Cat Peeing By Back Door And Beside Litter Box

[thbends]

Our cat has started peeing by the back door and beside her litter box. She still uses her litter box most of the time though. Nothing has changed in the house and her litter box has not been changed in any way. She is less than a year old and extremely sweet. Very social too.

We had tried putting a small amount of lavender oil by the back door and it seems to help until the oil drys up. Then she will be at it again.

Ideas on how to fix this?

My wife has had enough and wants to give her to a shelter but I do not.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Oh what a sweetheart!!

Have you had her in to the vet? Could you try putting a litter box there, or puppy pee pads to try and help with cleaning til this gets squared away?

I typed a post in another thread where the original poster has somewhat similar issues, if you don't mind let me link to that for you;

Help!!! Are Cats Too Lazy To Go Upstairs To Use Litterbox? They Are Pissing Downstairs Nonstop...

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Sorry it's your cutie pie's litter box issues that brought you here.

Have you taken her to the vet since this started? If not, you should make an appointment, as UTI's can cause peeing outside the litter box.

Here's some TCS articles with more info:

How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet
Inappropriate Peeing, Spraying, Toy Obsession And Leg And Hand Nipping
Spraying: When Your Cat Uses Urine To Mark Territory

Also ensure you are using an enzyme cleaner, like Natures Miracle, to clean where she has peed. Otherwise she'll still be able to smell her urine scent, and could continue peeing in those areas.

Combat Cat Urine
How To Remove Cat Urine
How To Remove Cat Urine Odor From Your Home

 

[Kflowers]

As the others said, get kit checked for uti as the first step.

Has one of the neighborhood cats started spraying your backdoor or to either side of it or the steps? If so, your cat is trying to tell him/her that the house belongs to her and you, not some passing cat/enemy cat.

Get a black light, they are cheap and search for the spots on the outside of your house. If you find the spots, clean them with the enzyme cleaner and then hit the spots with the lavender oil or white vinegar if you like. This will take time as the spots represent a turf war. Just think if your cat hadn't let you know about them you wouldn't have looked and cleaned them. Not cleaning them means the first you'd have noticed was when the weather turned hot...

 

[FeebysOwner]

I really can't offer much of anything more than what has been given to you above - especially the vet visit to rule out UTI.

But, just out of curiosity, is she allowed to go outdoors and is the door that she is peeing in front of the one she would typically go through to get outside?

My only other question would be: is she spayed?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'll repeat this...if she is peeing beside the back door, it is VERY likely that you have a neighborhood cat visiting and marking there. A black light will cause the urine to flouresce, and you can clean it with an enzymatic cleaner, so she doesn't smell an intruder all the time. That can turn good litter box habits upsidedown in a RUSH! Also, you can get motion-activated air cans to place close to your back door. Any intruders will get an unpleasant, but harmless, blast of air in the face, and very quickly learn that there are better places to be.