Figuring Out the Sink Situation
Alright, let’s talk about something that drove me absolutely crazy for a while: finding cat pee in my bathroom sink. Not exactly the first thing you want to see in the morning, right? It started happening out of the blue, maybe a few months back. At first, I thought it was a one-off accident. Cleaned it up, didn’t think much of it.
But then it happened again. And again. Okay, this was becoming a pattern. My cat, Whiskers, who’s usually pretty good with his litter box, suddenly decided the sink was the place to be. My first thought was, is he sick? That’s usually the first place your mind goes.
So, off to the vet we went. I explained the whole situation. The vet did a check-up, ran some tests, the whole nine yards. Checked for a urinary tract infection, crystals, kidney stuff – you name it. Thankfully, everything came back clear. Whiskers was physically healthy. Phew! Huge relief, but also… back to square one. If he wasn’t sick, why the sink?
Investigating the Litter Box Scene
My next step was to take a hard look at his litter box setup. Was it clean enough? I scoop daily, sometimes twice, and do a full change regularly, so I didn’t think that was it, but maybe I’d slipped up? I started being even more meticulous about cleaning it. Still, sink incidents continued.
Then I thought about the location. Was it too noisy? Too exposed? Too hidden? It was in the laundry room, kind of tucked away. Maybe he didn’t like the location anymore? I tried moving it to a quieter corner in the living room. Nope. Still found surprises in the sink.
What about the litter itself? I’d been using the same clumping clay litter for years. Maybe he suddenly decided he hated it? This seemed unlikely, but I was running out of ideas. So, I went and bought a few different types:
- Unscented version of the clay one
- A softer, finer grain litter
- Those pine pellet things
I even got a second litter box and put a different litter type in each, side-by-side. Watched him like a hawk. He used the boxes sometimes, but the sink still got targeted occasionally. It was baffling.
Looking for Clues and Finding the Answer
I spent a lot of time just observing him. When did he go near the sink? Was there anything specific happening beforehand? I didn’t notice any obvious triggers. No big changes in the house, no new pets, same routine. He wasn’t acting particularly stressed.
Then, one day, I noticed something. He hopped into the sink, sniffed around the drain, and looked… thirsty? He’d sometimes lick the faucet after I used it. It got me thinking. The sink is smooth, clean (usually!), and maybe the cool porcelain felt good? And maybe, just maybe, the sound or lure of water had something to do with it?
So, I tried two final things based on this hunch:
First, I made the sink less appealing. I started keeping a thin layer of water in the basin, just enough to cover the bottom. Not deep, just wet. Cats generally don’t like stepping in water.
Second, I got him one of those cat water fountains and put it near his food bowl, away from the litter box. Maybe he was associating the sink with water and his brain just got wires crossed?
And you know what? It worked. Between the water deterrent in the sink and the new fountain providing fresh running water elsewhere, the sink peeing stopped completely. It’s been several months now, and we haven’t had a single incident. My theory is it was a combination of seeking water and maybe just developing a weird preference for the smooth surface, which the standing water discouraged.
It was a frustrating process, lots of trial and error, cleaning sinks, and vet bills. But figuring it out felt like a real win. Sometimes you just gotta play detective with your pets!
