This archival article from the Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice journal, looks at the subject of “feline inappropriate elimination.” This is when cats urinate or defecate where they aren’t supposed to. The paper offers a broad range of reasons for why it may be happening and suggests potential solutions. The subject is not a trivial one. “Approximately 4 million cats are euthanized each year in animal shelters,” and inappropriate elimination has been cited as “the behavioral problem associated with the highest risk of relinquishment.” It is hard to say whether the problems persist due to unhelpful veterinary advice, or because the issue is not adequately treated, or could not be corrected, but it remains one of the most common behavioral problems reported by cat owners. Indeed, when tied with relinquishment statistics, it is a matter of life and death for many cats.

Correctly diagnosing and treating inappropriate elimination is as individual as the cats it affects. The first challenge facing any vet or cat companion, is to work out “whether the problem is primarily organic or if it fits into the ‘behavioral’ category.” The authors note that “this can be confusing,” because often the behavior of the animal is tied into an organic biological reason. The list of inappropriate behaviors and associated treatments is far too long to list here, but the main aspect to emphasize is that euthanasia or relinquishment are not the first options. Vets, companion animal advocates, and people who live with cats should “be encouraged to consider other, individually tailored, management options. These include, but are not limited to, keeping the cat outdoors, setting up a separate, easily cleaned room or cage indoors, or managing the problem so that access to target areas occurs only while the cat is under direct supervision.” Anyone who has had to deal with inappropriate elimination knows that it is tremendously challenging, but it can be managed to ensure that the cats don’t end up becoming another statistic in annual euthanasia rates.