6 month old kitten who always peed in litter box stopped!

[TriciaD]

Hello,
So our kitten who always used the litter box for the most part started peeing on bathroom rug, bedroom rug and now on the bed (right in front of us)! The litter box is clean so not sure why she is doing this. Any thoughts or suggestions to get her to start using just the litter box? Thank you.
PS Recent change is my daughter's fiance moved in recently. But the kitten, Korea, loves him!
Tricia
@Dr. Jeff
@Dr. Christina
@Dr. Sara

 

[HA! Support]

Hi Tricia.

This is Kim from Support. Thanks for posting this question. While we wait for the doctors to answer (I am NOT a veterinarian), I wanted to mention that I had a similar experience. It was very disconcerting and I was worried that there was a psychological component (possible). However, it turned out to be my kitty's way of telling me that something was wrong (urinalysis showed she had a UTI).

To help the experts, can you share a bit more? How old is she? Is she taking any meds? Had recent vaccinations? Has she had recent bloodwork or urinalysis? Have you noticed anything else that seems different, or anything leading up to it? What's her typical diet? Has it changed? Do you see her drinking? Does it seem too much? Not enough? Have you changed the litter or the location of the box? How is her BEAM (behavior, energy, appetite, mood)? Thanks!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Tricia!

In addition to Kim's great questions, I wonder if she digs in the box to cover her urine or poop? Do you have other pets?

 

[TriciaD]

This is from my daughter who has the kitten with her and no other pets.

she is 5 months old

no recent meds or vaccinations, only vaccines were the first round of shots at the kennel

no recent bloodwork or recent analysis; only appointment i took her too was in the beginning of november & they said everything was fine

nothing really different, she does meow a lot but i can’t tell if she’s just talkative .. but she meows for me to wake up & feed her or when i’m in the kitchen to feed her & after she eats, she’s quiet

she just lost her back two teeth, so she is teething

she eats twice, sometimes three times a day of the dog food .. & some treats. i did feed her raw steak the other night to lose her teeth

she is still very cuddly & plays when her toy is brought out. she runs around & sleeps with me or by herself some nights

i have only seen her drink water twice ? with dry food but she does get a lot of water from the food

there is pee in the litter box but i guess not a ton; no i did not change the location

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks for the additional info Tricia.

Does she usually eat dry food? What's her main food?

Do you see (or hear) her dig in the box?

In addition, inappropriate urination whenever there is an environmental change (like a new person in the house) is not uncommon.

Maybe try extra play, petting and purring and using this flower essence:

Flow Free | Green Hope Farm Flower Essences

www.greenhopeessences.com

@Dr. Jean Hofve will probably have other suggestions.

 

[TriciaD]

Hi Dr. Jeff!
Her main food is honest kitchen (dehydrated raw chicken food). Where you add water to rehydrate. My daughter said her litter box is dry today but peed on bed and carpet in bathroom. She doesn't notice a lot of digging in the litter box,
Thanks @Dr. Jeff

 

[Dr. Jeff]

You're welcome Tricia!

Your daughter may want to consider increasing her kitten's internal balance by integrating some fresh food (like chicken beef, or a raw cat food like Small Batch).

It may also be that the kitty isn't fond of the litter so your daughter may want to try another brand (scentless). If this litter is clay maybe try clumping, Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract, or one of the other textures (there are many forms of litter available).

https://www.chewy.com/dr-elseys-precious-cat-attract/dp/32365

 

[TriciaD]

Good morning Dr. Jeff!
@Dr. Jeff
This is great information! My daughter is going to look into purchasing Small Batch raw cat food and changing litter. So in regards to raw food, do you know if honest kitchen is raw? Would you recommend Small Batch raw dog food as well? Thank you so much for your time! Truly appreciate all you do!
Tricia

 

[Dr. Jeff]

do you know if honest kitchen is raw? Would you recommend Small Batch raw dog food as well?

Great questions Tricia, thanks for asking!

Unfortunately, the Honest Kitchen is an ultra-processed food (tho it's better than most dry foods IMHO) and yes, I'd recommend it for both dogs and cats as part of their raw variety.

 

[TriciaD]

Great questions Tricia, thanks for asking!

Unfortunately, the Honest Kitchen is an ultra-processed food (tho it's better than most dry foods IMHO) and yes, I'd recommend it for both dogs and cats as part of their raw variety.

Awesome! Thanks again for all your help!

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

I'm a little unclear about what she's eating; you mentioned she ate dog food 2 or 3 times a day. Is that Honest Kitchen dog food? Or does she eat kitten or cat food? She should not be eating any dog food, especially as a kitten. It will not produce the right urine pH for a cat, so she could have an inflamed bladder--which will cause her to go in strange places. A cat's thought process goes something like this:
(1) I peed in the box.
(2) It hurt.
(3) The box hurt me.
(4) I will pee someplace else.
(5) If that place also hurts me, I will try another place.

Smalls is a great cat food. Honest Kitchen is dehydrated raw, but unfortunately it's very high in carbohydrates. Any high moisture (canned, raw) cat or kitten food would be okay. No dry food for kitties, ever!

 

[TriciaD]

Hello
@Dr. Jean Hofve
My daughter meant cat food. Thank you so much for your advice on kitten food. She was able to find a kitten food by Stella and Chewy's. I will try to attach the link here: https://a.co/d/0Qjve0I
In the meantime my daughter switched to the cat liter @Dr. Jeff mentioned in previous response and she is now going in the liter box again! Yay!
Here are some additional options she looked at from Stella and Chewy's

https://a.co/d/6nzjejo

https://a.co/d/gFG1DO2

If you are able to see the links could you let us know if these are good options? Thank you so much for all your time and effort.
Tricia and daughter, Aliyah