Litter tray problems

[Climbingthelaundrymountain]

I've posted about this before and got some suggestions but those are no longer working so thought I would try again.

Basically my 16 year old male cat, who is in great health, consistently pees outside of the litter tray. I bought one with high sides but as it comes in two parts he seems to be able to pee through the join! My kitchen constantly stinks of cat wee despite cleaning up with bleach every day, more than once! It's really getting me down. Any other litter tray recommendations or suggestions?

Adding he rarely goes anymore, this is his own choice, so always uses the litter tray rather than outside.

Hello OP,

I have experience of this but you don't say what you have already tried so a little hard to offer advice eg puppy pads, a larger tray, moving the tray to a quieter location?

Also, bleach won't work. You need an enzyme cleaner for cat urine. I also used to use vinegar/baking soda to clean any accidents out of my carpets (but don't use vinegar anywhere near the litter tray as it could put your kitty off using it!)

You say your cat is in great health. Is this from your own observation or does he have regular senior cat health checks. Cats are experts in hiding pain. My own kitty who used to wee over the side of her tray had arthritis and was finding it difficult to squat. At 16 it's likely he does have some health/mobility issues which you may not be aware of. Have you seen how he positions himself to urinate?

Look for a high sided tray that doesn't have a join.

I've got a cheap version of this (I can't find the cheap ones on eBay anymore, sadly), which is perfect. I don't use a liner.

He looks totally normal when he urinates, he also has no problem springing up onto worktops and the top of our very tall fridge. He eats well, no excessive drinking, is slimmer than he once was but not by much. He has good teeth, bright eyes and plenty of energy. Last visit to the vet was about 10 months ago for dehydration in the heatwave but no issues since then.

May be worth getting a general health check done for him anyway. If he's squatting normally then the wee shouldn't be going over or through the sides.

Personally, with my elderly girl, I lived with puppy pads around and under the tray and changed them as needed. They're extremely absorbent. I used the disposable ones but you can also buy the washable ones and get them in fairly big sizes.

I hope you find a solution for you and your little kitty x

He needs to see a vet - cats are really good at masking pain so the fact that he still jumps about doesn't really mean much unfortunately.

Practically speaking you need to clean up any accidents with a special urine remover for pets (Simple Solution is a good one) and I would put puppy pads down around the litter tray so that they can just be binned if he does miss.

Thank you everyone, I will book him in for a vet check and get some special cleaner.

Is it normal cat wee or is he spraying? Mine does this, and he is only 5.

We have a standing up high pee-er cat. She used to get it between where the 2 boxes meet. We have got the below litter box and it's stopped it completely.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B09W92TQTB?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

That's the one I tried to find on eBay! It's such a good design.

Its been fab for our cat. We don't have the door on the front as ours is under a small table so she can't get out of the top but it has stopped all her pee getting through the crack of the old one. I would highly recommend this for all high peeing cats!

I got mine because my cat is a ferocious digger and having tried the split lid ones with my old cat, and hating what a PITA it was to clean, was very pleased to find ones like this. It fits perfectly under an IKEA Lack table!

I don't think he's spraying. I'm off to pets at home on Friday to get a new tray, I've found one similar to the design linked, puppy pads and the special cleaning solution. And he's going for a vet check on Monday. So we are covering all bases! He's definitely sitting/squatting to pee.

Just be aware though, OP, that while the trays posted by the PP's would in theory solve your problem, a similar design may not work with your elderly cat.

Not all kitties like enclosed litters plus my elderly arthritic girl simply would not have been able to get in and out of that kind of tray. In fact, she even started to dislike the standard height open trays so much that she began to just wee/poo on the floor next to it. That's when I started with the puppy pads and ended up, after scouring the Internet, buying an extra large potting tray to use as her litter (pictured) so it was easy for her to step in and out of.

My girl could still jump up onto the bed and cabinets at this point but the litter tray just wasn't working for her. Puppy pads and potting tray was something that did. Not saying you'll need to go down this route, simply that you may have to play around with different set-ups. Good luck!