16 yr old is not always using litter box

I have a 16 yr old neutered male cat who does not always use the litter box. This behavior started a couple of months ago. Sometimes he uses it and sometimes he doesn't. There have been no changes to food or litter. It's like he doesn't know where the litter box is or he's just too lazy to go to it. I have been using Litter Attract which hasn't made any difference. Any suggestions? Would using some kind of deterrent spray help? He does this where there is carpeting, mainly living room and bedroom. Is he getting senile? If so, how do I deal with it? Other than this recent bad behavior, he is in good health.

Originally Posted by gleason

I have a 16 yr old neutered male cat who does not always use the litter box. This behavior started a couple of months ago. Sometimes he uses it and sometimes he doesn't. There have been no changes to food or litter. It's like he doesn't know where the litter box is or he's just too lazy to go to it. I have been using Litter Attract which hasn't made any difference. Any suggestions? Would using some kind of deterrent spray help? He does this where there is carpeting, mainly living room and bedroom. Is he getting senile? If so, how do I deal with it? Other than this recent bad behavior, he is in good health.

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You say he is in good health - but when was the last time he went to the vet? Peeing outside the box - a sudden change in litter box habits is often illness related. You need to get him checked for a urinary tract infection. This may be the only sign you get until it is quite progressed. it is also possible that at his age he is having problems with bladder control. Or - there is some mental deterioration. You used the word "senile". Cats can get a kind of dementia. Again, talk to your vet.

get him to the vet and ask that they run a senior panel. Best of luck-

Peeing outside the box actually shouldn't be considered bad behavior. Frustrating - yes. But sometimes it's the only way they have to tell us that something is wrong. At 16 years old, it is most likely a health problem. We have a kitty that pees outside the box when she's in pain - always a tooth problem. Our boys get crystals. This is a diet problem with many male cats. There are several different types of crystals, and any diet that isn't specifically designed to prevent them can result in a problem in male cats. This makes urination painful - and causes them to pee outside the box.

He could have arthritis - does the box have tall-ish sides? If he's having a flair-up, he may not want to crawl over the sides into the box.

At 16, there are sooooooo many things that could be the problem. He really needs to go to a vet.

I failed to mention that he poops outside the box also. He has done this twice in a week. The rest of the time, he has used his littler box. His litter box has low sides. I guess a trip to the vet is in order for my old guy.