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What Causes Cats to Pee on the Carpet? 5 Reasons for This Behavior

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If your feline is not using or is ignoring your given litter box, then it can be a matter of worry. And before finding any solution, you should try to understand the reasons cats pee on carpet.

As cat parents, we all can imagine the scenario, how it feels to see the cat urinating on the carpet and witnessing this behavior suddenly changing into a weird habit.

If your cat is urinating more than often and on random objects like carpet, then it can be disheartening and a matter of worry.

Let’s end this concern together with a tour of this blog.

reasons cat pees on carpet

Reasons Cat Pees on Carpet

Cats are known to be highly sensitive or emotional pets; any type of change in their routine, surroundings can cause certain behavioral changes.

Cats choose soft things that can absorb their urine easily, so they don’t have to hide their crime. Therefore, the carpet is the perfect place for them to pee. There can be many reasons for this type of behavior.

Let’s discuss the reasons in a little detail!

Symptom of New Emerging Illness

Many cat breeds are known to have health issues regarding urine as soon as they start aging. Cats aren’t best at saying or conveying their message, they will express their feeling in a way of behavioral change.

cat peeing on the carpet because of illness

Moreover, they are also known to have diseases related to the bladder, such as urine track, bladder stones, or other bacterial infection which can cause inappropriate cat urine disorder. Even, due to aging, cats suffer from health issues like diabetes and brain function decline, and feline interstitial cystitis.

This type of disease may cause inappropriate changes in urinary routines. Some medical issues cause distress in nerves, muscles, and joints that lead to the problem of your cat urinating on the carpet due to urgency in urine.

Urinating often on the carpet, despite having a litter box, may be an alarming symptom of illness or an emerging disease like urinary tract infection for cats.

Unapproachable Litter Box

If your feline still pees on the carpet instead of the litter box—despite giving them training, then you might want to check the litter box and the place you are keeping the litter box.

The problem with the litter box, and its placing, is that it needs to be favorable for cats to use. Mostly the issue with the litter box is that sometimes it is small, or sometimes it is deep.

cat cannot reach the litter box

Even if you don’t clean the litter box properly, it will create unpleasant odors for you as well as your cat, and it will drive your cat away. Cats prefer a certain type of litter tray, so if the litter tray is not up to her liking, she will find it difficult to use.

As a result, the cats will not urinate in the litter box, instead, they will select an open and clean place like carpets. If not taken immediate action, this may continue this cat’s urine habit.

Territorial Issues Due to New Pet Addition

Territorial issues refer to marking of their area; cats are territorial animals, they don’t like any other animals like other cats and dogs or even unfamiliar person enter their territory unwanted.

cat fighting because of territorial issues

This is a normal type of behavior seen in cats when the cat’s parents adopt or bring in a new pet. Cats seem to get overprotective towards her territory and start marking it by leaving her scent through peeing.

Therefore, you need to properly introduce your cat to your new pet addition to make them both comfortable around each other. Marking territory by urinating on the carpet is also seen as common in unneutered male cats, as it can be an indication of mating.

Sudden Change in Surroundings

Similar to humans, cats also take time to adjust to new surroundings or sudden changes in the environment. Even moving furniture around can be confusing for the cats, or changing the location of a litter box may take time to adjust to the new location or surroundings.

cat reacting to the sudden changes in the surroundings

Even moving away or changing the location of the litter box might confuse them, and as a result, they’ll start peeing irregularly, especially on the carpet.

Cats have certain preferences towards certain places, be it a cardboard box, or their corner in the house, and disturbing their space might be causing this peeing problem.

Anxiety and Stress Problem

Anxiety and stress in cats are generally normal since they are sensitive animals. Even with a minor change in their routine, they start combating stress and will pee on the carpet.

cat peeing on carpet because of anxiety and stress

There are many reasons why cats start getting anxiety and stress, some are:

  • Someone is disturbing their space or is entering their territory.
  • Any unknown factor is disturbing them or is invading their privacy.
  • The other pet in your house is dominating your cat.
  • If you have scolding the cats for their bad behavior more than the normal amount.
  • Having more than normal amount of people in your house, like a party or having guest for a long time.
  • Unexpected loud noises invade your house.
  • If you are not providing enough attention to them or are unintentionally avoiding the cats.
  • When you are absent for a long time, like going on a vacation, they might pick up this behavioral habit in your absence.

If you have done anything unintentionally, that might have affected the cats in a certain way, it might be the reason cats pee on carpets.

How to Stop Your Cat From Peeing on the Carpet

As we witnessed, there are many reasons why cats pee on the carpet. Therefore, as a counterpart, we have some solutions that might help to prevent cats from practicing peeing on the carpet.

Make Litter Box Approachable

Cats will start using a litter box if you will make it more approachable, like cleaning it often, placing it in a proper place. Considering buying a perfect size litter box your cat can get comfortable in.

cat peeing in litter box

While cleaning a litter box, take care of the odd smell and wash it with soap or baking soda and hot water, avoid using chemicals or bleach, fill the box every time with fresh filler. To maintain hygiene, clean the litter box once a week, that might do the trick and eventually, your cat will start using the fresh litter box again.

While buying a new litter box, check the size of the litter box if it is large enough for the cats to pee comfortably. Furthermore, check the type of litter, some cats love open litter boxes while some prefer closed ones.

If all the tricks fail then on the last note try to teach your cat how to use the litter box again and that may stop a cat from peeing on the carpet.

Make Cats Comfortable to New Surroundings

Cats don’t like sudden changes in new surroundings, like moving to a new house or renovating the house, she might get irritated, stressed, or start having anxiety then starts having behavior issue.

make cats comfortable to the new surroundings

To avoid this type of problem with your cat, it’s necessary to make her comfortable in new surroundings or adapt to new changes and encourage her to adjust to the new change.

To make her comfortable, you can do the following things:

  • Give her a proper space to a hideout.
  • Cat-proof the new place for some time.
  • Provide her with some toys and scratching posts.
  • Let her sniff out the new place.

Moreover, keep her entertained and give her attention. Keep food, water, and litter around her place so while getting used to the new place she can also be comfortable around her place.

Take Your Kitty to the Veterinarian

Due to the litter box, all the cat parents know the cat’s toilet habits, eventually if you feel like the urine habits have changed. Like, they pee more than often and are peeing on the home carpets, it is high time for a visit to the veterinarian.

take your cat to the veterinarian

The urinary problems in cats are common as many cats suffer from (FLUTD) commonly known as feline lower urinary tract disease which leads to urinary problems like peeing on the carpet.

If you feel like your cat is suffering from any medical conditions like FLUTD or UTIs then take your cat to the veterinarian as soon as possible.

Wrapping It Up

Cats tend to misbehave or adapt unusual habits whenever they go through any change like changes in the body, in the environment, in their routine, or the way you treat them.

As cat parents, we always try to find the solution to this type of situation. Stopping them or caging them won’t help, on the contrary, it will escalate the situation. Instead, we should try to solve it with patience and through proper guidance.

Once you have figured out the reasons cats pee on carpet, take necessary actions from this blog that will be advantageous for your cats, so you can stop from cat from urinating.

References

  1. Why is my cat urinating inappropriately? — RSPCA
  2. Why has the cat started peeing on the carpet? — The Mercury News
  3. Litter box problems — ASPCA

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