cat's is pooping outside liter box and sometimes peeing outside box

My seven month old kitten, Mac, has been pooping outside his liter box and I do not know how to get him to do his business inside the box. To top it off, he sometimes pees outside his box. I am not sure why he sometimes goes in his box and sometimes goes outside. We have had to lock him in our laundry room because I am afraid he will destroy our wall to wall carpet in our new house.

We just moved a week ago and I would think that would have something to do with it but he was doing this at our old house too. We were hoping since the pee scent was not at our new house he would be fine.

I do not want to get rid of him but I am so frustrated right now I don't know what to do. I would be extremely grateful for any advise anyone can give me. Thanks.

Is your cat declawed?

My male did this to us a few weeks after we got him. I put him in the bathroom with his litterbox, food and water. I left him in there unless I could sit and play with him. I had to retrain him. It worked he uses the box now and has not gone anywhere else since then. You might want to try this. Or if you have a spare room put him in there but I find the bathroom is good for this. Good Luck!

There are 2 general reasons for this. The litter is either not clean enough for him or he does not like the litter. I would try switching to a different brand and make sure you scoop every day. When you do this put him in a small room until you know for sure he is using the box. Once he has gone in the box on a regular basis, try letting him out again.

I agree with the other suggestions. I want to add that if you use a covered litter box, try taking the lid off. Many cats refuse to use a covered box.

Also, you might want to have the vet check him out. If he had a painful experience on the litterbox (like if constipated or having the runs or having burning urination) he may be afraid to use the box again because he associates the litter box with pain. The only times my cats have ever pooped or peed outside the box was when they had gastrointestinal or urinary tract problems.

I really need help. I have a 9month old cat and a 3 month old kitten. They use the litter box every now and then but they prefer to use the bathtub and the floor and the closets. What can I do to get them to stop doing this. Somebody please tell me what to do to stop this.

Pebbles, read the thread Cat peeing EVERYWHERE for some great ideas.

Also, were the kittens raised in a cage without litter boxes or were they stray? If either is true then I will have some other ideas for you.

The kitten was a stray. We found him on the side of the road and was afraid he would get hit so we brought him home. Any suggestions.

Pebbles, what about the older cat? Chances are that the baby is just following the older cat's behavior. I would take the older cat to the vet and have him checked for a urinary tract problem. If the cat comes back with a clean bill of health, you may need to re-train the cats to use the litter box. BUT, you really should have the older cat checked out because inappropriate peeing is the number one symptom of urinary tract problems.

If the vet gives your cat a clean bill of health, let us know so we can give suggestions on how to re-train the cats.