Cat Pee Under the Litterbox

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One of the worst odors a cat parent can face comes from urine, and it isn't always caused by territorial spraying. I found a puddle under my cat's pan; at first, I had no idea how or why it happened. The plastic wasn't cracked, and it was a fairly deep newer box. 

My second thought was which cat did it and why. The following possibilities crossed my mind:

  • UTI
  • Dirty litterbox
  • Blocked access to the box
  • Bad litter pan design 

My Cat Pooped and Peed in the Bathtub! 

The only other incident I had with inappropriate urination also involved feces. Years ago I found cat poop and pee in my big garden bathtub. The only cat I had at the time was Patch, an older female calico, but she was impeccably clean and would never do that on purpose. No cat would since they're clean animals. 

Upon further inspection, I discovered that after cleaning her pan I had turned the opening toward the wall. She couldn't get in! It was smart to find the next best thing. The bathtub must have looked like a giant open cat litterbox without the litter. In any case, it wasn't her fault and I laughed when thinking about what must have gone through her mind. 

Modkat Flip Litter Box, 3 Lid Positions, Tall Seamless Base, Reusable Litter Liner, Litter Scoop - Gray

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How Cat Pee Gets Under the Pan

Back to the situation at hand. After sizing up the clues, I realized how the current problem happened. The pan was deep but not deep enough to stop Baby, my husband's older female cat from rising up while peeing. It was running out in between the lid and the base. She must have aimed just right and with enough force to penetrate the horizontal opening. If the lip of the lid had been made differently it couldn't happen, and I attribute the problem to a poor design. 

Choosing a New Cat Litterbox for a High-Peeing Cat

The next litter pan couldn't have seams or I'd face the same smelly problem. I decided to go with a seamless litterbox with high reviews and haven't had issues since. 

If you've read my prior posts you may remember that Baby has since passed away, but as the title states I have two cats. I wouldn't risk using any other style of cat litterbox since it doesn't take being 'unfixed' or male to have a spraying problem. 

Take care,

Kim



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