Feline  Housesoiling Problems  by Wayne Hunthausen, DVM   

Overview

Housesoiling is the most common behavior problem for which cat owners seek help.1,2,3,4  The typical cat’s convenient, welcome habit of disposing of urine and stool in a litterbox help make it a popular indoor pet.  On the other hand, the indiscriminate elimination habits of some cats have contributed to their demise.  It’s very frustrating for owners who have to cope with the disagreeable problem of housesoiling by an otherwise loving, wonderful pet.

Once underlying medical problems have been ruled out, the first step in working up a housesoiling problem is to find out whether the cat is spraying a vertical surface or eliminating inappropriately on horizontal surfaces.  Spraying occurs when a cat backs up to an upright surface and directs a stream of urine toward it.  The amount is typically smaller than what is voided when a cat empties its bladder during normal urination.1,5  This is a marking behavior that is typically caused by territorial or stressful situations.

The density of cats in the home contributes to the incidence of spraying.  Spraying increases from 25% in single-cat households to 100% in households with more than ten cats.1  Intact males or females in heat are the individuals most likely to engage in this type of behavior,6 although some neutered cats will spray.  In fact, studies have shown that as many as 10% of prepubertally castrated male cats and 5% of prepubertally spayed female cats take up spraying on a frequent basis as adults.7  Objects that are commonly sprayed include doors, walls by doors or windows, new objects in the house and furniture.

When taking the history, close attention must be given to anything that might make the pet anxious or elicit a territorial response.  The tendency to spray is influenced by factors pertaining to the individual (hormones, temperament), environmental stimuli that are upsetting to the cat (new roommate, new cat in the neighborhood, remodeling, moving) and its relationship with the owners (change in the work schedule, absences from home, spending less time with the pet, inappropriate punishment).

Sometimes, just the suggestion that another pet has invaded its territory can cause the pet to spray.  For example, if a visitor has cats at home, a cat may spray the visitor’s coat when it smells the odor of non-resident cats. One cat that was presented to me for housesoiling had started spraying around the living room fireplace when firelogs were brought inside the house that had been sprayed by neighborhood cats.

Inappropriate elimination can been defined as the act of squatting to defecate or urinate on horizontal surfaces outside the litterbox that are unacceptable to the owner.6  Housesoiling that occurs as a squatting behavior occurs with an almost equal incidence in females and males.3  Horizontal surfaces may be soiled in a variety of areas, or the pet may develop a specific location preference.

There are many causes of inappropriate elimination.  If the cat suddenly starts urinating and defecating outside the box, then it’s highly likely that something about the litterbox is aversive to the cat.  The physical accumulation of waste, organic odor, disinfectant odor, unacceptable litter or a negative experience associated with the litterbox may cause the pet to avoid it.  The box may be in an area the cat does not like.  There may be too much traffic through the area, or the area may be associated with something aversive that happened to the cat.  Perhaps it was medicated, disciplined or frightened in the vicinity of the box.  If  the pet has been severely punished for any reason, it may start eliminating in secluded areas in order to avoid family members.  Some cats will eliminate outside the litterbox simply because they have found another area or surface that is preferable.

If the cat consistently defecates in the box, but urinates elsewhere, or vice versa, then the problem probably isn’t caused by an undesirable litterbox, substrate or box location.  Likely causes are medical problems, new surface preferences or new location preferences.  Other causes of inappropriate elimination include a need for privacy and medical problems (cystitis, constipation, diarrhea, diabetes, renal disease, arthritis, senility6).  Be suspicious of constipation or colitis if an older pet suddenly stops defecating in the litterbox, but continues to use it for urination.

In some cats, the act of eliminating on horizontal surfaces can be a marking behavior caused by the same stimuli that cause spraying.  As mentioned earlier, the most common cause is increased cat density.  Emotional problems, such as a stressful relationship with a family member, separation anxiety or fear can trigger housesoiling.1,3  If the cat is urinating on top of specific items, such as the owner’s clothing, bed or favorite chair, you will want to be sure to explore an anxiety motivated problem.  This type of problem is often difficult to diagnose, especially if the behavior is only manifested intermittently.  If emotional factors are maintaining the housesoiling, you should expect to see related changes occurring, such as hiding, avoidance, aggression or an alteration in the pet’s general temperament.1  Keeping a diary may help the owner identify the stimuli that trigger intermittent marking behavior.

