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?
5 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
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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Related Answers from Veterinarians
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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.
0Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on September 3rd, 2019
Cats will urinate outside the box for many reasons. Here is a good article to explain the different reasons: https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-top-5-reasons-your-cat-is-avoiding-her-litter-box-and-what-to/ The first thing you need to do is have Storm checked for a idiopathic cystitis which can result from stress or other urine abnormality. There may be a medical cause for the behavior. If the veterinarian thinks this is behavioral, there are a few factors to adjust. Cats are sensitive to the type of litter, size of the box and location of the box. If you have more cats, you need 1 litter box per cat + 1 additional box. You should move a litter box into your room for now. You should also have a litter box on every floor of the house. This article discusses different types of litter and litter boxes: https://www.petcoach.co/article/cat-litter-finding-the-right-fit-for-your-cat/ In general though, cats prefer large, uncovered litter boxes, clay-based clumping litter that is scoped every day and a private, quiet location. If you have other cats or dogs, if they can access the litter box, it may cause Storm to be afraid that she could find herself trapped in the box. Cats are a prey species in the wild and they still retain those instincts. Clean the carpet with a good enzymatic cleanser. This will to get rid of any smells. There are things you can do at home to help to keep Storm relaxed and that may help to ensure good litter box habits. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with house soiling. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on April 28th, 2018
Star looks very sweet in those pictures! Inappropriate elimination (peeing or pooping outside the litter box) in cats can be frustrating and difficult to treat. The first step you should take is scheduling an appointment for Star to see a veterinarian. A lot of times a cat will start going outside of the litter box due to health problems like urinating tract infections, pain, urinary tract inflammation and digestive problems. Once you have established that there aren't any medical reasons for inappropriate elimination the following may be helpful: 1. Cats will urinate or defecate outside of the litter box for stress related reasons. Therefore it is best to keep the litter boxes in several different, quiet areas of the household. 2. A pheromone diffuser like Feliway can be quite helpful. 3. Ensure you have at least one litter box in the household per cat plus one. For example, if you have 3 cats, then 4 litter boxes are recommended. 4. Feeding an all canned food diet can help if there is inflammation in the bladder. There are also prescription diets available to help with bladder inflammation or digestive issues. Your veterinarian can help you choose the best one for your cat. 5. The litter boxes should be cleaned once to twice daily and completely emptied and washed weekly. Most cats prefer litter to be the clumping type that is kept a few inches deep. Certain litter types like Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter may be helpful. Litter boxes should be very large with a low cut out to make it easier for older cats with arthritis to climb inside. 6. If you are still having problems after taking the above steps you may want to talk to your veterinarian about behavioral medication. This article may be helpful to you: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-common-litter-box-mistakes/
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on February 16th, 2018
Unfortunately, it is very common for older cats or cats with any medical problems to have changes in their bathroom habits. I have a few suggestions for you. First, even if a cat has been tolerant of a slightly dirty litter box previously, sometimes this changes as they get older. That may mean that if there is ANY urine or stool in a box, then they won't use it. Why this sometimes involves only stool and not urine, we can't always tell. But the first step in any inappropriate elimination case is to make sure that there are the "correct" number of litter boxes in the house which is the number of cats plus one, so that would be 2 boxes in your house if Helena is the only cat. Those boxes must be cleaned at least once daily. Some people use an automatic cleaning litter box for one of their boxes to make sure that there is always a clean box. Cats tend to dislike covered or lined litter boxes, so I would eliminate those if they are as issue. As far as litter, I currently use World's Best which I really like, but you may also want to try products like Cat Attract Litter (https://www.drelseys.com/shop/cat-attract/). Second, if a cat has ever had pain or discomfort associated with defecating (which we can sometimes see with cats with GI disease like pancreatitis), she may associate it with the litter box and may avoid the litter box for defecation. So, if this is a new problem, I would certainly recommend having your veterinarian examine Helena to see if they find any signs of abdominal pain or arthritis that may benefit from medication or other treatment. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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