A high school friend of mine contacted me on facebook the other day and said she was having some litter box problems. Well, not her, but one of her cats 🙂 One of her kitties started peeing outside of his litter box and started acting aloof. Her lovable kitty seemed disinterested in her lap and canned cat food. I sent her a long list of questions and after she replied, I suggested she get her cat in to the veterinarian quickly.
Luckily she didn’t wait because her kitty had a urinary tract infection. Left untreated a urinary tract infection will 
continue to give you cat litter box problems but more importantly, serious medical problems.
Litter Box Problems? Here’s What I’d Ask…
How many cats do you have?
How long have you had them?
Have you brought any new pets into your home recently?
Has any new person moved into or out of your home?
Did your job or life change dramatically at the onset of the litter box problems starting?
How many litter boxes do you have? Where are they located? What kinds are they, i.e. covered, circular, rectangle, raised?
Do you clean them daily?
What kind of litter do you use?
Have you tried other types of litter?
Have you taken him to the vet recently?
What brand and kind of cat food does he eat? Dry? Canned? Raw? Purina? Iams? Science Diet? 
Do your cats go outside? Have they ever been outside? If they do, do they roam free or have an enclosed catio area?
Do you have neighborhood cats that come around your house, your windows or doors?
Is he neutered?
How old is he?
Have you tried blocking off the area he pees in?
Is the pee bloody?
Is there a lot of pee or just a few drops?
Does your kitty seem to strain when he pees or poops?
These questions might seem crazy to the new cat parent but these are all things that can help determine what the problem is and how to treat it. Often, a veterinarian will have to draw some blood from your kitty to check his white and red blood cell counts, platelet levels and other levels which can be obtained through bloodwork.
If you have a cat that starts having problems with his litter box, contact your veterinarian. It could be a simple ‘protest pee’ because your cat is mad at you, or it could be something major, like a blockage, tumor or other problem.
Urinary tract infections and blockages are common in cats and DO require medicine prescribed by your veterinarian. This isn’t something you can treat on your own and if you try, your cat could suffer needlessly and die.
Rita Reimers, a fellow cat siting professional in Buffalo, New York, specializes in caring for kitties of all ages and breeds. Visit her facebook page here and read her latest article on urinary tract blockage in cats which was published on the Meow Mix facebook page.
Thanks for reading,
Kelley Stewart, CEO|Pet Sitter
sit-stay-play In-home pet sitting & more.LLC
P.S. Need a cat sitter? We’d love to help…visit this link to get started!
Links:
http://justforcatspetsitting.com/urinary-tract-blockages-in-cats/