History

Diagnosing the early causes of a long standing housesoiling problem can be very difficult.  A good history and extensive detective work are essential in pinpointing the motivation for the unacceptable behavior.  Even with the best efforts, the initial reasons for not using the litterbox may not become evident.  Be sure the cat presented for the problem is actually the one that is housesoiling.  In a multi-cat household, separation may be necessary to find the culprit.  Another method is to give fluorescein orally (0.5 ml of a 10% solution) or by injection (0.3 ml of a 10% solution SQ) in order to trace urine stains to the individual with the problem.6,9,10  Urine soiled spots retain fluorescence for at least 24 hours.6

You’ll need to know the signalment and medical history of the patient.  Relevant lab tests and a physical exam should be performed.  You’ll also want to find out when and where the problem began; if there were any changes in the cat’s environment that were associated with the beginning of the problem; whether the soiling involves urine, stool or both; what surfaces are being soiled; how frequently the problem occurs; if the appearance of the problem has changed; and what has been done to try to correct the problem.

The objective is to elucidate the factors that motivate the undesirable elimination behaviors.  If you do not do a housecall consultation, ask the owner to diagram the house with litterbox placement and soiled areas noted.  If the cat is urinating in the house in response to visits by neighborhood cats, you may discover clusters of soiled areas around windows or doors in the house near the areas where outdoor cats visit.

You need to keep in mind that the factors that contributed to the initiation of the housesoiling may be different than the factors that are maintaining the behavior.1,5  For example, a sudden change to a brand of litter that was unacceptable to the pet may have caused it to avoid the box and eliminate on the living room carpet.  After a certain amount of time, the cat may develop new surface or location preferences.  It will continue to eliminate in the living room even though the owner switches back to an acceptable brand of litter.  In this case, the initiating factor was a litter brand change, the maintaining factors are new elimination preferences.  It is important to know the maintaining factors in order to curtail the problem.  Uncovering the initiating factors will help the owner prevent the problem from recurring.

Prognosis

The chances of success depend on a number of factors: the duration of the problem; the number of areas soiled; the number of different surfaces soiled; the ability to control the arousing stimuli; the temperament of the pet; whether the pet was ever trained to use a litterbox; and the patience, ability and  willingness of the family to commit to working with the pet.

Treatment

The two main approaches to eliminating urine marking involve altering the cat’s exposure to the stimulus and altering the cat’s normal response to the stimulus.11  If outdoor cats are the stimulus for spraying, then the owner should consider discouraging their visits with a water hose or booby traps, or have the cats humanely removed from the property.  Anything in the yard that might attract roaming cats should be removed (bird feeders, garbage, food, etc.).  Besides removing the stimuli, the owner can remove access to the stimuli.  The spraying cat should be kept away from windows or out of rooms that permit it to view outdoor cats.  Drapes can be closed.  Window sills can be modified so that the cat can no longer sit on them.  Chairs near windows on which the cat perches can be moved.  Urine odor should be cleaned from around doors and windows.  If other cats in the household are contributing to the problem, they should be separated.  In some cases, the number of cats in the home may need to be reduced.  Some individuals will spray less indoors if they have more access to the outdoors.  Others do better if kept inside more.

Neutering is very successful in curbing spraying behavior at any age and, in most cases, should be done as soon as possible.  Efficacy has been reported at 90% for males and 95% for females.7  Although rarely used, olfactory tractotomy12 and ischiocavernosus myectomy13 have been successfully used to control urine marking.

Medication is often necessary to control urine spraying.  Since individual responses to psychoactive drugs may vary considerably, owners should give the initial dose when they can be at home to observe the cat’s behavior.  The dosage may be adjusted up or down by 25% increments until the behavior is controlled without causing undue sedation.  If the pet responds to treatment, then a decrease in marking behavior usually occurs within one to two weeks.  Two to six weeks after starting the medication, an attempt  should be made to slowly decrease the dosage. Owners should be informed of all potential side effects and that none of these drugs are approved for behavior modification in cats.  The drug that appears to be the most promising is clomipramine.  In a recent Belgium study, 80% of the cats (n=26)demonstrated at least a 75% reduction in spraying behavior.20  Buspirone is another good choice for spraying with a reported efficacy of approximately 55%.14  Buspirone is effective within the same range as diazepam and greater than that for the progestins.  Buspirone does not cause the adverse effects of sedation and ataxia, commonly seen with most benzodiazepines.14  Diazepam is an effective drug in a significant number of cats.3  Studies have shown that after cessation of diazepam, however, 90% of cats resumed spraying while only 50% resumed spraying when buspirone was discontinued.  A small number of cats will become hyperactive when given diazepam, but the hyperactivity will usually decrease within three days.15  Another, more serious, side effect that has recently been reported is acute, fatal hepatopathy.22  This problem has been documented in a very small number of cats.  Pretreatment lab work was not done on most of the reported cases and the pathophysiology of this problem is not well understood.  Amitriptyline or alprazolam have also been reported to be effective for treating urine marking.16  Progestins are not as effective as the above mentioned medications for decreasing spraying behavior and have more side effects.3  They may be considered for cats that do not respond to other treatments. 

