Why Cats Spray Urine
Spraying is a marking behavior. They are leaving their urine scent mark in their environment to let other cats know that they’re around. It helps them control their territory as well as avoid conflict with other cats.
Knowing this will help you figure out why your cat is spraying and help understand why some of the steps to stop your cat urinating everywhere might work.
Use A Cat Litter That Is Quick
When litter doesnt clump immediately, cats often end up stepping in wet litter, which then clings to dry litter and tracks it out of the box. Quick clumping litter will help to prevent this from occurring and reduce tracking.
A litter that clumps quickly keeps the rest of the tray dry, meaning less chance of it clinging to your cats fur and being tracked out of the tray.
Natusan forms tight clumps fast, it is also completely natural and sustainable without the need for any nasty added chemicals such as bentonite.
Our litter is made from 100% natural recycled softwood and doesnt contain clay minerals like bentonite which make other cat litters heavy.
Along with its fine texture, our litters composition means its 60% lighter than the average mineral clumping litter, and also super soft on paws. It also means that like so many cat litter, ours too can track.
Our Customer Care team are always on hand to provide bespoke advice on how to prevent tracking, get in touch, or if you have any tips for us, let us know on social media!
Why not see for yourself and discover Natusan cat litter today?
20/10/2020 by NatuTeam
Get Quick Clumping Litter
If your cat goes to the bathroom and gets the litter wet, they can accidentally step in this wet litter and get it stuck to their feet. The litter will gradually start to dry on your cats feet, and this is when it starts to fall off and get stuck in your carpet and on your furniture.
A clumping litter can help with this because it forms a solid clump when your cat uses it, and this means that it wont be able to stick to their feet. There are several different types of clumping cat litter brands available in both scented and unscented formulas, and you might have to try a few until you find one your cat likes.
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Trim Your Cats Paws To Prevent Litter From Sticking To Them
Cats with longer fur and hair will tend to pick up more litter from the box, especially if its one of the finer litter types. So its a good idea to trim some of the hair that grows between our cats toes.
The lighter and finer particles in the litter, the more it will scatter around the home. This is because small particles are more easily trapped in between our cats feet and body. As a result, when walking around, cats will spread their collection of litter like pollen. This is quite frustrating, especially when it ends up in places like the bed!
Change The Type Of Litter
If your cat does not like the litter, he kicks it out of the box. Maybe, its time to change the type of litter. Cats have preferences when it comes to choosing litter that is conducive to their digging and burrowing.
If they are not being able to adjust to the type of litter in the box, you need to experiment with different types until your cat takes a liking to a particular variety and consistency of litter.
There are various types of litter available, common ones being the clumping and the non-clumping type.
- Clumping Litter: This type of litter is made of bentonite and the texture suits your cats paws just right.
Clumping litter feels like clay, they are very fine and absorbent, controls odor, and forms clumps easily when your cat urinates. This makes it easy to scoop. However, they are too heavy to replace each time and are non-biodegradable.
- Non-Clumping Litter: Any type of litter made apart from clay material is non-clumping litter. This can include wheatgrass, pine, paper, silicon gel, etc. Sometimes, these are available as large pellets so it becomes difficult for your cat to throw or track it out of the box.
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Cleaning Up When Your Cat Keeps Peeing Everywhere
When it comes to cleaning up cat pee, its essential to think in terms of eliminating the odor as well as the stains. If your cat keeps peeing in the same spot, its likely because he smells proteins in the urine that act as a cue to mark territory.
So what can you use to remove both the stain and odor that originates from cat pee? If your cat does have an accident, my favorite type of cleaner to use is an enzymatic stain and odor eliminator, says Pagan.
Veterinarians recommend enzymatic cleaners because they break down stains and odors instead of just hiding them, and because they can be used on a variety of surfaces. They also dont contain harsh chemicals, and instead rely on beneficial bacteria to break down organic matter for their food.
Veterinarians also recommend investing in a good black light, an ultraviolet light that makes it easier to spot cat pee.
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Things To Avoid When Trying To Stop Litter Tracking
When dealing with our cats litter boxes and trying to stop litter tracking, we butlers sometimes take it to the extreme, which can cause some anxiety and discomfort in our cats. As cat owners know, any discomfort or problems associated with the litter box can be much worse than litter tracking: litter box avoidance.
Therefore, to prevent this, its best to stick to these guidelines when we try out a new litter box area or setup:
- Dont try to hide the litter box or place it in far off room .
- Avoid loud areas or rooms.
- Dont place the litter box in small cluttered spaces.
The litter box location is huge for a cat. Sometimes it makes the difference of a cat deciding to go inside or outside of the box. It has to do with their instincts and natural behaviors.
A dark, cramped, or cluttered place is not where a cat wants to be when it wants to relieve itself. This is when theyre most vulnerable in the wild. Although we butlers know our cats are safe our cats dont. All domestic cats will have that same instinct.
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Clean The Litter Boxes More Often
A filthy litter box is almost guaranteed to send a cat elsewhere to pee. Cats are very clean creatures by nature, so they prefer to use a clean litter box.
At a minimum, litter boxes should be scooped out once a day. You should do a deep clean every 1-2 weeks by dumping all the litter and washing and refilling the boxes. Consider a self-cleaning litter box system if you find it hard to keep up on the scooping.
Try A Different Design Of Litter Box
If you currently have an open top litter box with low sides a lot of the litter might be getting kicked out when your cat is burying their business.
Try using a box with higher sides, or a covered box with a flip door on the front. These types of litter boxes will make it more difficult for your kitty to kick the litter out.
They can still track the litter if its stuck to their paws and fur though. You might want to try this first then use a mat as discussed above too.
A little tip If youre switching from an open box to a covered one leave the door open for the first few days until your cat is used to their new box.
