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My cat pees outside the litter box. Is it a UTI or stress?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 1 year and 2 months old | 12.6 lbs

I need help getting my cat to stop peeing where he’s not supposed to. I moved into a studio apartment about the size of a 2 car garage a few months ago but he did it at our old place too. I try to clean his litter box every day but sometimes I miss a day. I’ve tried to lock him in a small area with it and I’ve tried to reward him with treats right after he uses his box and it’s help some but once in a while he’ll still go somewhere he’s not supposed to. What else can I do?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Maria DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 25th, 2019

This may be a urinary tract infection but it can also be from stress of moving. I would recommend bringing Romeo to a veterinarian to have him checked for a uti and then if there is no uti I recommend talking with your veterinarian about behavior medication. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By C. Rathjens, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 18th, 2019

    This is very common and very tricky problem. It sounds like it's been going on for about a year since your move. If that's right, it's may be hard to get him back "on" the litter for pee. The stress of the move may have been the original cause, and now he's developed a preference for a different substrate for peeing (for example if there is carpet under the litter box) or it could be that he wants it to be super duper clean in order to urinate in it. Since you mention he'll go if the litter has just been replaced, I'm wondering if he'd urinate in there if you scooped the litter 2-3+ times a day. If that worked, there are automatic scoopers you could invest in. You could also try putting a second litter box nearby that has the same surface as the space around your litter box (ie carpet, tile, etc). Finally, if he's very fastidiousness, he may not like a covered litter box. If none of that helps, it's time for a vet visit to discuss. Good luck!!

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