my cat will not use the litterbox anymore!!?

Question

he is 7 years old and i have never had any problems with him, the past month i keep catching him peeing on my carpet! whats wrong with him? i clean the litterbox every 2 days i know its not because its dirty

Answer 1

First, take him to the vet - urinary infection &/or urinary crystals are the most common cause for cats to start going outside of their boxes. Tell the vet what's going on, and ask for a urinalysis. If he's ill, he's in pain and can't help going out of the box occasionally - behavioral remedies will be useless until he's treated for the urinary health problems. Cats are good at hiding illness and pain (it's a survival tactic), so often the only clue you'll get that your cat may have urinary health problems is out-of-the-box urination.

If he checks out OK at the vet, it's possible that something about the litterbox itself, the litter, the box location, etc. is bothering him. See these links for suggestions:
http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/Housesoiling.html
Those links don’t mention it, but I highly recommend Cat Attract litter for helping with litter box problems. It can be found at most pet supply stores. Another thing to consider is the possibility that if your litter box has been in use for some time, the plastic may have absorbed odors – try replacing it with a new box to see if that helps.

Stress can cause inappropriate urination - cats can be stressed sometimes by things that we don't even notice, until we know what to look for. This article explains stress in cats & how to address it:
http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/stress.htm

A Feliway Comfort Zone diffuser can help a great deal with stress & litterbox issues: http://www.petcomfortzone.com/czcats.htm

This link has extensive "out-of-the-box" resources: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/litterboxhelp.html

You’ll also need to make sure that all previously soiled spots are cleaned with an enzyme cleaner, so the cat won’t be lured there again. This link has excellent urine spot locating and cleanup info: http://www.thecatsite.com/Care/48/Combat-Cat-Urine.html
It's a 2-page article (the link to the second page at the bottom may be a little difficult to spot).

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Is he peeing or just spraying? If it's proper peeing everywhere I would suggest a vet check - as people have said, urinary tract infections are very serious in male cats.

If he's spraying, this is a behavioural problem. Sudden inappropriate spraying in cats is usually caused by a territorial upset, the cause of which may not be immediately obvious to you. What has changed in the house lately? Any new people or animals been in the house? Change of furniture at all, even change of cleaning products? Has there been a new cat in the neighbourhood that your cat can maybe see from the window? I had a cat the other day that had started spraying in the house because he could see the new cat in the neighbourhood from the window - he was doing it to reinforce his territory so the new cat would not enter. The owners had to keep him off the windowsill so he couldn't see the cat anymore.

As I say, do get him checked by a vet. If health problems are ruled out, start wracking your brains to identify the change that has caused this behaviour

Chalice

Answer 3

Cats usually miss the litterbox to express dissatisfaction with some aspect of the household. Have there been any changes? Someone new, someone moved away, new (or rearranged) furniture, something spilled on the carpet that he dislikes the smell of? Deoderize the spot with an enzyme-based cleaner and switch to an unscented scoopable litter. Also, a quick checkup at the vet's wouldn't go amiss; toms can develop problems with the urinary tract as they get older.

Answer 4

The problem is twofold.

He now has a new place to urinate that smells good to him....... and he is probably ill. So a vet check is the best way to go to rule out the medical or to treat it if it is medical.

Make sure that you haven't changed anything like the litter box, the type of litter or any other changes that would make your boy unhappy.

Answer 5

He needs to see the vet immediately. Dirty litter box is not the problem.

Answer 6

I can almost guarantee that he has a unrinary tract infection/crystals in his kidneys. This is very common in older male cats. He needs to see the vet ASAP. They'll give him antibiotics and special food.

Answer 7

Take him to the vet immediately, male cats block very easily and can die.