all of a sudden cat won't use the litter box?

our cat is 3 years old almost 4 - she has always used the litter box - no problem until just recently - she has started peeing and pooping outside of the box.  In fact, right outside the box in the floor.

we have not changed anything - the litter is the same - she is not sick - she acts the same except for this time she has pooped in the floor and peed in the floor.

what is going on?

please help.

You said she is not sick but I am just wondering if you are guessing she is not sick or if she's been to the vet. If she hasn't been to the vet you may want to make an appointment and take her in. Often times when they go outside the box, its because something is wrong. They can hide pain and illness very well. If she comes back with a clean bill of health, then you can look into other possible reasons. 
Hope you figure it out soon! I am going through the same thing right now and my cat has infection. Good luck!
 

LuvMyParker said:

You said she is not sick but I am just wondering if you are guessing she is not sick or if she's been to the vet. If she hasn't been to the vet you may want to make an appointment and take her in. Often times when they go outside the box, its because something is wrong. They can hide pain and illness very well. If she comes back with a clean bill of health, then you can look into other possible reasons. 
Hope you figure it out soon! I am going through the same thing right now and my cat has infection. Good luck!
 

Click to expand...

good point, if she does it again, then i will schedule a vet appointment.

thanks

Perfect. Let us know how things go. 

I agree with the trip to the vet. Litter box avoidance almost always means illness. However, here are some things to check on.

Is the litter box clean? Cats are fastidious creatures and do not like dirty litter boxes. Pee and poop should be scooped out twice a day, at the very least.

The boxes should be completely dumped and scrubbed out, with brand new fresh litter put in every week to every four weeks, depending on what kind of litter you use. I dump and scrub weekly, because I can't stand stand not to.

How many litter boxes do you have? Many cats prefer to pee in one and poop in a different one. This is a self preservation instinctual behavior. Have at least two litter boxes for one cat.

Is she an only cat? If you have more than one cat, you need more litter boxes. One per cat, plus one more, is the "rule of thumb".

Is the box in a quiet low traffic private area? Cats like peace and privacy when they go.

Is the litter highly scented? Many cats do not like litter that has fragrance added. Cats have extremely sensitive sense of smell. Even if you are using the same litter as always, it's possible the manufacturer has made a change in the litter. Check it for perfumy smells, change in texture, that kind of thing.

Has there been any stress? Think carefully, because something you won't think is stressful may very well stress a cat. Change in routine. Someone new in the house, or someone gone. New pet, or pet gone. Even a strange animal lurking outside. New laundry detergent. New perfume or shampoo (which would make you smell different)

And finally, but no less important: Is she spayed?

otto said:

I agree with the trip to the vet. Litter box avoidance almost always means illness. However, here are some things to check on.
Is the litter box clean? Cats are fastidious creatures and do not like dirty litter boxes. Pee and poop should be scooped out twice a day, at the very least.
The boxes should be completely dumped and scrubbed out, with brand new fresh litter put in every week to every four weeks, depending on what kind of litter you use. I dump and scrub weekly, because I can't stand stand not to.
How many litter boxes do you have? Many cats prefer to pee in one and poop in a different one. This is a self preservation instinctual behavior. Have at least two litter boxes for one cat.
Is she an only cat? If you have more than one cat, you need more litter boxes. One per cat, plus one more, is the "rule of thumb".
Is the box in a quiet low traffic private area? Cats like peace and privacy when they go.
Is the litter highly scented? Many cats do not like litter that has fragrance added. Cats have extremely sensitive sense of smell. Even if you are using the same litter as always, it's possible the manufacturer has made a change in the litter. Check it for perfumy smells, change in texture, that kind of thing.
Has there been any stress? Think carefully, because something you won't think is stressful may very well stress a cat. Change in routine. Someone new in the house, or someone gone. New pet, or pet gone. Even a strange animal lurking outside. New laundry detergent. New perfume or shampoo (which would make you smell different)
And finally, but no less important: Is she spayed?

Click to expand...

those are all good points, i checked last nite and she had used the litter box like always.

this only happened a couple of times before - once i did not clean her litter box often enough and she pooped in the floor.

the other time was at Christmas - my wife was wrapping presents, somehow the cat got a wad of plastic tape stuck to her butt.  she went running through the house like crazy and pooped in the floor that time.  we finally were able to run her down and get the tape off her.

we have changed laundry detergent recently - that may be it.

so far - so good.

jimanuel12 said:

our cat is 3 years old almost 4 - she has always used the litter box - no problem until just recently - she has started peeing and pooping outside of the box.  In fact, right outside the box in the floor.

we have not changed anything - the litter is the same - she is not sick - she acts the same except for this time she has pooped in the floor and peed in the floor.

what is going on?

please help.

Click to expand...

don't know what was going on but now she is fine.  i must not have cleaned her litter box out fast enough for her, she is very very picky about her litter box.  i have checked the last several days and she is going just like she always did before.

thanks for all that responded.