Older cat missing litter box.

Dr. Marie replied:

There are a number of things that can cause an older cat to not urinate in the box.

I always recommend having a vet check his urine just to be sure there is no medical problem.

However, the fact that he is standing in the box and urinating outside of the box makes me wonder if he is having issues with arthritis. It is quite common for an older cat to get something called lumbosacral syndrome. This causes pain at the end of the spine (just before the tail). Cats that have this kind of pain don't want to squat to urinate because it hurts. So, they often pee standing straight up and the urine ends up going outside of the box.

While we do have some medications that can help with arthritis in cats they do come with some risks, especially in older cats. There is no over the counter medicine that is safe for cats with arthritis.

You may want to try using a covered litter box. This way, if the urine is sprayed out sideways it will just hit the wall.

And, I would definitely recommend a vet visit.

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---


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