They should just use the flap door from then on. If not, show them how to use the door and open it for them a couple more times closing it when they are in the box.
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Change Up Your Litter
If you find your cat tracking litter throughout your entire house, part of the problem could be the litter itself.
The composition and consistency of the litter you’re currently using may be entirely too conducive to sticking on your kitty’s paws.
Experiment with litters, but be sure your cat likes the one you settle on, too. If your cat doesn’t find the texture to their taste, they may find somewhere else to eliminate.
Ways To Keep Litter From Tracking All Over The Freaking House
Anyone who has ever had a cat can attest, litter rarely ever stays in the litter box. It gets tracked everywhere around the house. Its almost as if our cats use the box and then, just for fun, grab paw-fuls of litter and toss them out onto the floor! In fact, Ive watched in awe as one of my beloved kitties gleefully kicked every last grain from the box! I know Im not the only one who has this problem.
So what can you do to minimize trafficking by your cat? Here are five simple solutions that work to keep litter in the litter box and out of the bed, off of the sofa, out of the living room rugyou get the idea
1. Location, Location, Location
Where your box is located makes a big difference for your cat. Some cats prefer privacy, while others prefer to share their joy of a successful bowel movement with you. Know your cats potty personality and put the box in a location that will appeal to him.
That said, where the box is located also makes a big difference on how litter gets tracked out of the box. Put it as far away from your bedroom as you can, and youre far less likely to find sand in your sheets when you crawl into bed at night.
Remember to make any changes to litter box location gradually or you could be faced with a new problem. This includes moving it to a new spot in your house. If your furriest friend is especially sensitive to changes, you may have to move the box a few inches at a time until it reaches its new destination!
2. Size Matters
3. Litter Mats
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Clean Around The Litter Box
Along with cleaning the litter box itself, you may want to invest in a lightweight stick or handheld vacuum that allows you to easily clean around your cats litter box every day. The less litter that finds a way onto the surrounding flooring, the less litter your cat will drag through your home.
You should do a quick vacuum around the immediate area of your litter box at least once a day to minimize tracking. If its a hard floor, you may need to wipe it up every day or two to remove any litter that sticks to the floor, and you cant pull up with your vacuum.
Get A Litter Box With Higher Walls
One of the more simple but effective solutions to cut down on litter tracking is to get a litter box with higher walls so less litter gets kicked out of the box and spreading around your home. If you have an older cat, they may not be able to climb over high sides, so make sure to get a box with an entry point for easier access.
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Identify Any Underlying Health Problems
Step number three is to make sure there’s no underlying medical condition. This is definitely the case if your cat is urinating inappropriately rather than spraying. If your cat is squatting but they’re not using their litter tray, they’re going in different parts of the house then this might be a sign that something else is going on.
There are a whole range of different conditions that can end up causing inappropriate urination in cats. This may include things like arthritis, diabetes and kidney disease where there may be either difficulty getting into the litter tray or your cat may be just producing so much urine they really just need to go all the time. Other conditions that actually affect the bladder and urinary tract itself can also cause problem peeing. Diseases like cystitis, bladder tumors and bladder stones.
If there’s anything like that going on then obviously we need to tackle the root cause or else getting your cat to stop peeing everywhere will be really hard.
Managing The Litter Box
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Litter Box Solutions That Prevents Litter Tracking
Are you ready? This last solution is with no doubt the best to prevent your kitty from tracking litter everywhere. Its beautiful, it hides the mess, its easier to clean, and it stops the tracking!!!
Let us present the Out of sight litter box! Its basically a cat litter box furniture but it has a magic trick to it. It is really one of a kind!
While traditional cat litter box furniture does a great job at hiding the litter box itself, they do not prevent litter tracking. The inventor of this box created a unique design: before your cat gets out of the box he will get rid of the litter stuck under its paws.
When your kitty hops out of the litter box and then jumps down upon exit, his paws will open naturally which will allow the litter to fall out and be trapped on a special mat.
This box does a wonderful job, it is LITTER-ally the best non-tracking litter device ever invented since the creation of cats. The only thing about it is that it comes at a price! But hey, you get what you pay for. Also, did we mention its made in the U.S?
Rule Out Any Medical Issues
If your cat pees everywhere but the litter box, the first step is to consult with a veterinarian. This can include a physical exam, urinalysis, imaging of the bladder or joints, and/or blood testing, says Barnes. Treatment will depend on the diagnosis. This can include antibiotics for UTIs, pain medication for FIC, bladder stones and/or arthritis, prescription diet for stones and/or FIC, Barnes adds.
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Litter Mats Or Carpets Can Help Reduce Tracking
Litter mats are one of the best inventions for helping stop litter tracking. Basically, you set your litter box on top of or in front of a piece of carpet, fabric, or specially designed mat to help wipe kittys paws as they exit the litter box. The mat also helps contain any litter scatter from kittys vigorous scratching. By getting litter particles on the mat instead of the floor, its harder for them to be tracked as far from the box.
Litter mats can be as simple as a carpet remnant, bath mat, or old towel. You can also purchase specialized silicone or fiber litter mats similar to door mats that trap dirt and debris before it can track throughout the house. Some litter mats funnel dirt and particles away from the surface and trap them in the mats fibers to reduce tracking and dispersion. Simply pick up the mat and shake it out, vacuum it or wash as part of your litter clean up.
Litter mats come in various sizes, and bigger is usually better if you have the space around your litter box. The larger surface allows kitty to take more than one step on the mat to get litter off paws and to have a wider area around the box to catch any litter that escapes during use. The largest portion of the litter mat should be in front of the litter box exit point if the box has a specific opening and around the external sides if an open box is against the wall.
There are even litter mats designed for corner litter boxes, so shop around to find one that fits your litter box set up best.