Cat Will Not Urinate in Litter Box
Answered by: Kerry Hackett
Question from: Rosemary
Posted on: August 03, 2010

Are there natural herbs I can add to my kitty litter to get my cat to urinate in the litter box? She defecates in the box but will not urinate in it.

Interesting question! Typically, if a cat will not use the litter box he/she will neither urinate nor defecate there. As your cat behaves differently, a few questions are in order: is your cat an indoor or outdoor cat or both? Is there anything around the litter box that might put your cat off of using it? This could include the placement of the box (is it in the midst of activity in the house?), the litter itself (what type are you using?), the cleanliness of the box and litter (how often do you clean the litter and the box and what do you use to clean it?), is she sharing the box with any other cats in the house (if so, how many boxes do you have in the house and how many cats?), is she "marking" other areas of the house and if she won’t urinate in the box, where does she urinate? Has she experienced stress or change in her life recently? Is there something in her environment or life that could be making her angry? Have you had her checked by a veterinarian to make sure she doesn’t have a urinary tract problem or bladder stones? Have you seen any blood in the urine?

There are no herbs as far as I know that will entice a cat to urinate in a litter box, however, if this is an issue more in line with behaviour, flower essences may help. The choice of which flower essence(s) to use will depend on the answers to the questions above. Cats will often display their displeasure by urinating in places other than their litter box. Likewise, if she has a urinary tract problem she may be trying to show you that all is not well when she urinates. Best idea would be to first have a urinalysis done by your local veterinarian to rule out any urinary tract issue. If all is clear then behavioural problems may be helped by determining the cause of her behaviour, removing or fixing the cause of her displeasure (if possible) and if necessary, employing flower essences to help her emotional self return back to balance. If the latter is what’s needed and flower essences are new to you, either seek the help of a flower essence practitioner in your area or write back to me at www.richters.com.

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