Why is my kitten peeing outside the litter box even after using it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered

My kitten is about 4 months old. The woman from whom I took him said he knew how to use the litter box, and indeed he knew and he had been using it from the beginning. However, after a few days he started to pee in the house:on the carpet, on my mom's sheets etc. I thought it was a phase but he is still doing it quite frequently.I have to mention that I also have a dog, and they are getting along nicely. I don't know what to do. He sometimes pees in the house right after peeing in the litter box

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Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM 174

Veterinarian

Published on December 5th, 2018

Hello, thank you for your question about Merlin. It is possible that Merlin is exhibiting these behaviors due to the a recent change of environment and new scents. To help further identify and remedy this problem I have provided additional information below. Hope this helps! -Your cat may have an aversion to the litterbox. This can develop due to odors, litter type, other cats or dogs, or an attraction for other substances. Observing your cat using the litterbox can help to determine the cause. Hesitation to enter the box, excessive scratching outside the box, straddling the box, and failure to cover up feces may be indications that your cat has a litterbox aversion. Making your cat’s litterbox more appealing can help. Daily cleaning, as well as changing all the litter out weekly can help. Boxes should be cleaned with a mild, unscented soap. Having the box in a low traffic area of the house may also help to reduce any anxiety surrounding the litterbox. Lastly, finding a litter your cat prefers may be key to making the box more appealing. Using cardboard trays and a few different kinds of litters may aid you in finding your cat’s litter preference. -A multi-pet household is another possible cause of inappropriate elimination. Cats may urinate or defecate outside of the litterbox if there are too few litterboxes present, if the boxes are not cleaned regularly or if inter-pet aggression exists. Owners need to determine if there are an adequate number of litterboxes present in multiple locations; it is recommended that the number of litterboxes total the number of cats plus one. It is very important to clean boxes daily. Non-clumping litter should be completely discarded every day; clumping litter should be scooped daily and completely discarded every 1 to 2 weeks. Owners should observe interactions between cats and other animals in the house to see if any harassment or territorial aggression exists; cats may be aggressive towards one another and dogs may follow cats around in search of a tasty treat. Depending on the case, it may be beneficial to separate cats or place litterboxes in areas where the cat cannot be bothered by canine housemates. Additionally, open litterboxes should be used instead of covered ones, so that the cat can visualize its surroundings and have multiple escape routes. Spraying can be differentiated from the other problems because the cat will still use the litterbox for urination and defecation normally. However they will also target specific areas to spray (usually vertical surfaces though sometimes horizontal), assume a characteristic stance, and stand while urinating. Owners should recognize that spraying is not always an abnormal behavior. Cats spray either due to positive or negative stimuli. Positive stimuli can be normal sexual or predatory behavior. Negative stimuli, which normally results in more frequent and problematic spraying, is usually due to anxiety or inter-cat aggression. Whether positive or negative, the stimuli should be identified and removed. Spay or neuter all intact cats. Clean or remove objects that the cat likes to spray on and make these areas less attractive to the cat. For instance if the cat sprays one spot on a wall, move the cat’s food dishes to that spot. Most cats do not like to soil where they eat. If the cat sprays when it sees another cat outside block the view. If these tactics do not work then room diffusers or spraying with feline pheromones may help reduce spraying. Medication can be prescribed by veterinarians and have been shown to greatly reduce marking behavior. However, since the behavior can return as soon as the drug is withdrawn, drugs should be used only after or in conjunction with the methods mentioned above.

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Why is my kitten peeing outside the litter box even after using it?

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