kitty not using litterbox

Hi everyone!! I am the proud mom of two gray tabby kitties, Chester and Charlie. We are having a bit of a problem with Charlie. He has stopped pooping in his litterbox and now goes in our bathroom. His litterbox is upstairs in a closet. Today he pooped in a laundry basket full of clean towels!!! Why is he doing this and what should I do?

We have a whole sticky thread just for this. You can take a look over there and read all about it.

First rule of thumb, as this is a new behavoir, take him to the vet to rule out anything very serious going down. Sudden changes in behavior often symbolise medical problems.

Improper Elimination

I could tell you a million and one things to do, but I don't have the time for it all right now. So a few quick things.

1.) Did you recently change the litter, or get a new litter box?
2.) You should have at LEAST one litter box, per cat, per floor of your home.
3.) Are there any new animals/people in your home, or animals/construction outside which are bugging your cat.
4.) Put tops on the clothes hampers and keep floors free of debree, such as piles of clothes at all times.

Hi there and welcome!

i like your kitty names! They are adorable! Very intelligent-sounding.


i guess i am making different speculative guesses here.. and one is that your baby Charlie might not like the current TYPE of litter. i tried many types of litter, and did quite abit of research before settling with theworld'sbestcat litter. This litter is great and is odorless. It is made of whole corn kernel.

i read somewhere it is best to place the kitty litter box at a convenient location... not "miles" away, as it would be a "chore" just to gain access to the toilet. Would you consider placing the litter boxes at a more convenient or preferred spot? Oh, it is recommended not to place the litter box too close to where they eat.

Also, i read that one litter box PER kitty. So, you should have two litter boxes?

i think it is also vital to scoop their undesirables several times a day. Just like us, they don't want to use a dirty toilet. Oh btw, i think metal scoops are better as they will not absorb odor.

i wash my kitty litter box scrupulously clean once a week with detergent and extremely hot water. After i blow dry the boxes, i replenished with new their litter. i think it is really vital to keep the toilet area very clean (i use a hand vacuum to do pick up jobs.)

Don't know how much i have helped.. but hope your problem is resolved pretty soon!

Take care of you and take care of Charlie and Chester! :

Cheers!

Since you have two cats it is possible that Chester is ambushing Charlie when Charlie is having to sit and concentrate on the box. So, Chalie knows that it is safest to do his thing in a place where he can easily see the comings and goings of Chester. When he is on top of the laundry, he can easily look around and will know if that naughty Chester is getting ready for an ambush. But, when in the closet, Charlie can't see whether Chester is waiting til just the right moment to attack. So, I would suggest doing two things:

1. Make sure there are at least two litter boxes (preferably three) and that they are kept very clean.

2. Put at least one of the boxes in a place where whoever is using it can see all around him, but where there is some privacy. For example, you can put it in the corner of a room and then surround it with potted plants such that the pots hide the box, but the cat can see through the plants whether he is being stalked.

Oh! And I do want to mention that the only time my cats have pooped on the floor is when they have been sick. Since this is a change in behavior it would be a very wise thing to take Charlie to the vet just to be sure.

Good luck!

Just wanted to add a few things- sometimes when a cat eliminates on objects that belong to the owner, it is a stress reaction, and the combination of the cat's scent on your scent calms the cat down. But first and foremost I would go to the vet to rule out health issues- then I would look at litterbox issues. Is it large enough, private enough? is there enough litterboxes one box per kitty is great, and even an extra one is better! Cats do not like to poop and pee in the same place, it's instinctive. Do you clean out your boxes at least once a week, scrubbing them air drying them and putting fresh litter inside? Is the litter too perfumed too dusty? I use those big slide out tubs that you pack sweaters in and put under your bed for my litter boxes and they work great. Knock on wood, I have never had litter box issues with my crew.

This might not be much of a help, but the only times our cat has eliminated outside his box have been when I switched to a new type of litter. He only likes the fine clumping litter - silicate and paper cause extreme reactions (like scratching all of the litter out of his box and leaving a pile of excrement right in front of the box.

jcat: Asim is just the opposite, he likes the bigger granuals and crystals or paper, as apposed to the fine grain ones.