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It’s beyond frustrating when you find a puddle of urine in the middle of your bed, or a secret pile of feces behind the washing machine. Punishing your cat, either verbally or physically, will do absolutely nothing to solve the problem of inappropriate elimination. If you have been scrupulous in keeping the cat box clean, providing multiple boxes for your multi-cat home, and have placed the box properly, another approach might just work to get your kitty using the litter box again rather than the rug or furniture.

Discovering that your cat has suddenly decided to use the rug or couch for his or her litter box is disconcerting, to say the least. Urine and feces not only smell bad, but they can stain fabrics. However, finding out what is causing this sudden change in your otherwise perfect pet is much more important than punishment, and can help you get the situation back to normal quickly.

Long-haired cats are absolutely beautiful, and their soft, satiny fur just invites you to stroke them. Unfortunately, sometimes that lovely, long hair can create litter box problems that you will have to address. A short-haired cat seldom has any problems with accumulated feces on his or her backside, but this is often not the case with a Persian, Angora, or other long-haired breed.

While there is obviously no question who is not using the box if you only have one cat, when you have two or more, finding the culprit could take a bit of sleuthing. You may have a fairly good idea of who the malefactor is, and a trip to the vet to rule out a medical problem is the first step – if you only have two cats, take both, otherwise stick with the most likely candidate to begin with.

Nobody likes finding a puddle of cat urine soaking into the rug or in the middle of the bed. However, if your cat suddenly starts misbehaving as regards the litter box, the problem may well be a medical condition. Atypical behavior and inappropriate elimination is a red flag for a visit to your vet, especially if you have made no changes to the litter box.

One of the most important aspects of inappropriate elimination, whether it involves urine or feces, is to get to the root of the problem as quickly as possible. Never punish your cat when you find an ‘accident’, the cat will have no idea why you are hurting it and it will just make your cat more stressed and more likely to repeat the act. Consulting with your veterinarian is the first thing you should do – there could be much more to the problem than you might imagine.

Cats are certainly not social in the same way that dogs are, but their behavior patterns have certainly been changed over their long association with humans. Strictly solitary in a natural setting, cats now enjoy not only the company of people, but often that of other cats. It’s not unusual to see a pile of cats sleeping happily together. However, you should always keep in mind that cats do need a bit of space and privacy as well. Households with multiple cats often suffer from litter box problems where one or more of the felines soils inappropriately.

Litter box avoidance can arise in one of several ways: your new kitten or cat simply refuses to use the box you provide, or your cat suddenly stops using his or her litter box. Cats are very fastidious in their habits, and even very young kittens will attempt to use a designated litter box rather than soil the floor or furniture.

When you find an ‘accident’ of one type or another, it’s important that you refrain from punishing your cat – harsh words or blows will not encourage your companion to return to the box – it’s up to you to determine why the cat is eliminating inappropriately.

The smell of ordinary cat urine is strong enough, but when a cat spray marks, the odor will be even more overpowering and unpleasant. Unlike urination, which does leave a message for other cats to an extent, spray marking is more like a billboard with lights. The whole reason for marking is to inform other cats of a particular cat’s presence. And, while urine is simply the waste that has been filtered out by the kidneys, marking includes other bodily chemicals with information about sex, health, and undoubtedly other important cat messages.

Interstitial cystitis is one of most mysterious of feline diseases to manage and treat. Part of the problem lies in the fact that the symptoms of this illness can be so vague and broad that pinpointing the correct diagnosis can be difficult. The usual victims of interstitial cystitis are young male cats, although females can also suffer from this as well. Many cats who are afflicted with FIC usually outgrow it eventually.

Our domestic pets, cats and dogs, have evolved with human beings over thousands of years. Cats have been living in our homes, catching mice, curling up on our laps, and sunning on our windowsills for countless generations. Cats are very intelligent animals and have sensitive feelings which can be affected by both physical and psychological events around them. One of the more subtle reasons why your cat may have decided to use your bed as his or her litter box is that the cat’s feelings have been upset in some way.

While we may think that stress only affects humans, the fact is that cats can easily become stressed and show this by inappropriate elimination. The intelligence and sensitivity of cats makes them susceptible to stress, and when you begin to find puddles on furniture or rugs, it could well be the result of an upset and fearful cat.

Stress can actually cause a physical condition, interstitial cystitis, to occur in your cat. Although this illness is not completely understood, it appears to affect the nerves connected to the bladder and can cause your cat to lose control. Once other medical conditions have been ruled out, it will be time to help your cat relax once again.

The biggest mistake cat owners make when purchasing a litter box for their fussy cat is that what you may think looks like the perfect box may be anything but that to your kitty. Manufacturers design boxes that will appeal more to the buyer, in many cases, rather than what your cat will actually use. Understanding what constitutes an acceptable box for your cat will help keep waste where it belongs – in the litter box.

Although some cats will use the litter box regardless of where you place it, just so that they can somehow reach it, other cats will balk at using an inappropriately positioned box. Choosing a good place for the litter box means that there will be less chance that you will find wet spots on the rug or ‘worse’ behind the sofa. Cats are clean animals and will use their box if it is convenient and accessible.

Cats tend to be alert, somewhat nervous animals who can react with fear to a number of situations, and this can result in inappropriate. Being ‘fraidy cats’ has helped cats to survive in the sometimes hostile natural world where they might make a tempting meal for a larger animal. Although living with humans has undoubtedly softened some of the cat’s natural skittishness, they still depend upon instinct to keep them safe, and often appear to us to overreact.