Expert: Dear Tabbi - 7/3/2008

Question
we have a ten month old female kitten who is urinating in the dogs water dish.. why is she doing this and how do we stop her from doing this?

Answer
Michelle,

There are a number of possiblities that could cause your kitty to urinate in the dog's dish.

Is your cat spayed? If not, she may be going into heat and that could cause her to urinate in odd places. Getting a cat spayed cures a number of behavior problems.

Often behavior like hers is a the result of a medical issue. She may have a urinary tract infection or urinary crystals. You may want to have her checked for that by a vet. Both are very painful so the cat associates the litterbox with the pain and goes elsewhere.

Is your cat a Bengal, or have any Asian Leopard Cat history in her? These type cat's ancestors liked and lived near water and the subservient wildcat urinated in the water to cover the odor (the dominant cat does not cover his urine or feces because it is a sign of superiority). your cat could be a throwback to that.

Another possiblity is that the dog may have upset the cat in some way (since it is his dish she is urinating in) and that is the only way she knows to let you know that she is stressed about it. If that is the case, you will have to play detective to figure out the reason.

OR...it just may be a quirk of your cat's personality, and only she knows why she does it.

The best way to put a stop to it is to raise the water dish off the floor. PetSmart/Petco/etc. sell raised dog dish sets you can get ideas from. Also use a water bowl with a very thin rim, such as aluminum dog dishes to make it harder to balance on.

Did you ever leave the cat in the bathroom with the toilet seat up to see if she uses the toilet? Some cats 'toilet' train themselves and it sounds like yours has a head start!

I hope this helps.

Tabbi