5 Reasons Your Cat is Peeing Outside the Litter Box

Updated 2/9/2025

America’s favorite and toughest family court judge, Judge Judy Scheindlin, famously once said, “Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.” Maybe your cat isn’t necessarily spraying pee on your leg, but they sure aren’t peeing in their box. So before the odor of cat pee gets any worse and there is urine marking on your carpet, here’s a quick guide to find out why your kitty is exhibiting the strange behavior of sitting in the litter box and the best ways to help them use their litter box once again.

Reason 1: A Paws-ible Medical Issue

When you first notice your cat peeing outside of the litter box, one of the first things you should do is take them to the vet. Medical issues, like a urinary tract infection, can provoke serious health risks in cats. Your cat could be avoiding their litter box because of the pain caused by the potential infection. Other possible medical conditions could be idiopathic cystitis (inflammation of the bladder), bladder stones in cats, urinary crystals, or a metabolic disease such as chronic kidney disease.

Since cats are notoriously good at hiding their underlying health problems from their cat owner, taking them to the veterinarian will help you rule out whether or not the reason behind their litter box avoidance is medical or something else entirely.

Because they’re so good at covering up their medical issues from us, PrettyLitter’s color-changing cat litter is unlike any other litter you’ve seen before. Our PrettyLitter changes color when your cat is displaying a potential medical problem. This color-changing silica litter (crystal litter) can be the first sign something is wrong with your cat and why they’ve decided to inappropriately pee on your pretty rug instead of their PrettyLitter. 

Reason 2: Something Is Stressing Them Out

Our feline friends are very sensitive animals. Any small, trivial change could actually be a stress trigger for them. These little things can totally throw off your pet’s emotional balance and behavior. Sometimes this emotional distress is the reason your cat can’t seem to pee inside their litter box anymore and is marking spots and soiling all over your home. What are some potential triggers that may cause stress for your cat?

• Moving to a new home
• A new furniture addition
• Someone new is visiting your home for the first time
• There’s a new addition to the family: a baby or a new pet
• Deodorant or perfume-scented litter (PrettyLitter is odorless!)
• They may be prone to separation anxiety

It is important to pay attention to behavior changes and notice whatever the cause of your cat’s stress may be. Try to take them to the veterinarian regularly to make sure it’s not a form of anxiety.

Reason 3: Wrong Litterbox Location

Stress can come in all shapes and sizes, and the location of your cat’s litter box can really influence how they feel about peeing there. If your cat’s litter box is placed in the part of the house that has heavy foot traffic, it’s likely that your kitty feels that it is not a comfortable place to pee. Find a place in your home that’s nice and quiet and put their litter box there. Before you know it, they’ll go back to peeing in their box if it’s in a calmer location.

Tired of your home smelling like you have a cat?

Reason 4: Maybe It's Too Small

Another possible reason why your cat is peeing outside of their litter box is that the area could be too small for them. Over time, felines can outgrow certain spaces they’ve once felt comfortable in (ie: their box). It’s quite possible that their litter box is too small for them and the reason why you’re dealing with this litter box behavior problem in the first place.

Reason 5: Maybe It's Too Dirty

*Phoebe Buffay voice*: “Smelly cat, smelly cat, why are you peeing there? Smelly cat, smelly cat, please use your box.”

Have you considered the reason they’re a smelly cat is that they were using a smelly litter box? Litter box hygiene is incredibly important, not only to your cat’s comfort level and hygiene but also to your own personal hygiene at home. No one likes the strong smell of cat pee… not even your cat. As a pet parent, it is your responsibility to clean out your cat’s litter box regularly (1-2 times a day) to make sure they’re comfortable going whenever nature calls.

How to Help Your Cat Use Their Litter Box Again

• Don’t get angry, they’re not doing it out of spite.
• Take them to a vet to eliminate any paws-ible medical conditions.
• Is something or someone stressing them out?
• Find a nice and quiet place in the house for the litter box.
• Create a stress-free environment for your pet to pee.
• Clean their litter box frequently.
• Avoid strange scents and use odorless PrettyLitter.
• Once they start using their box again, monitor their health with PrettyLitter’s color-changing litter technology.

No one likes the smell of cat pee, not me, not you, not your cat, and definitely not Judge Judy. So next time your cat starts peeing outside of the litter box follow these steps to get them from using your home as their own personal litter box and get back to using their own.

 

Sources:

1. Animal Emercency and Refferal Center. Why is my cat peeing outside the litter box? Is it an emergency? ​​https://aercmn.com/why-is-my-cat-peeing-outside-of-the-litter-box-is-this-an-emergency/
2. Tractive. Why is my cat peeing outside the litter box? https://tractive.com/blog/en/good-to-know/why-is-my-cat-peeing-outside-of-the-litter-box
3. Pet MD. 6 Reasons Your Cat Is Peeing Outside the Litter Box and How To Stop It. https://www.petmd.com/cat/behavior/6-reasons-your-cat-peeing-outside-litter-box
4. The spruce pets. Is Your Cat Peeing Outside the Litter Box? Here’s Why and What To Do About It. https://thesprucepets.com/cat-peeing-everywhere-552307