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If it's close to the litter box, however, there's a chance your cat may just have horrible aim.

Then there's the more serious causes of inappropriate elimination: medical causes. These can range from stress to UTIs to other more serious ailments. Stress can cause cats to eliminate, especially urinate, in areas other than the litter box to mark his territory. Comforting for the cat, a complete pain for the humans who have to live with the animal. Cat urine has a very strong odor, and it is most unpleasant and difficult to remove. Feline pheromone sprays or diffusers, or even Kitty Prozac, can usually relieve stress and get a household smelling normal again. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can cause pain when a cat uses the litter box, just like UTIs in humans can cause it to burn when urinating. Cats don't know that there's something wrong and begin to associate the pain with the litter box, leading to them going somewhere else. With cats, it doesn't always have to make sense. UTIs are usually resolved with an antibiotic, lots of water, and a special diet.

So there are many reasons why a cat may answer nature's call outside the litter box. The best thing to do is take the cat to the vet if the problem doesn't resolve itself in a few days (and hopefully with the owner's sanity intact) , just to make sure that there's not a medical reason behind the inappropriate elimination. If no medical cause is found, a vet can help the owner decide what to do to try and alleviate the problem.

Learn more about this author, Monica Davidson.
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