Rationale: These Guidelines have been developed by the American Association of FelinePractitioners (AAFP) and the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) as a resource for veterinary practitioners who want to better understand and manage the important clinical condition of house-soiling in their feline patients. The Guidelines offer straightforward, practical solutions that, in most cases, will help veterinarians and cat owners prevent, manage or entirely remediate feline house-soiling behavior. Evidence base: The Guidelines include scientifically documented information when it is available. However, because research is often lacking, some recommendations reflect the accumulated clinical experience of the authors. PURPOSE OF THE GUIDELINESWe often hear the statistics: house-soiling is one of the most common feline behavior problems reported by cat owners and a major reason why owners relinquish cats to animal shelters.1 According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, shelters in the US euthanize 72% of relinquished cats, 2 many because of house-soiling behavior. If 4-9 million cats are euthanized every year, this could be more than 10,000 cats each day. Veterinarians can decrease this number by helping to correct this commonplace problem. With this goal in mind, we have developed the AAFP and ISFM Guidelines for Diagnosing and Solving House-Soiling Behavior in Cats (hereafter referred to as the Guidelines).The Guidelines provide clinicians with basic tools for educating cat owners about the prevention of house-soiling behavior. The Guidelines also apply the principles of the previously published AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines, 3 which describe the physical setting where a cat can thrive. Importantly, these current Guidelines elaborate on elimination behavior, describe and illustrate the cat's ideal litter box (also known as a litter tray), and discuss how it should be managed. While prevention of house-soiling is ideal, practitioners see many cats with pre-existing house-soiling behavior. The Guidelines explain that, even though the pathophysiology and behavioral etiology of house-soiling is often multifactorial, a thorough chronological history and a systematic diagnostic approach to this problem can be the key to developing an effective treatment plan. CONTENTSThe Guidelines offer straightforward, practical solutions for practitioners and cat owners to implement, but are not intended to be a comprehensive treatise on feline behavior. The Guidelines' authors recognize that feline house-soiling can be a complex problem. Although many cases are straightforward, individual cases can be challenging, sometimes frustrating, and occasionally beyond the expertise or experience of the general, primary care practitioner. In cases where an acceptable response does not occur within a timeframe mutually agreed upon by the veterinarian and client, consultation with a qualified behaviorist or internist is advisable.In most cases, the Guidelines will help veterinarians and cat...

To advise veterinarians, veterinary students, veterinary technicians and cat owners about the ways cats naturally feed, and to recommend how to feed the pet cat to optimally satisfy its behavioral needs using feeding programs that include play and predation, reduce stress in single and multi-cat environments, and meet nutritional requirements for overall health. Feeding strategies need to be tailored to the individual cat and household.

Optimal litter box facilities encourage the cat to always use the litter box for elimination.

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