Why is my cat peeing on the food mat and bowls? How to stop it?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 11 months and 2 days old
Hi, I have two young cats, both around 9 months old, when I first got them I never had a problem with them urinating outside of their litter box, but recently one or both of them (not sure which one) has started urinating all over their food mat and on their food bowls... I have tried thoroughly cleaning the mats every time with enzyme cleaner made for cat urine, cleaning out their litter box every time and tried feeding them separately and only leaving one bowl of dry food and one of water...
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on June 3rd, 2018
There are a large number of reasons that a cat will inappropriately urinate (urinate outside the litter box). I am attaching a handout below which discusses this in detail. https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951508 The first step in figuring out why a cat is urinating outside the litter box is to have your veterinarian do an examination and get a urine sample to evaluate for a medical reason. This is a little challenging since you're not sure which cat is doing it. There are some options to determine which cat is the problem, so it is worth speaking to your vet about that or you can get urine samples on both cats. If that is normal, then we need to look at other possibilities. The handout above discusses litter box issues that can play a role. Make sure you have at least 3 litter boxes (since the "correct" number of boxes is the number of cats plus one), they are not covered or lined, and are cleaned daily. You may also want to try products like Cat Attract Litter (https://www.drelseys.com/shop/cat-attract/). You should also look at decreasing stress in case that is playing a role. One option for decreasing stress is to add a Feliway Diffuser ( https://www.feliway.com ) to your house. This is a calming pheromone that will work for a month. I have also had luck with Rescue Remedy ( http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ ) which can be added to the water. You could also consider calming music specifically for cats ( http://throughadogsear.com/tace/through-a-cats-ear-1-music-for-calming/ ). All of these products are safe for both cats. If your veterinarian cannot find a medical reason and all litter box issues have been dealt with, then it may be time to discuss medication with your veterinarian. Medications are also discussed in the handout above. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that you can figure out what is going on. Thanks for using PetCoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on January 17th, 2018
There are a large number of reasons that a cat will inappropriately urinate (urinate outside the litter box). I am attaching a handout below which discusses this in detail. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=633 The first step in figuring out why a cat is urinating outside the litter box is to have your veterinarian do an examination and get a urine sample to evaluate for a medical reason. If that is normal, then we need to look at other possibilities. The handout above discusses litter box issues that can play a role. If your veterinarian cannot find a medical reason and all litter box issues have been dealt with, then it may be time to discuss medication with your veterinarian. Medications are also discussed in the handout. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that you can figure out why Buttercream is urinating on the floor. Thanks for using PetCoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on February 8th, 2019
The medical reasons a cat will urinate outside the box include a bladder infection, bladder stones, a mass in the bladder, urine crystals and idiopathic cystitis. All of these conditions are painful and this causes the cat to not use the litter box. Most of these cats will need a urinanalysis, urine culture and ultrasound of the bladder to rule out all causes. Check with your veterinarian what additional diagnostics need to be done. Also make sure you are cleaning the litter box every day. Cats can have pretty specific desires for a litter box. If you have questions about these, please post again. Some cats will have behavioral issues and most of them respond to kitty Prozac. This is generally a life long medication. It comes in tablets or can be compounded to a liquid for most pets. Sometimes a special diet can also help. I recommend a diet made by Royal Canin called Urinary + Calm. This diet helps with cats prone to infections or cystitis. It also effects the serotonin levels in the brain and many cats do very well on this diet. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on January 23rd, 2019
When a cat who is litter box trained suddenly starts urinating in the house, that can be a sign of a medical illness such as feline idiopathic cystitis or bladder stones. I'd take Dixie into the vet today or tomorrow to get this checked out. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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