My cat pees on carpet, won't bury waste, & avoids other cats. Help!

Question

my cat is urinating on the carpet, not burying his pee/poop, and not socializing with other cats. what can I do to make him more sociable? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 5 years old | 15 lbs

Megan, DVM, CVA · Accepted Answer

Poor Buddy! This could be his personality and not want to be around other cats. There could also be another cat that is "picking" on him. Cats are very finicky. Any small amount of stress can cause them to stop using the litter box. A new cat outside (even if they are strictly indoors), construction around the house, new people/pets in or out of the house, the owners being at home more or less than usual, a dirty litter box, loud noises near the litter box, not enough litter boxes, and many more reasons why they may not use the litterbox. There are several recommendations I have that may help improve litterbox usage: 1. Follow the rule: a litter box per cat +1 extra litterbox. This means if you have 2 cats, I would recommend 3 litter boxes. I totally understand that if you have 3-4 cats, that having 4-5 litter boxes gets a little crowded, but I would strongly encourage as many litter boxes as you can handle. 2. Try not put litter boxes in any high traffic areas, where dogs can interrupt them doing their “business” or where any loud noises may occur and startle them (example: washer/dryer). 3. Scoop the litter box daily and change the litter out every few days. 4. THOROUGHLY clean where they have urinated with not only a cleaner but also a deodorizer because even if you cannot smell the urine, they usually can still smell it and it eventually becomes their “spot”. 5. If they continue to use their inappropriate “spot”, try putting the litter box close to or on top of that area and see if they will start using the litter box again (even if it is in a more high traffic area). If so, slowly start moving the litter box every few days closer to the appropriate area. 6. Try adding Feliway diffusers throughout the house. These are feline pheromones (only the cat can smell them) which sometimes help some cats feel “happier”. It doesn’t work on ALL cats, but it does work on some. If all of this fails and he continues to seem really nervous, I would talk to your vet about giving him an anti-anxiety medicine like amitryptilline. I have had good success with this in cats. You may never be able to make him a super social cat as this is likely his personality, but hopefully you can get his to properly use the litterbox. I hope this helps!

My cat pees on carpet, won't bury waste, & avoids other cats. Help!

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