What To Do When A Cat Is Peeing In The House After A New Dog?

It can be a thrilling and, at the same time, intimidating experience bringing home a new dog when you already have a cat.

Pets might end up getting along well with each other, but sometimes the introduction of a new dog may be stressful for the resident cat. And one of the problems that pet owners may have to deal with is cat pee around the house.

To prevent or eliminate such behavior, you should properly introduce the animals, provide separate spaces for each pet, encourage positive interactions, and make the litter box accessible. 

In this article, you will discover why exactly a cat can start peeing in the house and how to fix the issue.

Why Is a Cat Peeing in the House After a New Dog?

Stress and Anxiety

One of the main reasons why your fluffy friend might start peeing in the house after a new dog arrives is because it is feeling stressed and worried.

Cats like to follow routines and changes in their environment can make them feel anxious. This, in its turn, can cause them to pee in the wrong places.

Territorial Issues

Cats like to have their own space. And when a new dog enters the family, the cat may start feeling like it needs to mark its territory by peeing in different places around the house.

Problems with the Litter Box

Your kitty might choose not to use the litter box if the dog can easily reach it.

Cats like privacy when doing their business and the presence of a dog can disrupt that solitude.

It is difficult to imagine a more vulnerable situation the kitty can be in.

And, of course, the fluffy ball would want to make sure that it cannot be attacked by the intruder when doing its thing.

What to Do When a Cat is Peeing in the House After a New Dog?

Introduce Them Properly

It’s extremely important to introduce the pets to one another carefully and slowly.

At first, you might even have to keep them in separate rooms.

This will allow the pets to get used to each other’s smells without having to deal with an actual face-to-face interaction.

What you can do is swap their bedding or rub a towel on each of them and then leave the towel in a room with another pet.

You can then put a tall baby gate across the door, and allow the two animals to have a look at one another.

Pay attention to the body language.

In some cases, the dog will lose interest in the kitty in a few hours. But sometimes it might take days or even weeks.

Provide Them with Their Own Spaces

Ensure that your pets have their own private spaces in the house.

If you want to help your cat handle stress and prevent it from peeing in the house, it is advisable to provide tall spots or hiding places for the kitty, such as cat trees, for example.

From such a spot, the cat would be able to observe the territory while staying at a safe distance from the dog.

Encourage Positive Interactions

When your pets are calm and kind to each other, you should give them treats and praise them.

It is the best way to make them start associating one another with something positive.

Also, don’t forget to give your cat extra love and reassurance during this period of adjustment.

Make the Litter Box Accessible

Make sure that the cat’s litter box is located in a safe place where the dog can’t reach it.

Find a secure and quiet room or use baby gates to keep the dog out of the room.

If you have such an opportunity, it would be great to have more than one litter box available for the kitty in different places around the house.

Visit a Veterinarian

It’s advisable to visit a veterinarian if the cat doesn’t stop peeing in the house after you have given all these tips a try.

The doctor will examine your kitty to determine if there are any underlying medical conditions that could be causing such behavior.

Also, the specialist might suggest medications or other techniques to help fix the problem.

Final Thoughts

Dealing with a cat peeing in the house after the arrival of a new dog can be difficult, but if the dog does not have an overly aggressive character, the two will eventually learn to live together.

Follow our tips, take your time, and be patient, and the desired result will not keep you waiting.