My Pet World: Why does my dog pee on the floor at my son’s house, but not mine?

Cathy M. Rosenthal, Tribune Content Agency on Oct 5, 2022

— Corinne, Centereach New York

Dear Corinne,

Usually, I would say follow your vet's advice. But you're treating a problem that isn't present in your cats and may never be. Yes, male cats are prone to crystals in the bladder. I had a cat more than 20 years ago who had this problem. But my current male cat of seven years eats a regular diet and hasn't ever shown any signs of developing this problem.

Once cats have grown accustomed to a particular food, they can resist switching to another. So, if your cats don't have urinary problems, stick with the food they love. You can always change it again if one of them develops this health problem. However, if your vet really wants your cats to be on a urinary tract diet, there are many other urinary cat foods on the market that might appeal more to their picky palettes, including one by Blue Buffalo that's available in wet and dry food. Why not give that a try?

Dear Cathy,

Our cat loves her scratch box and will sometimes sleep in it. On occasion, she pees in it. Her litter box is cleaned daily. How do we stop this behavior?

— Patricia, Smithtown, New York

Dear Patricia,

Sometimes, cats may not like a closed litter box, the location of the box, or the type of litter being used. Pay attention to see if she looks nervous when in the box or if she smells the litter and then walks away.

If she seems nervous, consider removing the lid (temporarily) and/or moving the entire box to a different low-traffic location where she might feel safer. If she smells the litter and walks away, she may not like the scent of the litter. Try using an unscented litter. You also can purchase a litter box attractant, available at the pet store or online, that you can sprinkle in the litter box to help lure her back. Let me know if these things don't work.

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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.)