My cat wont use the litter box anymore! PLEASE HELP!

Hi! Ever since my cat, Bubba, was a kitten he has been PERFECTLY litter trained! Not one accident in the 2 years ive had him. Recently, i moved into a house. We installed a dog door for my Pomeranian and slowly Bubba started going outdoors quite a bit. About 3 weeks ago he completely stopped using his box....which wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t a big deal bc he was going outside...which was actually REALLY NICE! But last week he had 2 accidents indoors....which was VERY strange, coming from Bubba. He pooped on the couch twice! I thought he might have been sick and just shook it off. But today was the last straw! Earlier today before i was leaving for work Bubba came upstairs to my room.... he was acting so cute on my bed....i wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t sure what he was doing though. my fiancÃ[emoji]169[/emoji] was still asleep. Then Bubba used the restroom right on top of him...in my bed.....on my feather down comforter!!!! I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t understand why he is acting this way! Please....someone help me!!! What do i do!??!?!?!?


~Worried, annoyed, AND disgusted,

Sylvia

I'm sure you'll be getting lots of advice from far more experienced people, but I had litter box issues with my four-year old male cat after his adoption last year. First thing, take your cat to the vet for a thorough exam.

If there's nothing physically wrong, my vet suggested it might be a more emotional reaction to something changed in the environment (well,he was newly adopted!). The recommendation was Feliway (diffuser, although I also got the spray and used it where I knew Dante had had an 'accident'), CatAttract litter by Dr. Elsey (sp), and to clean clean clean the accident spots. Thank goodness for Nature's Miracle.

So far, it's been about ten months with no accidents. I'm religious about scooping twice and day and thoroughly cleaning the boxes once a month. Best of luck - I know how hard it can be to live with, and resolve, litter box issues - even though we love our babies.

Has he had a run-in with a cat outside? Cats prefer to toilet in private and unobserved, and the fact that he's started going to what he probably percieves as the innermost core of his territory and the safest place in the house (usually the main bedroom serves this purpose in the cat psyche! On the basis that if you sleep there, you must feel safe there, ergo it is safe in the bedroom) indicates that he is feeling insecure due to something outdoors, possibly another cat is coming into his territory, or the outdoors already 'belongs' to another cat.

I would first of all have him checked by a vet to make sure there's no underlying medical problem, that's the number one cause of inappropriate toileting in cats. If nothing is wrong I would consider putting a litterbox in the bedroom for the time being, using Feliway to help your cat feel calm in the house, and in the long-term look at enclosing your garden using a cat-proof fence so that your cat can enjoy the outdoors without being bullied by other cats. You can also create a private toilet area outdoors using a shallow pit with sand and put non-toxic plants in around it to screen the area - provide cover and privacy around the outdoor toilet. Is there a possibility that a neighbourhood cat has come into your house through a cat flap or open window? That sort of encroachment can cause the resident cat to feel extremely insecure and upset, and he is then most likely to go to the toilet in the safest possible place, ie. usually the bed.

When you say "used the restroom" do you mean poop or pee?

Many people on this site have said that cats like to pee on down comforters.