Why cats pee in corners?

Cats pee in corners and other areas of the home for a number of reasons. They may pee specifically in corners so that they are not bothered while doing their business, but the reasons listed below apply to why your cat might be peeing in places other than the litter box.

Dirty litter box - If the cat's litter box is not cleaned often enough, the cat will often refuse to use it. If this is the cause of the cat peeing in the corner or anywhere else, cleaning out the litter box and replacing the litter with fresh litter and a new litter box bag should do the trick. Make sure to scoop out the litter box daily and if you have multiple cats, consider adding an additional litter box or two.

Territory - In homes that have multiple cats, cats may feel threatened by the other cats or may desire to mark off what areas of the home are 'their territory'. Male cats often do this and by doing so they are attempting to establish their dominance among the cats in the home. It can be hard to fix this problem as some cats will do this no matter what. You may consider blocking off the area they keep trying to mark.

Urinary tract infections - Cats get urinary tract infections often and this can cause the cat to pee in places other than in the litter box. The infections can cause discomfort, involuntary urination, and increased need to urinate. All this combined causes the cat to pee wherever and whenever. Taking the cat to the vet for treatment will cure the latest tract infection and prevent peeing outside the litter box if the tract infection was the cause of the behavior.

Location - If you've recently moved the litter box, the cat may be peeing where the box used to be out of habit. You'll need to move the cat to the litter box a few times before the new location is established as the place to go.

Lack of training - If the cat is still a kitten, they may not have learned how to use the litter box properly. You can easily train a young kitten to use the litter box. Place them in the litter box often and when they appear to be getting ready to relieve themselves. Make the litter box accessible at all times, don't move it from place to place, and keep it clean. Training older cats is more difficult especially if you need to move the litter box and retrain them to go to it.

These are some common reasons as to why cats pee in corners and really why cats pee in places other than the litter box. Sometimes it is unavoidable, but taking these reasons and trying to fix them can minimize the number of times your cat or cats pee outside the litter box.