My cat won't go to the bathroom in her litterbox anymore?

Question

My five year old cat (that we have had for a year) just recently decided she wont go in the litter box anymore. She has always been fine with it before until now. There is a piece of carpet by her litterbox and she will just poop and pee there. How can I stop her from doing this and why is she doing this? I'm not sure if theres new litter in there or not. Could it be because she doesnt like the brand of litter were using? I want her to stop doing this because if she continous my parents might make me get rid of her!

She is the only cat in the house she is spayed and the litterbox is clean.

Answer 1

Don't Panic, it is fixable.
My Theo started this also. My other cat has never done this just the one.
I gave him his choice of several litter types each 4 inches deep. I bought a second larger litter pan, actually it is from Home Depot for mixing mortar so it is larger and deeper than pet store versions so each at had their own box.
Do not clean the litter box with ammonia. That can make it smell used to them. Maybe your litter is scented. That can irritate cats.
Buy a product called Anti-Icky Poo. I kid you not. This is used to clean biologically contaminated sites. It removes the smell so the carpet will be fine.
Do Not Punish unless caught in the act! Punishing later will just reinforce avoidance of the litter area.
http://www.antiickypoo.com/
http://www.antiickypoo.com/p-aip_blacklight_urine_detector.html
Bought Feliway diffusers, a natural pheromone that helps calm them.
http://www.feliway.com/homefeliway.nsf
I got a Garden ghost to scare away outdoor cats that would upset him by coming up to look at him through the window. The Ghost has a motion sensor to detect cats and makes a sudden noise. Its really fun for Halloween, too.
http://www.gardenghost.com/

I had the vet do a full blood chemistry panel & CBC.

He ended up on prozac after all the above. Yes even cats can need antidepressants. He stayed on the drug for several months then I weaned him off and he is fine. The drug was a generic so it cost a whole $12/month.

Answer 2

First, take her 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 she's ill, she's in pain and can't help going out of the box occasionally - behavioral remedies will be useless until she'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 she checks out OK at the vet, it's possible that something about the litterbox itself, the litter, the box location, etc. is bothering her. 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 3

You really need to take her to the vet. Cats stop using their little box during a urinarty tract infection, because they think the litter box is causing the pain. They will look for a variety of places trying to find one that is better. Even if the vet does not think your cat has an infection, you can ask if they can prescribe an antibiotic, because the tests do not always show the problem, right away. This usually fixes the problem. Then, use a solution of water, bleach and **** and Span to clean areas that are soiled. Test carpeting for colorfastness. This seems to do a good job cleaning and deodorizing.

Answer 4

I had this problem with my cat. I had to move back into my mom's place where there is another cat and two dogs. She used to be in my room all the time to herself when I lived with my Dad. I put her into the garage with another cat, I thought she would be fine...Well she peed everywhere all the time. It wasn't the box, she didn't have an infection. She was stressing out. And she was ticked off that I was never home. She peed everywhere to retaliate and because she wasn't happy. She was so upset she wouldn't come near me and my cat sleeps with me every night. Once I brought her into my room at my Mom's and let her out to get used to the other animals and to play, she was fine. She just needed a stable home enviornment where she wasn't being attacked by the other cat. And she needed me to be around her to assure her everything was ok. Any kind of big change like this is traumatic for any animal, this might be the case with your cat I don't know.

Maybe there is something upsetting your cat in the house, or any one of the answers mentioned before. I would take some time to think when it started happeneing, what was going on around the house and you and the cat around the time it started and write it all down. Also check on her demeanor from time to time. If she's tired or not eating or anything it could be something wrong.

I checked out why my cat had issues and one thing I read online was that sometimes when cats are in pain from a urinary infection they pee somewhere other than their box because they associate the box with pain- when they use it to go- Anyway take those notes to the vet and have her checked. Just to be safe.

Answer 5

I have a seven year old cat that just stopped going to the bathroom, and began going to the bathroom on the carpet. A first for him, he's a very healthy cat and no diet changes occurred during this period. The box is very clean, cleaned twice a day.

After evaluating what has changed environmentally for my feline, the following changes (in his world) are as follows:

The space that was his bathroom area is the place that we began storing our laundry products and also began putting small items in the same area.

He proceeded to poop and pee in the same spot, where I pick it up and clean the carpet. this was repeated over a two week period. Finally, I cleaned the carpet with a citrus soap and rinsed clean(he hates citrus and fruit smelling fragrances).

I removed the clutter around his box and removed all fragrant products, such as laundry detergent, plug-ins, air-fresheners......etc. Vacuumed the area, cleaned and washed the box and put new litter in the box.

One hour later I heard the sweet sound of scratching in the litter. To this day, he diligently is performing his duty in his bathroom area(The Box).

Evaluate what has changed in his routine and environment providing he is in good health, and you'll have your answer.

Good luck.....

Answer 6

If you recently changed litter, go back to what you were using when she would use the cat box. Cats are picky. Remove the carpeting you used in front of her litter box and put down a new one so the urine smell isn't in it anymore. If that doesn't work, have her checked by your vet. Certain health problems cause cats to not use their litter boxes.

Answer 7

Is the litter box clean? You might need a new one if the plastic has absorbed the odor. If it is new litter try going back to the original one. You may need to take her to the vet. If she has a kidney infection or something, this may be the way she is trying to tell you.

Also, replace the piece of carpet, so that it no longer smells like a place to go.

Answer 8

Get rid of the carpet and get a rubber mat you can clean. Also try a different brand of cat litter. Remember to keep it clean and filtered. Good Luck

Answer 9

Move the litter to where she has been going. Also yes the litter could be the problem -i know my cats perfer a certain litter. You may wan tto make sure nothing is wrong with her with you vet.
Keep working on it and it will be ok

Answer 10

maybe just tuck it in the back of her litter box if the carpet is moveable,
try a diffrent type of litter. just buy small bags till you find one she likes.
also when you change the litter box scrub it out with as hot as possible water. maybe the small is still lingering. you also might want to just call a vet to be safe.