Norwegian Forest Cat

1. Cat owners should take action as soon as possible. If inappropriate elimination continues for a long time, the difficulty of correction will increase. This problem may be caused by territorial disputes. At the same time, this behavior affects the daily lives of other cats and disrupts the hierarchy they have formed. If you don't act promptly to stop this wrong behavior, you will find that the problem only worsens.

2. Identify the culprit. When you try to understand "why the cat is doing this," first find out "who is doing it." The earlier you find the culprit, the more targeted and focused you can be in "managing" the problematic cat. Many people isolate cats one by one to identify the "suspect," but other cats not isolated may mark their territory again through inappropriate elimination. If you have a new cat or nearly adult cat at home, you can take the cat to the vet. The vet can give the cats a fluorescent agent to help you identify which cat’s urine residue glows under UV light.

3. Sometimes, urinary tract diseases underlie inappropriate elimination problems, especially in households with senior or free-roaming cats. Cats with urinary diseases often associate the litter box with pain due to painful urination. Other health problems can also cause inappropriate elimination. If you don't take your cat to the vet promptly to check the urinary system, other cats in the home may also be at risk because the behavior may become more frequent and severe. Furthermore, no behavioral training can resolve elimination issues caused by illness, so don't be lazy—take your cats to the hospital in time.

4. Observe the cat’s behavior. If the vet diagnoses a urinary disease, owners need to observe their cats for a period of time afterward. During this observation period, owners should focus on the cats’ living environment, such as litter boxes, food bowls, favorite spots, other cats’ daily lives, and household members. It's best to keep a log book of every inappropriate elimination incident and see if there are patterns: does the cat always eliminate in the same room? Always on the carpet? Always after eating or also at other times? Were other cats nearby? Were guests present at home? If you can analyze every trigger factor for inappropriate elimination, you may be able to resolve the issue without making major changes to the living environment (which could upset other cats in the household).

5. Change habits. First, eliminate the spots where cats inappropriate eliminate. If a cat habitually relieves itself in a certain place, you need to take action to prevent it from happening again. The smell released as cat urine evaporates is an "attractant" encouraging cats to return. Use special products designed to remove pet urine odors to eliminate these scents. Cats' noses are very sensitive, so clean these areas multiple times to fool their scent detection. After spraying a pet urine remover, isolate the area temporarily— for example, by sticking double-sided tape or placing an upside-down plastic broom with serrated edges. Cats hate being startled, so if you scare a cat suddenly when it approaches the isolated area (e.g., by shaking a can with coins to make loud noise), the cat’s liking for that spot will decrease.