Being a cat parent is fantastic, but it often involves investigating unusual behaviors or health concerns. More often than not, this is related to whether or not your cat is peeing and pooping normally. As gross as it sounds, being aware of your cat’s bathroom habits is an important means of knowing what’s going on with their health. Usually, no. Cats do not pee and poop at the same time.
In this post, we’ll discuss what’s considered “normal” in terms of your cat’s bathroom time and examine some toilet-related health conditions to be aware of.
Do Cats Pee and Poop at the Same Time?
Cats are pretty particular about their bathroom habits and prefer to urinate and defecate at different times. It’s uncommon to find that your cat has peed and pooped in the same spot at the same time. For that reason, it’s recommended to have a few litter boxes to cater to your cat’s preferences.
This is especially important if you have multiple cats in your household. Cats are territorial when using the bathroom and aren’t keen on sharing litterboxes. Another reason cats like to pee and poop separately is that they are instinctively trying to head off predators. Cats bury their poop for this reason, and it would be harder and less hygienic to do this if they’d peed in the same spot.
Even though your cat isn’t living in the wild, their instincts are still the same.
How Many Times a Day Do Cats Pee and Poop?
On average, a healthy cat poops at least once per day. A “healthy” poop should be dark brown, not too hard or too soft, and shouldn’t smell too terrible—obviously, it is not going to smell good, but the smell shouldn’t be overpowering. On occasion, cats get bouts of diarrhea. If it is only occasional, it should be nothing to worry about, but if it persists, it’s best to contact a veterinarian.
Regarding urination, cats pee approximately three to four times a day. However, some cats pee twice a day or a little more frequently than four times a day but are perfectly healthy. If your cat is urinating less or more than the average, speak to your vet.
What Time Do Cats Poop?
There’s no “normal” here—cats poop at different times. You may notice that your cat routinely goes to the bathroom in the morning, whereas others will go in the afternoon or evening. It simply varies from cat to cat.
Why Is My Cat Peeing and/or Pooping Everywhere?
There could be any number of reasons or causes for your cat “eliminating” outside of the litter box. They include but are not limited to:
- Stress or behavioral issues: Having one litter box for multiple cats can cause them stress. Cats are territorial and sometimes prefer to poop on the floor rather than use the same litter box as another cat. Likewise, if you have a cat that’s a bit of a bully, the other cat may stay away from the toilet area altogether. Provide multiple litter boxes in different areas to make your cats more comfortable.
- Dirty litter box: Most cats would rather not use a litter box at all than use a dirty one. If your cat is peeing and pooping outside the box, make sure you’re cleaning the box out regularly enough.
- Urinary tract infections: Symptoms of UTIs in cats include peeing frequently but passing only small amounts of urine. Urinating outside the litter box is another common sign.
- Gastrointestinal issues: Food allergies and general stomach issues can cause your cat to poop more frequently. Other gastrointestinal issues causing defecation problems could include tumors, intestinal parasites, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Disease, or obstruction in the bowel.
- Kidney problems: Kidney issues are sometimes the cause of improper urination. Cat parents should always be on the lookout for the signs of kidney failure. These include frequent urination, weight loss, drinking water excessively, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Diabetes: Diabetes causes cats to drink more water and urinate more as their bodies try to excrete the excess glucose from their blood.
- Incontinence: Cats can suffer from bowel or urinary incontinence caused by mechanical or pathological diseases. In such cases, straining to excrete urine can cause defecation, and vice-versa.
If your cat’s bathroom habits seem somewhat abnormal, get them checked out by a vet to rule out potential health conditions.
No matter how hard you try, pets will always leave you cleaning up smells, stains, vomit, hair, and everything in between. With the Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Spray, you can advance your clean-up routine!
- ADVANCED ENZYMATIC CLEANER - Penetrates the most stubborn smells and stains at the deepest molecular...
- FOR ANY MESS, ON ANY SURFACE - This pet odor eliminator cleans your carpets, floors, furniture,...
- FRESH, NATURAL ODOR - Our unique formulation doesn't rely on dangerous or unpleasant chemical...
It permanently removes the very worst pet stains and smells (and truly makes clean-up a breeze). Click here to learn more, order a bottle, and freshen up your home today.
At PangoVet, we’ve admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding products of this cool cat company!
Final Thoughts
Like humans, cats have pretty exacting standards for the condition of their toilet and where they pee and poop. A cat’s instincts also mean they often prefer to pee and poop in separate places.
It’s a good rule of thumb to have too many litter boxes rather than too few. For example, providing three litter boxes is a good idea to give plenty of options if you have two cats. If something doesn’t seem quite right with your cat’s bathroom routine or they appear to be experiencing pain or discomfort, arrange to have a vet examine them for health issues.
Featured Image Credit: topimages, Shutterstock
