Female cat peeing outside litter box

[PamR]

My cat -- 12 yr old female -- sometimes stands up for the last part of her peeing, aiming for the wall. This has been happening more frequently now -- maybe twice a week. I have a high litter box but it is lower at one end and that's the end she pees above. I tape some paper towel against the wall there so I can catch it, but wonder if this is indicative of a problem.
I've been using the same litter (crystal), and I keep it clean. Nothing different happening in the home.
Thoughts?

 

[aruna]

Hi, @PamR, a great question - would you give us a little more details about how long has this been happening? Is it a new behavior? Did the start of it coincide with anything else? Are there any other symptoms your cat is experiencing?
Maybe @Dr. Jean or @Dr. Christina have some ideas if this is a symptom or just a quirk?
And if you haven't had a chance yet, we have quite a comprehensive urinary section in our resource library - you can access it by clicking here.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Pam, how's your kitty's BEAM, what do you feed her etc. (see Aruna's great post here):

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[Dr. Jean Hofve]

This is a very common behavior with older kitties. Chances are that she has some arthritis in her back end. The solution is to get a taller box. Big Rubbermaid or Sterlite totes are excellent; you can cut out a piece (to make a gate or door) at one end to make it easy for her to enter and exit, but the rest of the rim has to be higher than her butt so she physically can't overshoot it.

 

[PamR]

This is a very common behavior with older kitties. Chances are that she has some arthritis in her back end. The solution is to get a taller box. Big Rubbermaid or Sterlite totes are excellent; you can cut out a piece (to make a gate or door) at one end to make it easy for her to enter and exit, but the rest of the rim has to be higher than her butt so she physically can't overshoot it.

Thank you, Dr. Jean! I will buy a taller box! A plastic tote will serve better than the regular litter pans.