Peeing and/or defecating in several places is unwanted for the owner, but is normal (natural) behavior for the cat. Disease and the litter box are the most important causes. Problems with the litter box include insufficient hygiene (insufficient cleaning of the litter box), the litter box itself (e.g., too high step), the litter box is in a restless place or near the food bowl, is filled with an undesired type of cat grit (many cats find sand with a perfume smell unpleasant), or too little baking in the presence of more than one cat. To solve this problem, it is wise to first have a urinary and physical examination by the veterinarian. When nothing physical is wrong, try to make adjustments to the litter box:
- Use a litter box without a lid (the lid keeps the smell of the urine and stool longer, nice for us, but keep in mind that a cat can smell much better than us!)
- Set a fixed frequency for cleaning the litter box (so don’t just scoop it out and sometimes empty it, but empty and clean it thoroughly every other day. A smell of chlorine invites you to pee, so this is an excellent way to clean the trough).
- Scoop the feces out of the litter box in between, use odorless grit (preferably of a subtle substance) and check the location of the litter box (quiet place, easily accessible, so not in the attic or on the balcony).