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Why is my 8-year-old cat peeing outside the litter box? Is it medical?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My cat of 8 years old is peeing next to his litter box for some time now. I've tried a few things but is it useless to retrain him?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 7th, 2018

Hello, thank you for your question. Inappropriate elimination can be a sign of few possible underlying conditions. One possibility is that your car has a UTI, this is more common in female cats but does occur in males. Another possibility is that your cat could have bladder stones. Stones are very irritating and cause discomfort especially when trying to urinate. A third possibility is that your cat has a stress condition called FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease). This condition is common in young male cats who live indoors. A stressful event in their environment leads to inflammation and the symptoms you are seeing. I would recommend having your cat seen by your veterinarian so that they can check for a UTI. They will likely collect a urine sample and look for signs of infection. If there are no signs of a UTI they can discuss FLUTD more with you and go through management options. Hope this helps, good luck!

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