My Pet World: Cat mom stressed by a cat who wants to go outside

By Cathy M. Rosenthal, Tribune Content Agency on Apr 24, 2019

I read your column about the reader whose cat makes swimming motions while trying to drink water. I also have a four-year-old cat who did this -- all four feet scraping the floor. It looks quite comical, except when he hits the water bowl, sloshing water everywhere.

I purchased a cat water fountain and he no longer swims around the bowl. He drinks from the fountain instead. I now realize he did not like putting his nose down to drink. My other cats also love the flow of the fountain. Please pass this along to Alexia and Dave in Hopkins, Minn. -- Audrey, Osceola, WI

Dear Aubrey,

Thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't really thought of that before, but it makes sense when you think about how so many cats love to drink from sink and tub faucets. If someone else -- or Alexia or Dave from Minnesota -- buys a cat water foundation and the "swimming around the bowl" behavior stops, please let me know. Audrey from Wisconsin may be on to something here and I want to know if it works for others.

Dear Cathy,

We have a tuxedo cat that is 9 years old and was a feral cat until we rescued her eight years ago. We love her very much, but she has developed a nasty habit. She continually urinates outside her box. We clean her box religiously. She does use her box to urinate and poop, but for some reason will go outside it just to urinate. We feed her dry food and occasionally give her wet food. Any thoughts as to why she goes outside her box? -- David, Tamarac, Florida

Dear David,

Cats pee outside the box for many reasons, from not liking the depth, scent, texture and cleanliness of the cat litter to not liking the size, privacy, location and traffic around the box. Stress and illness can also cause this problem.

If your cat has always used the box and nothing has changed, take her to the veterinarian to make sure she doesn't have a urinary infection. If she is healthy, then purchase some litter box attractant (online or at pet store) and sprinkle it in the box as directed. I find these attractants work well in coaxing a cat back to the box.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)