Inappropriate Elimination - Cat

Introduction

Inappropriate elimination is a common problem that is often confused with indoor marking behaviour. Differences between inappropriate elimination and indoor marking are discussed discussed in the general section on housesoiling.

Housetraining in cats is the product of innate substrate and preferences, combined with learning during development and the past and current availability of suitable latrine locations. Kittens appear not to learn latrine preferences by observing their moth,r but rather by exploring and investigating with available substrates and locations. Failure to provide kittens with suitable latrine substrates can therefore lead to the development of undesirable substrate associations.

History taking should therefore include information about the rearing and early environment, the cat's level of housetraining prior to the problem developing, and information about changes in latrine provision such as switching of litter tray location or litter type. Cats prefer to use their own latrine sites rather than share them with other cats, so any level of antagonism between resident cats is likely to lead to housesoiling.

Normal Elimination Behaviour

To understand the preferences of cats living in a domestic setting, it is important to understand the cat's normal elimination behaviour. Wild and feral cats use separate latrine sites for urine and faeces, and may have numerous latrines located around their peripheral territory. Latrines are located away from hunting, feeding and resting areas. Latrine sites are not shared with other cats, even when cats exist together in a naturally formed colony. The preferred substrate is usually dry sandy soil that is easy to dig. Cats are vulnerable to attack whilst eliminating, so they tend to be secretive.

Diagnosis

The presence of urine and/or faeces deposited in the house or outside the litter tray is not definitive evidence of a behavioural problem; medical causes and underlying factors should always be ruled out before reaching a behavioural diagnosis. In multi-cat households, it is therefore important to identify which cat is responsible for the housesoiling. It is extremely unusual for a non-resident cat to enter and eliminate in another cat's home, but this may also need to be considered.

Common causal/contributory medical factors include:

• Conditions causing PUPD
• Lower urinary tract disease
• Diarrhoea and bowel disease
• Debilitating disease that makes access to latrines more difficult for the cat (e.g. osteoarthritis and cardiopulmonary disease)
• Cognitive dysfunction syndrome

Typical Causes of Inappropriate elimination

Many of the causes of inappropriate elimination relate to relative unsuitability of available latrine sites. Feral and wild cats have the freedom to choose they down latrine sites, and will select places that provide an acceptable compromise of ideal features that is tolerable to the individual. For example, for some individuals substrate is more important then privacy, and vice versa. In a domestic setting, cats also differ in their tolerance of substrate type, privacy and sharing of latrine sites with other cats, but the range of options that are acceptable to the owner is far more limited. Often inappropriate elimination does not start because a single feat cure of the litter tray is undesirable to the cat, but because a combination of factors causes the cat to choose another location.

Some common causes include

• Inappropriate substrate: Cats appear to prefer unscented, sand-like mineral based litter in a tray filled to a depth of 2-3cm. Scented, pine or wood-pulp based litters are often aversive to cats, although they may tolerate them if other characteristics of the litter tray are acceptable. Litters based on pine chip pings have become popular due to owner concerns about biodegradability. However, these release the acrid chemical pineol when wetted with urine. Cat find this deterrent, especially in covered litter trays.
• Lack of privacy in latrine locations: Cats may refuse to use litter trays that are placed too close to feeding areas or cat doors, or sited in busy places where the cat will be disturbed whilst eliminating. A previously satisfactory location may become unacceptable if the presence of new pets or children constantly disturbs the cat, or if non-resident cats settle in vantage points that overlooks the litter tray location.
• Competition for latrine sites: Wild and feral cats do not share latrines, and they use separate sites for urine and faeces. In multi-cat households there may be competition for use of litter trays, which can also fill up with urine and faeces, map,ing them unacceptable.
• Despotism: Some cats show a pattern of despotic control around resources, latrine sites and cat doors, constantly guarding them and intimidating other cats that try to access them. In most cases this is due to a general lack of available resources. Despots may be resident cats controlling resources within the home, or non-resident cats seeking to drive away territorial competitors. Timid, non-assertive cats may choose to use inappropriate latrine sites in the house rather than challenge an aggressive despot.
• Negative litter box associations: A cat may become reluctant to use a litter tray where it has previously been disturbed or attacked, or where it has experienced pain on micturition (associated with LUTD).
• Inability to use/find litter trays: Cats with physical debilitation or cognitive dysfunction syndrome may be unable to find or get to latrine sites, especially if they do not have a litter tray and usually go to the toilet outside. They may be unable to make use of high-sided or covered trays.
• Punishment: Owners may punish cats when they catch them eliminating in an inappropriate location. Cats have not evolved to accept social control over basic functions such as going to the toilet, and are unlikely to associate their specific actions with punishment. They are more likely to find their owner's behaviour intimidating, which can make them wary of eliminating when the owner is present. This can become a serious problem if the cat is is subsequently deterred from using a litter tray when the owner is present.
• Health problems: Cats with polyuria/polydipsia (PU/PD), incontinence, feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) or recurrent/chronic diarrhoea are unlikely to maintain a normal or acceptable pattern of elimination.