A recent approach to the treatment of urine spraying involves the use of the environmental application of facial pheromones.  Recent work done by Dr. Patrick Pageat in France has appraised the use of feline facial pheromones to curb spraying behavior.  He demonstrated a significant reduction in the incidence of spraying by cats when their own facial pheromones were collected on gauze pads and applied to areas in their environment that were being sprayed.21  His work was the basis for the development of a spray containing synthetic analogues of naturally occurring feline facial pheromones (Feliway®,  Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, Illinois).  Recent studies have demonstrated the pheromone spray is up to 95% successful in stopping reactional-type urine spraying in cats (triggered by changes in the cat’s surroundings such as moving, new occupants of the home, stress, remodeling, etc.).23, 24  The product also shows promise in helping cats settle into new surroundings.  Information provided by the company details a study of 56 cats in which the pheromone product was successful in significantly decreasing the time interval between introduction into a new environment and the exhibition of feeding and exploratory behavior.

Treatment of inappropriate elimination problems involves three major considerations:  remove the cause, reestablish the habit of litterbox use and prevent the cat from returning to previously soiled areas.17  If the housesoiling is due to litterbox or location aversion, the box may need to be moved, medical problems must be treated, an acceptable brand of litter must be found and the box may need to be cleaned more often.  Aversive handling in the box must be stopped.  Changing the depth of the litter or removing a plastic litterbox liner may help in some cases.  Switching to a sand/potting soil mix or one of the fine-textured clumping litters may also be helpful.  The results of a study of feline litter material preferences suggest that important factors contributing to establishing preferences for litter material are texture, granularity, and coarseness.  The cats in the study showed a definite preference for a finely textured clay litter.18  Any new substrate should be introduced in an additional box in case it happens to be one the pet dislikes.  As a rule of thumb, you should recommend at least one box per cat be available.3  The boxes should be scooped once or twice daily and emptied at least once each week.19  Scalding hot water should be used instead of harsh smelling disinfectants.  If disinfectants are used, the box should be dried in the sun and out of operation for at least twenty-four hours.

If the cat prefers hard surfaces, try using an empty litterbox or a food tray.  Gradually add litter to the container.  Some cats appear to need privacy.  For these cats, the owner should place an open-ended cardboard box over the litterbox or purchase a covered box.  Another solution is to put a cat door in the door to a closet or storeroom.  This will also protect the pet from being bothered by children or the pet dog.

To reestablish a consistent habit of using the litterbox, the cat should be confined to a small area with the box and only allowed out when it can be supervised 100% of the time.  When confined to a relatively small area, most cats seem to prefer to eliminate in the box rather than soiling the floor.6  It’s then a matter of confining the cat long enough for a consistent habit to become established.  As a rule of thumb, one week of confinement is usually recommended for every month of soiling.  The ratio may be decreased for soiling problems in existence for more than six months.  Food rewards may help when given immediately after the cat finishes eliminating in the box.

If the cat refuses to use the litterbox when confined to a small room, the confinement area should be changed to a large cage.  If it still won’t use the box, a perch or shelf should be added inside the cage.  The floor should be covered with litter, forcing the pet to use it for elimination.  The litter should gradually be removed and replaced with a litterbox.  Once the cat has used the litterbox in a confined area for an appropriate amount of time, the owner can begin to gradually allow it to have more freedom in the home.

Previously soiled areas can be safeguarded by placing booby traps, food bowls, bedding or toys in the areas.  Lemon-scented room deodorant will deter some cats.5  Plastic carpet runners can be placed upside down with the “feet” facing up.  Plastic, foil or double-stick carpet tape can be used to protect specific areas.  You may need to experiment.  Each cat is an individual in regard to surface preference for elimination.  While some cats will avoid eliminating on plastic covered surfaces, others will be drawn to these areas to eliminate.  An inch of water can be left in the bottom of a bathtub or sink to curb elimination there.  Access to the soiled areas can be denied by moving furniture or closing doors.  In some areas, such as the corners of the basement, it may be prudent to place a litterbox where the cat has been soiling.

Removing urine and stool odor is important.  Products that are specifically formulated to work on these types of odor should be used, such as K.O.E.a diluted one ounce per quart of water.  These products need to make contact with the organic material.  In most cases, an ample amount should be poured on carpeting and porous surfaces to allow penetration into deeper layers rather than just spraying the surface.  A 50:50 mixture of white vinegar and warm water will do a satisfactory job if nothing else is available.

Some cats are extremely sensitive to changes in their environment.  They housesoil in response to minor changes.  Owners need to realize this and do their best to keep things constant, although this is not always possible.  When situations occur that are likely to upset the cat, the owner should confine, supervise and use anxieolytic medications.  Desensitization and counterconditioning may help reduce undesirable responses to anxiety producing stimuli.

