Cat is rebelling when it comes to the litter box

[PA2UK]

Definitely take him to the vet - any change in behavior can be a sign of a medical problem. My brother's cat started spraying whenever he peed - he was still going in the litter box but because he was spraying, it was going all over the wall next to the box. Took the vet a while to figure out what was going on but eventually diagnosed him with pancreatitis. They at first taped up puppy-training-pads to the wall but eventually bought a rubbermaid storage bin and cut a hole in the side of it. It's huge so there's not only plenty of room but also the sides are so high (and they leave the lid on) it doesn't matter if he sprays.

You may not need to go to those extremes - but I would definitely get a bigger litter box, and get a secondary one. Will he not go in if there's a lid/cover on it? We have a covered litter box so there's no way for our cat to "miss" but I know some cats hate the covered ones. Also, I would start cleaning it everyday - maybe he's trying to find a clean spot and winds up going over the edge because of it. If the extra space, the lid, and cleaning it everyday doesn't work, and the vet says it's not medical, I would put the puppy training pads down on the floor around the litter box. At least that way you can just throw the pads out and put new ones down instead of having to clean the floor.

[mawipafl]

Originally Posted by CubsFan20

Ok, sorry I have been away for a couple days, let me answer some of these questions:

1. The litter box is the medium size plastic open one one they sell at walmart, I think it's big enough for him. I could try buying a bigger one to see if it helps. I have just 1 litter box, in the half bath

2. I don't know if he strains while pooping, I never watch him, he almost always does it when I am not around

3. Clean them twice a week usually. Probably could stand to be cleaned more often

4. I have not changed type of litter, it's the same stuff I have always used, tidy cat "24/7 performance"

5. He never goes outside the litter box, meaning nowhere else in the house. Except lately "missing" the box. When he was little, and before we got him fixed, he had a phase where he would pee wherever he felt like it. That was a lot of fun. He's not done that since we neutered him over a year ago. He never pooped outside the box.

Think I answered all the questions. I think I will try a bigger box

Rule of thumb is usually one more box than you have cats, but it's not always necessary. If no other solutions work, then perhaps get a second one -- I know it's hard to find a place for one in certain kinds of homes since we the humans sometimes don't want to sit and relax near one or sleep with one in our bedroom.

The good news is that he wants to use the box - if he didn't, he'd be finding other places in your home. Since he's near it, but "missing" it:

1) a vet visit is not a worthless thing to do - it does confirm or eliminate a medical issue.

2) get a larger box (if none can be found, many people use plastic storage bins - if the sides are too high for the cat, you can cut a scoop to make an entrance).

3) clean the box at least daily!! This I can't say strongly enough. I'm a little bit of a procrastinator when it comes to certain household tasks, so I have to put some chores into a routine (I clean bathrooms every Friday - if I didn't set that routine, I'd find lots of reasons to avoid the chore). Pick some part of your day and make that a routine litterbox cleaning time. I also make life easier by having all my supplies right there by each box (the scoop, the trash bags, a bag of litter), and I contain them all in something that fits in with my décor and doesn't look out of place (I have rectangular covered storage baskets I found at Michaels).

4) clean the box at least daily!

5) clean the box at least daily!

Yup, #3, 4, and 4 are repeats. As I mentioned in my previous post, your cat has moved into adulthood and may not be as tolerant of soiled litter as he was as a "teenager" (just like human adults can be less tolerant of the loud music that teens enjoy). As well, because of age transitioning his deposits are probably smelling differently to him (hormonal changes) and he might find his scents less tolerable.

[catdad7x]

When you say cleaning, do you mean scooping? If so, then you aren't scooping often enough. As others have said, the litter box needs to be scooped a bare minimum of once a day. I have 4 cats and 3 large sized litter boxes, and one of those is rarely used. I scoop those 2 main boxes at least 3 times a day, sometimes 4. Some cats are rather picky about what they squat over, and your cat may be trying to avoid the clumps already there. Try a larger box, and scoop it more often. You might get lucky & that will fix your problem.
Good luck.