After allergies, one of the biggest reasons people get rid of their cats is that the animal is peeing outside of the litterbox.

There is always something wrong with your cat when this happens -- either your pet is physically sick or something has changed to cause the cat to become anxious and highly stressed. Always make a vet appointment to rule out urinary tract infection first.

If the vet gives your cat a clean bill of health (no crystals or bacteria), then it's time for some investigative work on your part. You'll need to put together this new behavior (of urinating outside the box) with something that has changed in your home. Obvious changes would be that you moved recently or brought home a new baby or another pet. These are enormous changes for your cat and it may not be handling the new environment or situation very well.

Prepare Your Cat For Change

Cats (like children) handle change best when they are prepared for what's coming up. For instance, savvy moms will never interrupt a toddler abruptly from an activity (like telling them it's time to go home when they're at the playground). They'll give the child warnings, something like: Two more times down the slide, and then we're leaving!

In the case of cats, easing them into a new situation causes them the least amount of stress. When you know you're having a baby, some cat owners will set up the nursery well beforehand so their cat can get used to the room; they'll even record baby sounds and play them for the cat to get used to the new noises. A slow introduction to a new pet in the home is also very important so that you own cat remains first in the heirarchy--close the new pet off in a separate room for the first few days so the two can sniff each other at a safe distance. Moving is harder to arrange slowly, but at least get the cat squared away as soon as possible by putting her in a room (already set up with her litter box, food and water and any bed or toys) in the new house while you're busy with the move itself. Make sure no one inadvertently opens the door and lets the cat out -- if you can, lock the door and pocket the key.

Reassure Your Cat and Alleviate Stress

If you believe that your cat is peeing outside the litter box as a reaction to a change, you'll need to provide heaps of reassurance. Spend more time than usual with your cat, giving as much attention as you possibly can. If a baby has come into the home, allow the cat to cuddle with you even when you're nursing or feeding the baby, so that the animal gets supervised time with the baby and can begin to figure out that the baby's not a threat.

Clean any areas that she's peed on with vinegar and a cleaner specifically formulated to remove the smell of her urine. If you just moved, it may even be that your pet smells other animals who lived there before and is marking her territory. Again, cleaning and deodorizing will help. If it's a new pet that you think is the problem, try the separated introduction again, but this time more slowly and sometimes switch the animals, so that they get to explore each other's territory without meeting.

You can also try a homeopathic course of action to combat severe anxiety, by using aconite tablets. The dose for a cat is two 12c pellets twice or three times a day. For those of you who don't usually use herbal remedies and such, aconite is sometimes used by people who are dreading an upcoming dental visit. They use the same 12c potency, but take five pellets the night before the appointment; then five more when they awake and the last five 45 minutes prior to seeing the dentist. It can also used -- in the same potency -- as soon as you think you might be getting a cold or flu. Take 2 or 3 pellets and then repeat every 15 to 30 minutes (or as needed) for as many as a total of eight doses.

Another homeopathic treatment is a natural extract made from wildflowers, called Rescue Remedy. It is used to alleviate stress in people and animals, and is widely available in health stores and even the health food section of your grocery store.

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