Spraying or missing the litter box

[mishicats]

Last night I saw my orange guy using the litter box. He was in the middle of it squatting and peeing but his tail was quivering. When he was done he covered it and got out. I had seen him do this before ( with tail quivering) but this time I noticed there was some urine on the rug and wall.  I was not happy. I cleaned it up and have been worried that he may have a spraying issue. Our home does not have any odor problems ( visitors cant believe we have 4 cats because they don't smell anything) so could this just be a case of him missing the box? Maybe I need to get those tall backed litter boxes. He is about 3 years old and is neutered.

 

[ondine]

If he's neutered and he hadn't started spraying before, he's probably missing the box.  You can get a box with a higher back.  I put a piece of plexiglass behind my litterboxes.  It helps catch any pee before it hits the wall and is easily cleaned.

With four cats, you'll need to make sure you have enough boxes, too.  The rule is one per cat and one extra (regular sized ones).  I have larger totes that more or less count as two boxes each.  The bonus is, they are also deeper, so it helps, even with my biggest cat.

If he isn't neutered, get it done ASAP.  If he's starts spraying, it may continue even after he's neutered.

 

[mishicats]

 
If he's neutered and he hadn't started spraying before, he's probably missing the box.  You can get a box with a higher back.  I put a piece of plexiglass behind my litterboxes.  It helps catch any pee before it hits the wall and is easily cleaned.

With four cats, you'll need to make sure you have enough boxes, too.  The rule is one per cat and one extra (regular sized ones).  I have larger totes that more or less count as two boxes each.  The bonus is, they are also deeper, so it helps, even with my biggest cat.

If he isn't neutered, get it done ASAP.  If he's starts spraying, it may continue even after he's neutered.

He is neutered but I am not sure how old he was when it was done. I got him from the Humane Society when he was about 2 years old and I think they may have been the ones to do it.  The boxes I use are jumbo size and we have 5 of them.  I am now thinking about getting the high back ones.

 

[ondine]

OH, good, glad he's neutered.  Get the high backed boxes and see if that helps.  If he is spraying, he may be feeling intimidated and needing to mark, so keep an eye on the dynamics with the other cats.  That might offer a clue.

Thank you for being proactive!