• Have your cat examined by a veterinarian for a physical problem. Be sure to mention the kitten’s urination and defecation habits. If a cat’s elimination is painful, it may associate the litterbox with pain and choose to eliminate elsewhere. When the cat is healthy again, a careful reintroduction to the box will be necessary.
  
  
• Carefully check the ten steps for preventing litterbox problems. Are you following all of them? Perhaps the solution is as easy as adding more litterboxes, cleaning more frequently, or changing the brand of litter. Try to accommodate the kitty’s preferences for location and litter material whenever possible.
  
  
• NEVER punish the cat for eliminating outside of its litterbox. Housesoiling occurs when the litterbox, its contents, or its location is offensive to the cat or when the cat is stressed by the environment. Punishment only increases the cat’s stress. HOUSESOILING IS NEVER DONE TO SPITE THE OWNER!
  
  
• If aversion to the litterbox can be ruled out, consider that the problem could be anxiety related. Has there been a change in the household? Any intrusion on the cat’s territory, whether human, animal, or even a new piece of furniture can cause a cat to feel threatened, insecure, and stressed. This results in his need to remind himself and the world of his territory. Territorial marking is usually accompanied by spraying urine on vertical surfaces, or less frequently, by squatting and urinating and defecating on horizontal surfaces. The more cats in the household, the more likely one or more of them will spray.
  
  
• Try to relieve or eliminate the source of the cat’s anxiety. (for example, pull the drapes so the kitty cannot view the antics of the tom cat next door.) If the environmental cause that triggers the territorial behavior cannot be identified or eliminated, consult with an experienced feline behavior counselor.
  
  
• Whatever the cause for the inappropriate elimination, a brief confinement period may be necessary in order to clean the soiled areas. Place deterrents in these areas and purchase more litterboxes or new litter. The confinement room should be a comfortable room and should contain two litterboxes, fresh food and water, a bed, and toys. (Remember not to place the litterboxes near the food and water.) Visit kitty regularly, but don’t let him out until the home environment has been cleaned and the litterbox situation has improved. (Please note that extended periods of confinement may be detrimental to the retraining process.) When kitty is let out, it is important to PRAISE APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR!
  
  
• To thoroughly clean the urine soaked areas, a black light may be used to identify the problem spots and a strong enzymatic cleaner should be used to saturate and neutralize them. Equalizer, KOE, Zap-A-Spot, and similar products are available through veterinary clinics and pet supply stores have proven to be highly effective. To repel kitty from previously soiled areas, cover them with a vinyl carpet runner (upside down!), a solid air freshener (preferable a citrus scent), or bowls of dry cat food.
  
  
• Solving housesoiling problems is possible with patience, persistence, and a systematic plan for retraining.

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