Cat more tired than usual, licking lips, peeing outside litterbox

I'm sure this is a common problem, but I'm a first time cat owner so please be patient. About 2 weeks ago, my cat started peeing outside the litter box. It's always in the same place (behind the toilet in the corner) The weird thing is she only does this once a day, the rest of the time she'll go in one of her 2 boxes. I did take her to the vet, just in case it was UTI. Her levels in her urine were all normal, except she needed to drink a bit more water. I went out of town for four days. While I was gone, my roommate looked after her and she was fine. She didn't pee outside the box once. 

Now Since I've returned, she started peeing outside her box again (once a day). It's usually when I'm at work. When I'm home she goes in her box. In addition, she's not behaving like her normal self. She is sleeping way more. Usually she loves to play and literally begs you to play with her. She's not doing that. She's also licking her lips. She is eating and drinking as normal. 

Any suggestions on what the problem is? I don't think the problem is urgent enough to take her to the vet immediately, but I do have a follow up appointment in a week. 

Sorry again if this is too neurotic. She's my baby.

Did she have any blood work done?

So if I am reading this right, a urinalysis was done, and the vet said she needed to drink more water? Is that because her urine was too concentrated?

I think you are feeding all dry from your other posts? If so, the all dry diet could be causing a chronic dehydration because most cats don't drink enough water to account for an all dry diet. That could be a cause of the litterbox issue.

Licking the lips is a common sign of nausea in cats. Sleeping way more and lethargy are signs that something is wrong. Since she's eating and drinking normally I don't think it's too serious yet, but if she doesn't improve soon or gets any worse, I would take her back to the vet asap. Might even be worth a call to the vet now to explain her symptoms and ask the vet if she should be brought in now versus next week.

I would also look into diet changes. Wet is much better than dry for many reasons, and a lot of us on this site feed raw. If you want to learn why, please go to catinfo.org.

No she didn't, just her urine. Should I suggest it when I take her?

And Vball, yeah her urine was too concentrated. I did buy her some canned food and she has no interest in it. She spits it out on the floor. I know raw and canned is better, but I should also give her her history. When I brought her home from the shelter in September, she had chronic diahrrea for six weeks. The vet and I tried everything. We did try canned pumpkin first, it worked but not well enough. We finally got her on a prescription high fiber diet (along with daily probiotics). It worked and I am really hesitant to change her food because she is so sensitive. I am not giving up on trying to incorporate canned food, I just have to try the right one. The problem is finding a fiber one. Raw is better, but perhaps not for Effie. 

I would definitely take her back for blood work and a general exam, if you haven't done that.  They can be eating and drinking fine, and still have a problem, and with the energy level down, I would guess that something is going on.  

And I don't think you're neurotic at all, just a concerned kitty parent. 

Thanks, I did put a call into the vet. I will go in tomorrow, if needed. She did JUST walk up and play with me like she used to. Fortunately, I have an awesome roommate who will also keep an eye out on her tday Thanks for everyone's help!

I understand that the RC Satiety Support worked for Effie's diarrhea, so you are hesitant to change it, but diarrhea in shelter cats is a fairly common thing. Now that her diarrhea is controlled, I would be very hesitant to continue to feed a high fiber diet for long. A high fiber (i.e. high carb) diet is not species-appropriate, and in addition, the concentrated urine is a very common symptom of an all dry diet and could lead to urinary tract problems in the future. There's some good info about high fiber diets here http://healthypets.mercola.com/site.../02/fiber-rich-diets-for-overweight-cats.aspx.

Cats are fanatics by nature about using the litter box. They are also excellent at covering up illnesses. So no, you're not being neurotic at all!

I'd get some blood work for sure. Keep us updated!

Thanks for that article, vball. I will definitely inquire about switching. However her diarreah as extremely chronic and beyond what fellow cat owners and vets said was normal. It eventually became really bloody and I could tell she was in so much pain. I just don't want her to go through that again.

My roommate did say Effie was playing fetch today (yeah she actually fetches) which she hasn't done in days.

As for for the litter box problem, she's still doing it. It's about once a day and the rest of the time, she uses the box. I've tried aluminum foil, but she's not afraid of loud noises at all (only he vacuum cleaner). I know there's a reason in her kitty brain why she's doing it, I just can't figure it out.

I am glad to hear that Effie is feeling well enough to want to play. I know what you mean. It's so hard to watch them be in pain. Vibes for you and Effie. I hope you figure out what's going on.

Thanks for the help all. Her energy seems to be back up and she's begging to playing. I did put a call into the vet to help with her litter box issues. I don't know why, but she's picked a spot in the bathroom to pee. I did buy a small rabbit corner litter box, which she's using. It's odd becuase she does it about once a day then uses her other litter boxes. I will als inquire about changing her diet. Hopefully we can find some sort of wet food she likes. If there are any suggestions on how to integrate that, it would be welcome. The vet clinic I take her too has multiple vets and I do have an appointment with the best one Friday, so as long as her energy holds up, I would just prefer to wait and talk to the senior vet. 

Thank You all! 

Good to hear that Effie's doing better. One thing I'm not sure was mentioned. Did you clean the spot where she peed with an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle? If not, she can still smell it and continue to go there. Just a thought.

I simply want to add, licking lips is a sign of either stress, fear, or pain.

I'd say there is something going on, maybe just the beginning and will take some tests to find out just what it is, but your cat is your baby so it's well worth the price to figure it out asap rather than wait.