Cat suddenly prefers one litter box over other---- in pain or just picky?

My cat has two litter boxes---one with a roof and one without.   For awhile, she has divided her "business" between the two boxes, often electing the one without a lid/roof for more action more frequently.  But she sometimes divides her business by category---only pee in one and only poo in the other.  But for the last 5 days, she has decided to stop using one of them entirely and only uses the other (the one with the roof). The other wasnt dirty but I changed the litter, bleached and scrubbed it like always, and she still wont touch it.   

She is a strange cat that has never adopted a routine so its very hard to know whats going on with her.  She eats well(wet and dry mix), drinks a lot, uses the bathroom normally, and plays HARD all day long.  But there are not two days in her life that are the same by her own choosing.  

Is she being picky or is she in pain? 

Any other animals in the house or anything that might have scared her from using the other box?

I would be more likely to think associated pain if she were avoiding the both boxes. But, maybe? What does her urine output look like? Normal amount? Does she seem to be going more frequently?

Thanks for responding.  No other animals, and no sudden changes.  No droppings or urine outside of the boxes either.  Its like she just woke up and decided she prefers the pink one to the grey one.  

Her output is normal, her poop is normal.  She goes pee (significant amounts) probably 2-3 times a day and poops 1-2.  I just cleaned her box and it was full(last time cleaned was late Sunday night).  

She has not changed any of her other "habits".  She eats normally, plays normally, and sleeps in bed at night.   Cats usually have set routines and she does not, which is what makes this hard.  She eats normally but she eats at different times each day in different amounts.  She sleeps normally but again, some days she plays all day long and some days, she naps more than others.  

I moved the box to a different room this morning to see if she will use it in a new setting.  but so far she hasnt needed to go yet.  

How old is she, and how long has she been using those boxes? It might simply be that she's decided she prefers a covered box. The kittens (and some of the older cats) at the shelter are like that. They use all the boxes in their rooms at first, but eventually decide they have favorites. Some like just open boxes, others covered ones, and some just seem to like a certain shape, color or location.

Our last cat had two boxes that were identical, except for the color. After using both for months, he suddenly decided he liked the blue one and completely ignored the red one for years. He went back to using both when he was old. Mogli, on the other hand, prefers his red box.

Thank you, that makes me feel better.  She is about 1.5 years.  I have had her since 3 weeks old, and she has had various boxes.   It would not surprise me if she suddenly decided she doesn't like it, she does that all the time with random things.  She will play with something for months and then shun it like it has the plague.  For a week or so, she only wanted to eat her wet and dry separately but then decided she preferred them together.   But whenever it deals with urine and litter, its always good to have another set of opinions. 

I moved the "discarded" one to the same room as the "preferred" one.  Now I will see if its a preference for geography or style.   Anything else to watch out for in behaviour??    I tend to monitor her play and think, if shes playing often and in her usual style, then she feels good.  

Sorry, to answer more properly:  She has had access to both boxes for 6 months.  In our old apartment, she only had access to the covered one and we left the other one with her "aunt and uncle" for vacations.  But she has had both available since August.  

If she's using the other box and not straining, having accidents on the floor, etc., she's probably just being a typical picky cat. :lol3: Who knows, in a few weeks she might decide to use the other box and not the one she's currently using. There's a cat at the shelter who'll only eat wet food if it's on a black plate now. Trainees look at you like you're crazy when you tell them to give Susie a black plate, but learn pretty quickly that it's a "must" for her. :lol3:

hahaha, well thank you (sounds like my cat).  I will keep monitoring her behaviour and checking for accidents or anything out of the ordinary.   

I have 2 cats, one 1 is a foster kitty who has been here since Valentine's day and both cats seem to ignore one of the 3 boxes for some reason or other.  I know recently I used a new litter and apparently they didn't like it (just used the box I hadn't changed yet) so I changed one box back. So now 2 weeks later they are using the one with different litter.  I also kept the plastic liner out of the smallest box and that became a new favorite.  I notice they stop using the box it the litter is too low as well.