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Why is my cat peeing and pooping in the sink or other places?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 2 years and 1 month old | 10 lbs

Why does my cat poop and pee in the sink/other places?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Christie Long, DVM

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on December 14th, 2016

In a very general sense, cats typically avoid appropriate places to urinate (i.e. the litter box) because they associate doing so with pain. Any cat that is inappropriately urinating/defecating should be first checked for pain, either from urinary tract issues like an infection or inflammation, or skeletal pain from issues like hip or spinal problems. Once these issues have been ruled out, behavioral problems should be investigated. This can be done by increasing frequency of litter box cleaning (once daily), adding additional litter boxes (at least one per cat + 1), trying covered vs. non-covered boxes, trying a bigger box, and trying a few different kinds of litter to see if your cat has a different preference.

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    Answered By Jacqueline Nobles, DVM, DACVECC

    Veterinarian, Board-Certified Emergency/Critical Care Specialist

    Published on

    Some cats will exhibit this behavior if they do not have multiple litter boxes or if they do not like the type of litter provided. Try making at least 2 or even 3 litter boxes available in different locations.

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