in there again.

heheh...that was fun. But seriously, I believe at least one of our members had this same problem because one of her cats was ambushing the other one just outside the covered litterbox. Since the "ambushee" was afraid to go in the box where she would be trapped, she just started doing her thing right in front of the box. In this case, removing the cover solved the problem.


----------



## Ianthe (Jun 7, 2004)

Our new cat Boris is too big to fit in any conventional litter boxes, even xxl ones. He was eliminating over the edge of the box because he had no room. We solved the problem by buying a a 66 qt. rubbermaid container that measures 39" by 20" by 7". We have had no problems since, andour other cats are enjoying it,too!!!


----------



## fbodgrl (May 10, 2004)

When I got my first cat as a kitten she was doing that. She wold use the box most of the time, but then I would see her go right outside the box. I was annoyed and confused, because I never had a cat before. She ended up having a UTI (bladder infection). After she finished up her medicine she never went outside the box again.


----------



## RarePuss (Jun 16, 2004)

I too think taking the cover off is a good first step.  @ 22lb, that's a very big cat  ... how about buying a bigger 'jumbo' box, the current one might just be too small


----------

