Ain't misbehaving: If your cat wees outside their tray...

Today we’re launching a mini-series of animations called ‘Ain’t misbehaving’ which aim to bust a few cat behaviour myths. First up, we’re looking at weeing.

Myth: If a cat wees on your furniture they’re being spiteful or doing it on purpose…

Actually there are lots of reasons why a cat might urinate outside of their litter tray – it doesn’t mean that they’re being naughty so don’t tell them off as it might make the behaviour worse. It could be that your cat is stressed or in pain.

Cats Protection’s Behaviour Manager Nicky Trevorrow says: “Cats are naturally very clean animals so it is certainly a sign that all’s not right in their world if they start inappropriately urinating in the house.”

The first thing to do is take your cat to the vet for a health check as it’s important to rule out medical reasons for the behaviour. Your vet may also refer you to a qualified behaviourist (from a body such as the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors) to help identify the causes.

You may also find it useful to read our behaviour focus blog post on litter trays and see our infographic: Your cat’s perfect loo.