Feline Idopathic Cystitis

Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) is a complex condition that involves neurological changes in spinal pain fibres and biochemical changes in the bladder wall. The precise aetiology is not fully understood but there appears to be an association between stress and FIC. Bladder permeability in FIC affected cats is increased by stress, and the frequency and severity of signs is associated with stressors such as conflict with another resident cat. Cats with FIC also appear to show differences in their response to stimuli, being more stress responsive and easily startled by noises.Cats with FIC exhibit a characteristic set of sickness behaviours that are the result of inflammatory cytokine activation.

This indicates a strong connection between aspects of temperament, environmental stressors and FIC, which has led to the adopt of a multimodal strategy for the treatment of the disease.

FIC should therefore be considered an important underlying factor in inappropriate elimination in cats.

Treatment

Medical Factors

Causal and contributory medical factors should be investigated and treated. Conditions such as FIC should be ruled out.

Litter Tray

Although cats vary in their specific preferences, and their tolerance for particular defects in litter tray provision, a general guide for litter tray provision in problem cases would be as follows:

• High sides.
• Unscented, fine grained, mineral based litter.
• Large enough to turn around in.
• Located where the cat can access it easily, but without be disturbed whilst eliminating.
• One litter tray pet cat, plus one extra (to allow cats to avoid sharing latrines)

Cats show no general preference for covered or open litter trays, so a choice should be provided until the cat's preference is established.

Environment and Social Issues

Typically, it is possible to identify one or two environmental changes that have initiated the housesoiling/inappropriate elimination problem. This may be something as simple as a change of cat litter. However, it is very important not to treat the problem at this superficial level. If a single inconsequential change has caused the cat to house-soil then it is very likely that there are other underlying problems that also need to be addressed. Not to do so may mean consigning the cat to a life of stress and impaired welfare.

Treatment of housesoiling/inappropriate elimination, therefore, involves dealing with general environmental and social issues that cause stress, as well as the specific aspects of latrine location and type. Aggression between cats sharing a household is often overlooked because actual fights may be uncommon and most of the threatening behaviours between them are subtle.

Overall resource levels should be increased and resources should be distributed so that individual cats and cat-factions can make use of them without coming into conflict with each other. This also helps to undermine the activities of feline despots who try to monopolise specific resources. Additional cat flaps may be needed if aggression between cats is preventing certain cats from using outdoor latrines.

The cats should be provided with a range of suitable latrines, inside and outside the house, discussed on the Cat Latrines page.

F3 diffusers are traditionally used to treat spraying problems, but can be used to make a latrine location more attractive. The diffuser is placed very close to the litter tray in a confined area. This can be effective for cats that choose to eliminate on piles of the owner’s clothing or on the owner’s bed because these locations are associated with increased security. F3 diffusers may also be used to reduce general social stress in the household. In this situation, the diffuser should be allowed to warm up for at least a couple of hours before allowing cats to have access to the room where the diffuser is installed.

Conversely, inappropriate latrine sites should be made less appealing. There are a number of ways to do this, including changing the floor substrate to make it less pleasant to stand on, placing small bowls of food close to the location so that it becomes designated as a feeding station instead of a latrine. The best guide for how to modify a particular latrine site is the cat’s reason for choosing it in the first place. For example, a dark and secluded corner can be made a lot less discrete by moving furniture, putting in a loud radio close by or illuminating the corner with a bright spot lamp. Battery powered infra-red activated lamps can be bought very cheaply from hardware stores and can be installed in small corner, where it will switch on every time the cat approaches. This can act as an effective deterrent.

