House soiling in cats
Author(s):
Kelly A. St. Denis
Updated:
AUG 30, 2023
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House soiling in cats is an all-too-common problem for many owners; this paper offers a holistic approach to help clinicians advise their clients.
Kelly A. St. Denis
MSc, DVM, Dip. ABVP (feline practice), Powassan, Ontario, Canada
Dr. St. Denis is a practicing feline medicine specialist, board certified with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in the specialty of feline practice. In her early career she trained in molecular biology and immunology before going on graduate from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1999. She owned and operated the Charing Cross Cat Clinic from 2007 to 2020, and has co-authored a number of practice feline guidelines, as well as being co-editor of both the AAFP Feline Practitioner Magazine and the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. Dr. St. Denis is a consultant on the Veterinary Information Network in feline internal medicine, and lectures internationally on all things feline. She is past president of the American Association of Feline Practitioners.
Key points
- House soiling is voiding or defecating in a location that is appropriate to the cat at the time, based on their physical, emotional and cognitive needs.
- House soiling is a complex problem that is often multifactorial in nature, occurring as a result of disruption in the health triad: physical, emotional and cognitive wellbeing.
- Many caregivers are reluctant to discuss their cat’s house-soiling behaviors and need veterinary support and encouragement to acknowledge the problem.
- Identification and resolution of deficiencies in the 5 pillars of a healthy feline environment is critical to finding solutions to house-soiling problems.
House soiling – an introduction
Cats have long been assumed to be an independent species requiring minimal care – but this assumption can often result in deficiencies in their environment and a failure to meet a cat’s basic needs. As a result, the cat’s health, a triad comprised of physical, emotional, and cognitive wellbeing (Figure 1) is likely to be negatively impacted. Caregivers have nearly complete control over their cat’s life, making decisions about diet, feeding schedules, other cats and other pets, toys, resting spaces and litter boxes. In spite of having minimal or no control, as long as the cat is able to, they will remain cooperative with human expectations. However, when deficiencies in the environment exist and the health triad is disturbed, their ability to conform diminishes. For litter box use, this can mean that alternative latrining locations become the appropriate place for the cat to void urine and/or defecate. House soiling is therefore the act of depositing urine or feces outside of a toileting area that the caregiver has designated as acceptable (Box 1).
Figure 1. The Triad of health for the domestic cat: physical, cognitive and emotional wellbeing.
Box 1. House soiling terminology.
| Voiding | The conscious process of passing urine from the distal urethra |
| Defecation | The conscious process of passing feces from the rectum |
| House soiling |
The conscious or unconscious process of depositing urine or feces outside the litter box onto horizontal, and sometimes vertical, surfaces; full or partial volumes may be deposited |
| Urine spraying |
The conscious process of depositing urine outside the litter box typically on vertical surfaces, and typically associated with territorial marking behavior. This is most commonly observed in intact males, but can also occur in late-neutered males, intact females and neutered males and females |
| Periuria | Urine house soiling or spraying |
| Perichezia | Feces house soiling |
| Middening | The conscious process of depositing feces in distinct locations usually as a form of territorial marking |
House soiling – changing the perspective and language
Some of the terminology used in reference to house soiling can have a misleading impact on the perceived cause(s), and specifically on the cat’s behavior and intentions. For example, the word “inappropriate” (urination, defecation, latrining) is often used, but it is erroneous to consider the behavior as being inappropriate, and erroneous to consider that the cat is aware of this and acting with malicious intent. Lacking self-reflection and internal dialogue, cats do not avoid the litter box for revenge or other vindictive reasons 1. When they defecate or urinate, they are making the decision to do so in a location that is appropriate to them at the time and for their needs, much as they would out of doors. By applying the correct language and avoiding terms like “inappropriate”, we can correctly direct caregivers away from the concept of misbehavior and turn the focus to what the cat’s essential needs are, with the goal of resolving the problem. Of equal or greater importance is that by educating all caregivers about the cat’s essential needs before problems occur, we can actively prevent house-soiling issues from ever arising.
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