Cats are meticulous about their cleanliness and their toileting habits are no exception. So when things go astray in the home, it is usually no accident!
Carefully observing and understanding your kitty’s elimination behaviour and considering the characteristic and patterns of the “mess” can give you insight into the potential causes behind elimination issues. Below are the basics to recognizing the distinctions between urine marking/spraying, middening, inappropriate urination, and inappropriate defecation and what factors could be at play.
Urine Marking/Spraying
Behavioural Purpose of Marking/Spraying: This is typically a form of scent marking to communicate territory, establish dominance, or attract mates. As a result it rarely occurs inside the litter box. It also becomes much more prevalent during mating season.
Where: Vertical surfaces like walls or furniture are targeted, usually in key territorial areas like around home entrances and major thoroughfares because this is where marking is needed (to announce boundaries or readiness to mate) and where others will be most likely to come across it. Your cat may raise his and quiver while spraying.
How Often: Both males and females mark, though it is more common in intact (unsprayed/unneutered) cats and especially intact males. It does occur in about 5% of spayed females and 10% neutered males.
How Much: Usually a small amount of urine, as the purpose is to deposit scent rather than eliminate waste.
Appearance: The urine may have a strong odour due to the presence of pheromones (esp. in males!), and it is often more concentrated.
Triggering Factors of Marking/Spraying: Presence of other animals, changes in the household, or introduction of new stimuli (which your cat interprets as unknown and therefore a potential threat) can prompt spraying.
General Urinating Outside the Box
Behavioural Purpose of Urination: Urination is primarily for elimination and maintaining cleanliness.
Where: Typically occurs in a squatting position, usually in a discreet location like a litter box. Cats like to eliminate away from their core territory so as to not attract other cats and potential predators, and away from food and water sources to prevent contamination of these resources.
How Often: Regular and consistent, reflecting the cat’s natural need to eliminate waste.
How Much: Typically a moderate to large amount of urine, reflecting the cat’s natural elimination needs.
Appearance/Odour: The urine should be pale to medium yellow, and the odour is consistent with normal cat urine.
Triggering Factors of Urination Outside of the Litter Box: Health issues, emotional distress or stress brought on by changes in the household routine or the environment (inside and out), or litter box aversion (to the box, its location, litter type) may lead to general urination problems. Litter box aversion can also develop if your kitty associates a particularly stressful or painful incident with the box.
Middening
Behavioural Purpose of Middening: Middening is a cat’s expression of frustration, stress, discontent or territorial dominance through the deliberate placement of feces outside of the litter box. A more confident cat, for example, will midden around key areas when it feels it needs to “enforce” his territory while an anxious cat may choose locations (like your clothes) when it wants to intermingle his scent with other family members (feline or otherwise). It is the strongest signal a cat can leave – because of its odour and visibility from a distance – but it is rare and is the least common of the four elimination issues for indoor cats. The flip side of the coin is that middening is usually a harder behavioural issue to tackle, once it does start.
Where: Middening involves leaving waste in visible, noticeable areas, often outside the litter box. As with marking/spraying key areas are around entranceways to the home or rooms, frequented walkways and can be found in higher areal like tables or couches because your cat wants it to be noticed. Though cat’s do not eliminate near their core areas (e.g. cat beds) or food and water, an individual who is trying to assert his territory can even poop in front of other cats’ food bowls (in multi-cat households).
How Often: Can be sporadic and may coincide with changes in the environment, emotional distress, and territorial insecurity.
How Much: The amount of feces may vary, but it is often more deliberate and noticeable than the typical poop.
Appearance: The appearance may vary, but the placement outside the litter box suggests a purposeful act. The odour can depend on the amount but tends to be stronger than normal defecation.
Triggering Factors of Middening: Stressors such as new pets, changes in the household, or alterations to the cat’s routine may lead to middening behaviour.
General Defecation Outside the Box
Behavioural Purpose of General Defecation: Like urination, the motive for defecation is for elimination and cleanliness. Consequently, when your cat poops outside the litter box this indicates either an underlying medical or a behavioural issue. Behavioural reasons could be due to an aversion to your kitty’s litter box or an issue with the litter box environment such as discomfort with its location or cleanliness. Unlike middening, it may not always be a deliberate act but rather a response to discomfort or distress.
Where: Cats usually poop outside the litter box in less conspicuous areas such as behind furniture, in corners of rooms, or hidden spots.
How Often: The frequency of defecation outside the litter box may vary depending on the underlying cause. It can occur sporadically or persistently, especially if your cat continues to find the litter box unsuitable. An occasional accident may also be due to not reaching the litter box in time (e.g. elderly cats).
How Much: The amount of feces may vary, but it is typically similar to normal defecation in terms of quantity.
Appearance: The appearance of the feces may be similar to normal defecation, but the placement outside the litter box suggests a lack of adherence to proper elimination habits. The consistency and odour may not necessarily differ from normal defecation unless there is an underlying health issue.
Triggering Factors of General Defecation: Pooping outside the litter box can be triggered by factors such as medical conditions like gastrointestinal issues or urinary tract infections or a painful experience in the litter box whose cause was a medical condition that has since cleared up (but the aversion endures). It can also be due inadequate litter box hygiene, changes in the type of litter used, or environmental stressors such as moving to a new home, changes in household dynamics, or the presence of unfamiliar animals.
In Summary…
So, to sum up, urine marking may indicate social or territorial issues while general urination problems could be related to health or stressful environmental factors. Similarly middening may signify emotional distress or territorial insecurity while inappropriate defecation is, like with urination, most likely related to health or something stressful in your cat’s environment.
Once you have identified which of these you are dealing with, taking a comprehensive and holistic approach that considers the cat’s overall well-being, environmental factors, and potential triggers is key to successfully addressing and resolving litter box issues – and improving your kitty’s health and quality of life!