Punishment is the least effective tool for controlling housesoiling.  Under no circumstances should the owner swat or physically punish the pet.  If the owner catches the pet in the act of eliminating in an inappropriate area, the cat should be squirted with a water gun, or an object should be tossed near the cat so that it will learn to associate something negative with the behavior.  Any type of punishment must only be given during the behavior or within one to two seconds after the behavior ceases.  Punishment is contraindicated if anxiety or fear is an important component of the problem.  It is very important that the cat not associate the punishment with the owner or the bond between the pet and the owner will quickly deteriorate.  A proper punishment should stop the behavior and slightly startle the cat without causing it to become fearful or avoid the owner.

Summary

The steps in correcting a feline housesoiling problem include:

a) Identify the soiling cat

b) Remove the stimuli for housesoiling

c) Modify the pet’s response to the stimuli

d) Reestablish the habit of litterbox use with confinement, supervision and rewards

e) Prevent resoiling by using booby traps, remote punishment or changing the function of the areas

References

1. Borchelt P, Voith VL.  Diagnosis and treatment of elimination behavior problems in cats.  Vet Clin North Am: Small Anim Pract-vol 12, no.4, 673-680, Nov 1982

2. Beaver BV. Housesoiling by cats: A retrospective study of 120 cases.  J Am Anim Hosp Assoc, Nov/Dec 198925(6): 631-637

3. Borchelt PL, Voith VL. Elimination Behavior Problems in Cats, Comp Cont Educ Pract Vet 8:197-205, 1986

4. Borchelt PL and Voith VL. Elimination Behavior Problems in Cats, Comp Cont Educ Pract Vet, 1981, 3(8):730-738

5. Marder A. Feline housesoiling. Pet Veterinarian. 1989, Sept-Oct:11-15

6. Hart B, Hart L.  Canine and Feline Behavioral Therapy. Lee & Febiger, 1985.

7. Hart BL and Cooper L. Factors related to urine spraying and fighting in prepubertally gonadectomized cats, 1984, JAVMA 184: 1255-1258

8. Wright JC. Do cats with elimination problems need privacy and escape potential?  Animal Behavior Consultant Newsletter. , 1988, 5:2:2-3

9. Hart BL. Urine spraying and marking in cats.  In Slatter, SH, Ed.: Textbook of Small Animal Surgery.  Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co., 1985

10. Hart BL and Leedy M. Identification of source of urine stains in multi-cat households, J Am Vet Med Assoc 180:77 1982

11. Beaver BV. Feline Behavior: A Guide for Veterinarians. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 1992

12. Hart BL. Olfactory tractotomy to control objectionable urine spraying and urine marking in cats, J Am Vet Med Assoc 179:231, 1981

13. Komtebedde J, Haupman J.  Bilateral ischiocavernosus myectomy for chronic urine spraying in castrated cats.  Veterinary Surgery 19; 293--296, 1990

14. Hart BL, Eckstein RA, Powell KL, Dodman NH.  Effectiveness of buspirone on urine spraying and inappropriate urination in cats.  JAVMA Vol, 203, No. 2, 254-258, 1993

15. Cooper LL:  Feline Inappropriate Elimination.  Vet Clin North Am (Small Anim Pract) 27(3):595. 1997

16. Marder AR, Psychotropic drugs and behavioral therapy.  Vet Clin North Am. vol. 21, no.2, 329, March 1991

17. Hunthausen W. Dealing with Feline Housesoiling:  A practitioner's guide, Veterinary Medicine, August 1993, p. 726-735

18. Borchelt PL.  Cat elimination behavior problems.  Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract, 21:254-265, 1991

19. Crowell-Davis S. Elimination Behavior Problem of Cats I, Vet. Forum:10; Nov., 1986

20. Dehasse J. Feline urine spraying.  Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 52, (1997) 365-371

21. Pageat P. Functions and use of the facial pheromones in the treatment of urine marking in the cat.  Interest of a structural analogue, XXIst Congress of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association - 1996, Jerusalem, pp. 197-198

22. Center SA, Elston TH, Rowland PH et al. Hepatotoxicity associated with oral diazepam in 12 cats, Proc ACVIM, Lake Buena Vista, FL 1995:13:1009.

23. White JC, Mills DS   Efficacy of Synthetic Feline Facial Pheromone (F3) Analogue (Feliway) for the Treatment Of Chronic Non-sexual Urine Spraying By The Domestic Cat.  Proc of First Internat Conf on Vet Behav Med at Birmingham, UK (Eds: Mills DS, Heath SE, Harrington LJ) Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, Potters Bar, UK, p 242. 1997

24. Hunthausen WL, et al. In Press.

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