stop my cat from urinating on everything

stop my cat from urinating on everything ... UPDATE

I learned today that Amber might have a urinary tract infection - she's peeing on a cold smoothe surface (our basement floor) and I read that there's a difference between spraying (territorial vertical marking, which she's not doing) and urinating, which is evidence of a more serious problem.
I never had to deal with this - which I guess is why it took so long to figure it out. So we've made an appt. with the vet.
I hope my little Amber gets better!
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In the midst of hurricanes and GOP politics we have real issues to deal with in our house: the cat is urinating outside of the litter box. I cleaned up four puddles yesterday, plus had to hose down a wet suitcase. It all takes place in the basement, but we use a portion of our basement as a secondary TV room. I'm tired of cleaning it up, I'm tired of spraying Nutra-Air. I'm tired of putting down towels to soak it up and then having to wash them.

We did discover that the litterbox was a little dirty, but we cleaned it and put in fresh litter - and she still peed outside of it on the floor!

A little bit about our cat: We got Amber from the shelter last February. She's missing her tail, after being mauled by a dog. She doesn't go outside and she is slightly aggressive: one minute she's nice, the next she's swatting you - although her claws are rarely fully extended, but we have had our share of scratches from her. Is she being territorial? She does have access to a back porch, where any number of animals - rabbits, groundhogs, other cats - can cross on any given day.

Anyone have any suggestions? Please??

I found the prior threads - thanks. Had no idea so many issues with cats had been addressed ... unbeknownst to me.
My first thought is that I'm dealing with a slightly disturbed cat (from being mauled) who marks her territory as easily as walking across a room, who gets thrown off balance easily (my stepson recently moved) and who is protesting a dirty litterbox.

But I will also check out the urinary tract infection possibility.

Ah, very interesting. Thanks veinglory - I'll look into that.

HeaGrg said:

Third is the box is a private place? Some cats are quirky about peeing with others around.

Fourth was the box moved from it's usual place or have you switched litter brands? My friend's cat stopped using the box when he bought a different brand of litter. His cat will only use one type.

Fifth she might not be fully litter box trained.

As to her smacking and clawing some cats are just like that. We have had our share of really nice cats and real pains in the arse. Some are not overly friendly and never will be. They only waant so much attention and then they become hostile. Your kitty might be one of those.

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Yes, the box is in a private spot and it's covered.
One thing I didn't mention: we didn't have the problem all winter - we had it last spring into summer and this spring into summer, so I'm thinking maybe she has territorial issues because of the uptick of animals on the property - other cats, rabbits, etc.

And, yes, forgot to add: Amber's definitely one of those cats who can only be pet so much. Sometimes she's in the mood and very docile - other times you just bring your hand up to her head and she's ready to maul.