If you are a cat owner, you probably know that cats are neat and clean. They keep themselves clean and enjoy tidying their places, such as the bed, litter box, etc.
However, have you ever seen your cat keep peeing everywhere around the house? Well, a few months ago, I found my male cat peeing everywhere in my apartment, even peeing in your bed, and it was so frustrating.
At that moment, I kept asking myself, “Why is my cat peeing everywhere all of a sudden?” Fortunately, I went to the vet for some advice and she explained to me the causes of my cat peeing around the house.
I know that many of you might also be in the same situation. Hence, I’ll share with you the four primary causes of why your cat pees all over the house:
- Your Cats Are Stressed Or Anxious: Constant stress or anxiety can lead to your cat urinating in the house suddenly as it is a way to express their current condition.
- Their Litter Box Is Not Right: If you find your cat suddenly peeing outside the litter box, it is very likely that there are some issues with the litter box and your cat is uncomfortable.
- Health Issues: Another possible cause of a cat peeing on everything suddenly is health issues. For example, blaster stones, cystitis, urinary tract infections, etc.
- The Existence of Other Pets: If you own several cats in the house but there aren’t a sufficient number of litter boxes, it can be a big problem as cats don’t like sharing their litter box.
Furthermore, within each section, I’ll show you what to do when your cats pee on everything in such an uncontrollable way. Nonetheless, before you know what to do, let’s deal with the problem from its roots by finding out the possible reasons.
Read more: Reasons why my cat pees on my clothes.
Table of Contents
Why is My Cat Peeing Everywhere Suddenly?
1. Your Cats Are Stressed or Anxious
The first and most common reason why your cat starts to urinate everywhere is because of anxiety or stress. For many cats, peeing is a way to relieve their stress since the smell of their own urine makes them relaxed.
Moreover, urinating is a way to mark their territories. As a result, this creates a sense of security for your cat when they feel intimidated by others.
There are a variety of reasons why your cats might feel stressed and anxious. For instance, moving to a new place can be stressful for your cat as it takes a while until he/she can adapt to an unfamiliar environment.
Besides, a change in furniture design or your daily routine can be frustrating to your beloved friend. Another possible reason can be the occurrence of a new family member, which leads your cat to think that their position is replaced.
In these situations, try to be with your cats as much as possible and show that you will always be on their sides no matter what happens. As long as you express your love to the cats, they will gradually stop their uncontrolled peeing behavior.
2. Their Litter Box Is Not Right
The second reason why your cats pee at an inappropriate place is because there is something in the litter box that bothers them. As cats are picky animals, they will refuse to use or do anything that is irritating to them.
Therefore, if you doubt the litter box can be a cause of their misbehavior, it is worth checking the different factors of the box to see what is wrong. So, what is it with the litter box that annoys your cat so much? Let’s have a look through the following list:
- The litter box is not clean enough: As mentioned in the beginning, cats hate dirty things, including their litter box. Consequently, your cat would rather urinate outside the litter box until you clean it nicely. Hence, make sure you clean the box on a regular basis.
- It is not the correct sand: Every cat has their favorite type of sand. Hence, unless you are putting the right kind of sand into the litter box, your cat will be bothered whenever walking into the box.
- As a result, they will avoid stepping into the sand by peeing in other places. A simple solution is to try different types of sand and figure out which is your pet’s favorite.
- It is the box itself!: There might be a feature of the litter box that your cat doesn’t like. For example, the box is too small or too high and creates inconveniences for your cat.
- Hence, the cat will end up not going into the litter box anymore. Make sure you keep this in mind when buying a litter box.
- The location is inappropriate: Another thing about the litter box that irritates your cat is its location. If you put the litter box in a place where your pet can’t access easily and quickly, he/she will simply choose another spot that is more accessible in urgent cases.
- However, even when you put the litter box at an easily accessible location, your cat might not like it just because there are so many people walking around or it is near their sleeping spot.
3. Health Issues
The third cause of your cat suddenly peeing everywhere is probably medical issues. There are various diseases that may lead to the fact that your cat can’t control their own urinating behavior.
I’ll discuss what illnesses result in this behavior of your cat, the symptoms as well as explain why your feline friend does so:
- Bladder stones: Sounds strange enough, but cats can form actual stones in their bladder, which leads to blockage and irritation. Consequently, there will be inflammation in the cat’s bladder that causes great pain. In this case, you should consult your vet so that they can give some antibiotic treatment as soon as possible.
- Cystitis: If you see blood in your cat’s urine, it is very likely that your cat is having an inflammation in the bladder. This phenomenon is called cystitis. In order to determine whether your cat is having cystitis, a urine sample test is necessary.
- However, cats with cystitis do not have stones or crystals in their bladder. This is why we also call this idiopathic cystitis, which means unknown inflammation. Treatment for cystitis requires dietary changes, enrichment in the environment, as well as the assistance of antianxiety medications and pain relievers.
- Urinary tract infection (UTI): This disease rarely happens in kittens but it is significantly common in elderly cats. Specifically, bacteria in the cat’s urine cause an inflammatory response in the urinary tract.
- Thus, vets often use antibiotics as a cure for the urinary tract infection. Furthermore, it is advised that your cat receives some follow-up tests to assure that he/she has completely recovered.
4. The Existence of Other Pets
How come your other pets are related to your cat’s peeing behavior? Well, probably it is because there is one cat that bullies another so the bullied one becomes so afraid to go near the litter box.
Additionally, cats might not like sharing their litter box with other pets in the house. Therefore, they will urinate in other places instead of the shared litter box.
To solve this problem, you just have to purchase a couple more litter boxes and place them in multiple positions in your house. Hence, the cats will have access to whichever box that is the nearest to them.
Moreover, if there is one cat that is timid, it is best that you give him a separate litter box. Thus, your timid friend will feel more comfortable peeing in its personal litter box.
Furthermore, you can watch this video to learn 9 methods on how to get rid of your cat peeing inappropriately.
Conclusion
“Why is my cat peeing everywhere all of a sudden?” I hope this article has clearly explained all the possible reasons and showed you how to deal with each cause.
Let me know what you think in the comment section. If you find this article informative, share it with your friends and family as well.
I am Amy Sawy, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) graduate from the University of Kansas. y husband, Dr. Plummer, and I own a veterinary clinic in Phillipsburg, Kansas. In addition to my professional background, I am a devoted pet owner myself, with a household that includes dogs, rodents, and most notably, cats – a total of five felines in my home.
In 2020, I joined an organization as a professional writer, leveraging my experience and collaborating with my team to deliver the most valuable information for your cat’s care.
