Why Your Cat is Not Using the Litter Box

If your cat has recently started doing its business outside of the litter box, especially in discreet corners where you later find the waste, you may want to check the following to see if there may be a simple reason for the undesirable behavior. Sometimes it is a quick fix to get your cat back on track with litter box use.

Is the litter box dirty? If you aren't cleaning the litter box every day, you should be. Cats like a clean environment. If the litter box is constantly full of their own waste, a cat will seek a less soiled place to do their business. Would you like to use a dirty toilet everyday, especially if it were your only option? Try cleaning the litter box more often to see if you cat will cease to have accidents elsewhere. If you have multiple cats, your litter may need to be changed more often than once a day.

Is the litter box size appropriate? A large cat will not be comfortable using a small litter box. If the cat cannot comfortable use the litter box without squeezing into a furry ball then you need to upgrade to a larger litter box. Sometimes people forget to change the size of the litter box when their kitten gets larger and this leads to the cat using other areas of the house for a litter box. Make sure it is size appropriate or you will be dealing with an unhappy cat.

Do you have multiple cats and only one litter box? Cats do not like to share a litter box. The rule of thumb for having multiple cats is to have one litter box per cat plus one additional box. Add more litter boxes if you think this may be the culprit to your problem.

Have you recently gone on vacation or added a new addition to the family? If so, then this may be causing your cat stress. A stressed out cat will often act out in a variety of ways. Some will become irritable, some will ignore you and others will leave accidents around the house. If you feel your cat is stressed out for any reason, give them a few more minutes of brushing time or lap time and try to eliminate any preventable stressors.

Does the cat have privacy while using the litter box? Having the litter box in a high traffic area may be stressful to your cat. Cats like privacy and if they don't get it during toilet time, they may find another private area to use. If you have children make sure they know to leave the room when the cat is using the litter box. If you don't have a quiet place to put the litter box then opt for purchasing a covered litter box to give your cat a sense of privacy.

If these problems do not apply to your household then your cat may have a medical issue that need to be treated immediately. Check with your vet if you feel the odd behavior from your cat may be medically related.