{"id":344,"date":"2026-01-11T01:19:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T07:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ruskanimals.com\/?page_id=344"},"modified":"2026-01-11T01:19:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T07:19:32","slug":"litterbox-issues","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ruskanimals.com\/?page_id=344","title":{"rendered":"Litterbox Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Medical Issues:<\/strong> The very first thing that needs to be ruled out when dealing with litterbox issues is a medical problem.\u00a0 There are numerous illness and diseases that can cause frequent urination or diarrhea.\u00a0 Others may make trips to the litterbox painful or impossible (constipation, arthritis, tumors etc).\u00a0 So plan a visit to your vet and make sure that your feline is in tip top shape before moving on to the next steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the Problem:<\/strong> Litterbox problems fall under two main categories.\u00a0\u00a0 So the first question we must ask is, What\u2019s the problem?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marking:<\/strong> This is\u00a0 commonly called spraying and is when a cat sprays urine onto a vertical surface.\u00a0 This is usually a territorial issue, but can also be brought on by stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Housesoiling:<\/strong> Simply put, the cat is going to the bathroom outside of the litterbox.\u00a0\u00a0 This behavior is most often an avoidance of something (litter, box, location etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Next:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marking is most commonly a way for cats to mark their territory.\u00a0 This is why we normally see marking behavior when there are new pets or objects introduced into the home.\u00a0 Marking by doors or windows is normally seen if a stray cat has started hanging around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The easiest step to prevent marking is having your cat spayed or neutered.\u00a0\u00a0 Altered cats do not have the same drive to protect their territory as intact cats.\u00a0 If the issue appears to be from stray cats in the neighborhood, there are numerous products on the market to deter cats and other critters from taking refuge around your home<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Housesoiling, when not caused by a medical issue is almost always litterbox related. The following is a quick run down of things to check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u00b7 Clean litterbox daily<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7 Provide one litterbox for each cat in the house plus one extra<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7 Place the litterbox in a quiet area where there will be minimal foot traffic and disruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7 Offer different types of litter: clumping, non-clumping, recycled paper, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0Try scented vs. unscented litter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0Covered vs uncovered litterbox<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nothing is Working:<\/strong> If you continue to have issues after going through all of the above items.\u00a0 It may be time to talk to your veterinarian about a behavior consult.\u00a0 There are a few medications that may be helpful depending on your situation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medical Issues: The very first thing that needs to be ruled out when dealing with litterbox issues is a medical problem.\u00a0 There are numerous illness and diseases that can cause frequent urination or diarrhea.\u00a0 Others may make trips to the litterbox painful or impossible (constipation, arthritis, tumors etc).\u00a0 So plan a visit to your vet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":29,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-344","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ruskanimals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ruskanimals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ruskanimals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruskanimals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruskanimals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=344"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruskanimals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":345,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruskanimals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/344\/revisions\/345"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruskanimals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ruskanimals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}