Altering inappropriate latrine sites to make them less appealing to the cat (this must only be done when a potential alternative has been made available)

• Cover the location with thick polythene: urine will then drain towards the cat’s feet when it is standing on the sheet.
• Cover the location with a large sheet of silver foil: some cats do not like to stand on this.
• Apply strips of double-sided sticky tape to either of the above to make them even more repellent.
• Place small bowls of food on top of the latrine sites, so that they become feeding stations. Cats are usually reluctant to urinate near sources of food.
• Illuminate dark corners with a bright spot lamp so that any privacy is taken away.
• The same effect can be achieved using a small, battery powered infrared activated lamp, which will turn on each time the cat approaches (these are very inexpensive).

Psychoactive Drug Therapy

Cats that are inhibited, fearful and therefore unable to utilise improved resources because of their apprehension, may benefit from psychoactive drug therapy. Selegiline is not licensed for use in the cat, but it can be used for the treatment of specific fears, a condition for which it is licensed in the dog (in the UK). This drug increases confidence and exploratory behaviour, but takes 4-6 weeks to show efficacy. It should be continued until the cat is fully utilising resources and has not eliminated in the house for 8 weeks.

Where signs of chronic anxiety are apparent, despite the use of F3 diffusers, then an SRI or SSRI type drug, such as Clomipramine or Fluoxetine, may be appropriate.

Trial treatments for Feline Idiopathic Cystitis have included polysulphated glycosaminoglycans and Amitriptyline. Response to glycosaminoglycans was variable, with some individuals responding extremely well and others less so. Treatment with Amitriptyline has produced good results, with the affects being attributed to the nor-adrenergic effects of the drug. Amitriptyline is 5:1 selective in favour of nor-adrenaline over serotonin reuptake inhibition, whereas Clomipramine is 5:1 selective in favour of serotonin reuptake. However, both drugs do have significant effects on nor-adrenaline reuptake and Clomipramine may be a suitable alternative if there are concerns over adverse effects with Amitriptyline.

In all cases, psychoactive drug therapy should only be considered after reaching a specific diagnosis and taking into account the risks of disinhibition of aggression. Obstructive urinary tract disease should be ruled out before initiating therapy with SRI or SSRI drugs, which have a risk of increasing outflow obstructions through their effects on acetylcholine transmission.

Treatment of Inappropriate Elimination
General environmental and social issues:	Increase resources available to the cat and strategically locate them for easy access by the various cats and factions within the household. Give the cats indoor-outdoor access with an electronic coded cat door. Switch feeding to activity feeding. Provide more choice of resting and hiding locations. Install F3 diffusers, to reduce anxiety and improve inter-cat relationships in the house. Use scent swapping to improve group odour. Consider temporarily isolating and then reintroducing cats if there are problems of aggression.
Latrine number, location and substrate:	Latrines should be relocated to quiet areas. Litter trays should be deep filled (3cm) with a mineral-based or clumping litter (not pine or wood-pulp based or scented). In some cases using pure sand or a 50% mixture of litter and sand as a substrate in trays, is attractive to cats. A mixture of covered and open litter trays may be trialled. Additional outdoor toilets should be provided. Total latrine number may need to be as many as one per cat plus one extra. A specific latrine location may be made to feel more secure by locating an F3 diffuser (Feliway) next to it.
Owner behaviour:	Stop punishment of inappropriate elimination.
Psychoactive drug therapy:	Selegiline: specific fear with behavioural inhibition that limits normal behaviour Clomipramine/Fluoxetine: chronic anxiety (concomitant signs of stress such as over grooming). Clomipramine/Amitriptylline: FIC

Prognosis

The prognosis for cats with house-soiling problems is good, as long as owners can accept that there may be brief relapses in the future. Even if the domestic indoor and outdoor environment is optimised and relationships between cats in the household have been improved, there is always the possibility that new cats to the neighbourhood may upset the situation.

Cats with a history of inadequate housetraining, or inappropriate substrate or location preference are likely to relapse on occasion during periods of stress, or if the owner makes changes to existing toilets. These cats may always be a short step from reverting to using their own preferred toilet sites so it is important to stick to environmental modifications that work.

References

Also see:

Housesoiling - Cat

Indoor Marking - Cat