Help! Not Using Litter Box

I'm hoping somebody has some suggestions. My cat is 11-years old and was pretty good in using her litterbox. However, the past several months she's gotten out of control and now, on top of urinating outside the box, she has diarrhea. I've taken her to the vet with no success. I've had bloodwork done which did not reveal any medical problems.

Her behavior is to the point where I'm ready to either let her live outside or put her to sleep. But other than these problems, she seems to be okay. Very affectionate, no change in eating patterns. Loves to be by me wherever I am.

Curls up on my lap when I'm watching TV and sleeps across my legs when I go to bed. I really don't want to put her to sleep! However, she's destroying one room in the house. What's interesting is that I recently moved and after I moved the behavior stopped. She used the litterbox faithfully for a whole week! Then, for whatever reason, she stopped and decided she liked the empty den and started using that as her litterbox. So, I moved the litterbox in there, and got a second brand new litterbox for the same room too.

Nothing mattered. Occasionally, she uses the litterbox. 90% of the time she does not.

I will need to replace the carpet, but I'm also afraid that once the carpet is replaced she'll just re-soil the new carpet or go to another part of the house.

HELP! BEFORE I COMPLETELY LOSE IT!

It sounds like she does have at least one medical condition. I would take her to a different vet for a complete health screening.

Agree with above. Maybe it is an environmental reaction, allergy to something in new home?

Originally Posted by ConsumerKitty

It sounds like she does have at least one medical condition. I would take her to a different vet for a complete health screening.

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I'll third that advice. The number 1 reason that a cat will start this type of behavior for no apparent reason is an underlying health issue. What type of testing has your vet done? She needs a urinalysis, a senior blood panel, and possible x-rays to make sure she doesn't have stones.

Adding another litter box was a good idea. Have you used a generous amount of enzymatic cleaner (such as Nature's Miracle) in the areas outside the litter boxes where she has eliminated?

If you haven't, then the residual smells are basically telling her it's OK for her to continue to use those areas as her toilet. Those areas may smell fresh and clean to you, but not to her. And since this has gone on for several months now, I'd be concerned that going outside the litter box may have become habitual to some extent. Like laureen227 said, Cat Attract often helps in situations like this.

I would also take the cat to another vet. My 16 year old girl started having litter box problems and it turned out that she had CRF and one of her kidneys had just failed. It could be anything, but it's important to give the cat a chance and figure out why she is doing that!

my fiance's cat (recently passed) started this he had kidney failure