My cat won't use the litter box anymore to poop

I have a seven to eight year old cat named Ruby. I've had her for five to six years now. She has recently starting not using the litter box to poop in anymore. She will still urinate in the litter box like normal, she just won't poop in it anymore. I've been reading up on this, and no one seems to have the issue of one or the other. It's always both. I don't know if anyone else seems to have this issue or not. I'm going to take her to the vet, but I wonder if anyone has heard of anything like this, and a possible solution. She has not had her litter box moved for a year, has not had the litter changed, and it's the same box that's she's never had a problem with before. I'm going to purchase a new box because she was recently sick and had diarrhea. Some other forums suggest that even though the box has been cleaned out that the cat associates it with the sickness. I am pregnant right now, seven months along, and she seems to have a bit of jealousy. But it's not as if I've had the baby and am ignoring her. I am still showing her the same attention she always had. If anyone has some ideas for me I'd love to hear them! Please help me with this! 

It could be her recent illness and diarrhea.  Did it start right after that?  Did you finish the medicine she was given or take her to the vet for medicine?  If not, she could still be sick and feels somehow that it is the boxes or the litters fault.  Cats are picky.  It could also be her age.  She is getting older and have you noticed her maybe struggling to get in the box itself?  Maybe a new lower box would help.  No cover.  Some cats don't like covered litter boxes. 

First thing is to get her to the vet to rule out any illness and if ill, finish the medicine and a follow up to make sure she is indeed clear.  Then, maybe 2 boxes.  Some cats like to do one deed in one box and the other in another.  It can suddenly start after years of doing it all in one box.  It could be the illness and she associates it with the litter box, too.  Get her checked, medicated and cleared.  And try 2 boxes and see if that helps.

She started while she was sick. Never had any problems with her before that. I didn't take her to the vet yet for medicine for it. I just stopped feeding her wet food for awhile. That does make sense though for the possibility that she could still be sick. She doesn't struggle getting into the box. She is still very spry for her age. She loves to run around and is very playful. I am going to buy a new lower litter box with no cover as soon as I get to the store next. And I am going to take her to the vet to rule out any illnesses before I do anything. Thanks for the input about the double boxes. Hadn't heard that before. Will update when I have more info though!  

Hi, put plastic shopping bags ,cover the entire couch (seats) cut open bags to get more use out of it. If your cat poops at night, which mine did then every night, religiously put bags on it. It worked for me 3 weeks still not pooping on my couch anymore ! Let me know how it worked out. It will help Im almost positive! Good luck!
 

Hi Rubester21...I know this issue with your cat happened back in 2012 but I'm wanting to find out what was the final solution to this issue, how did you solve the problem of the cat not pooping in the litter box? I have a newly adopted cat who started out using the litter box and doing everything int here but in the past week has stopped using it for poop and instead is pooping on rugs and furniture. Maybe in whatever solution you had I can find a solution to my issue.

BlackCatLover48 said:

 
Hi Rubester21...I know this issue with your cat happened back in 2012 but I'm wanting to find out what was the final solution to this issue, how did you solve the problem of the cat not pooping in the litter box? I have a newly adopted cat who started out using the litter box and doing everything int here but in the past week has stopped using it for poop and instead is pooping on rugs and furniture. Maybe in whatever solution you had I can find a solution to my issue.

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do you have 2 litter boxes cleaned daily?

detmut said:

 
do you have 2 litter boxes cleaned daily?

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We adopted this cat from a local shelter, who is 8 years and a neutered male, for a little over a month now. We have one of the large Omega Paw covered litter boxes that you roll manually to filter. We do this one to two times daily. This is the only box we have. We live in a fairly small apartment. for the first 3 weeks he was doing both pee and poop in the cat box without issue. Over the past week or two he has semi-stopped pooping in the litter box, does sometimes, but has been pooping on the rug twice, the couch once (all hard stools) and once had diarrhea this last time yesterday evening on the rug. Nothing has changed with regard to his litter, the placement of the litter box or anything around it.

This cat was very emotionally traumatized I think either by a previous owner or the shelter environment he was in for the month or so before we adopted him. When we first brought him home he found the nearest hiding place under a kitchen breakfront and stayed there except for food and to use the litter box, which he was using for both poop and pee. Over the past 5-6 weeks this cat who was afraid of every little sound, even his shadow I think, has been more adventurous and more loving towards us to even jump up onto my belly when I'm stretched out on the couch. He now has no problem coming up to us to get and give affection so that hurtle is slowly being passed and his fears are slowly going away. We now though in this past two weeks are facing some reason for him not pooping in the litter box any more and only peeing in it.

Any suggestions from the community would be appreciated

This article has some very useful explanations and tips: Litterbox Problems in Cats - The Ultimate Guide

It's very common for cats to decide at some point that they won't use the same box for #1 and #2. It sounds like he's becoming quite comfortable with you and your home, maybe relaxed enough to now "show" you that he requires separate boxes. It's definitely worth a try to add a second box and use an enzyme cleaner in the spots where he's eliminated inappropriately, even if it means having the second box in a spot that's inconvenient for you, i.e., in the bedroom or living room, not out of sight, etc..