Cat not using litter box any more

[delia t]

Mkay, so our cat, Paco is about two years old now. We got him at about a month old and he's used the litter box regularly for most of his life with us. Up until a few month ago, that is. He's been pooping in the living room and bathroom at least once a day. Since I've been away at college, I asked my parents if anything had changed around that time, and they told me  that no, life had been relatively normal and familiar. We have two large litterboxes that are cleaned daily.

Paco shares the household with his three siblings and two adult cats, which he has been doing for two years now. He shows no hostility toward any of them other than normal play fighting. 

He just got over a case of worms that was probably brought it by one of the other cats, but I don't believe that was the cause, as my parents would have noticed earlier.

Like I said, he's a two year old Siamese male, fixed. 

He's always been unusually in the litter box because he's never really covered up the messes he makes.

Does anyone have any theories? I'm going to get a sample of the feces and take him to the vet to make sure it's not anything seriously wrong inside.

 

[sisco1111]

Mkay might not like the kind of litter you use anymore.  Try switching brands.  Shredded paper might even work.  Have a fun time at collage!!! 

 

[nansiludie]

Are you using scented litter? Are the litter boxes large enough? Are they washed and dumped regularly? I personally use 35 gallon Storage Tote Bins with a hole cut into one side as a door. Also you'll need an enzymatic cleaner to remove all traces of his smell so he will not smell it and return to potty there. Another question, is he declawed by any chance? Might try cleaning at least twice daily, he probably doesn't like stepping over his house-mates business to do his own.

 

[ferocioussamo]

First of all, I think you have far too little litter boxes. The ideal amount is one litter box per cat plus one, which in your case is seven. I know that sounds a lot, but you should at least try to get as close to that number as you can. Right now, I have two cats and two litter boxes, and they make quite a mess every day. I can't even imagine what six cats would do. Other than that, cats are territorial creatures and some of them aren't  too happy to share the place they do their business in. So even if the number of litter boxes isn't the only issue for Paco, I think all your cats would be much more comfortable with more of them.

More litter boxes will also be an opportunity to try different litters. What kind of litter do you use now? Cats can be picky.

I also read somewhere that if a cat had a bad experience when using a litter box, it might refuse to use that type of litter or litter box. For example if your cat had a painful pooping time in a closed litter box with silica, it will be his logical conclusion that if he is uncomfortable only when in that box, obviously the box and its demon litter are to blame!  So if you are buying new litter boxes, let them be different types and shapes with different types of litters so your cats can have a choice in case they hold a grudge. Good luck!

 

[delia t]

@sisco1111  : Might as well try. It wouldn't hurt to. And thank you!

@nansiludie  : No, we don't use scented litter. Yes we have very large litter boxes as one of our older boys kept standing in the box but pooping out of it. No, we don't declaw any of our cats. My father monitored his behavior around litter box cleanings to see if he did it after/right before it was cleaned and found no obvious signs that it was because it was full or empty. 

@FerociousSamo: Yes, we've considered getting more litterboxes. We have a third in our closed off room because my mother keeps one of the cats in with her at night so he uses that one. However since we upgraded our litterbox sizes and the amount of cleaning we do in it, our cats haven't shown any behavioral problems with the amount of boxes we have (with the exception of Paco).

If all else fails and there's nothing wrong with his intestines/etc once we take him to the vet, we're considering quarantining him to a room with carpet that's going to be removed eventually to prevent any damage. 

 

[nansiludie]

I had quickly skimmed your post and I hadn't noticed that there were 6 cats in one house with 2 litter boxes. I agree very much with @FerociousSamo  .

 

[ferocioussamo]

The fact that he never covered his poo, even when he used the litter box, makes me believe Paco is making a territorial statement. It doesn't hurt to take samples to the vet though, but still I think Paco would be happy with more privacy. Bigger litter boxes need more time to get messy, but if you don't really clean them every day (I mean soap and water clean) and change the whole litter, there is still a strong smell of everyone in there. It's just like people, some just don't like to use public toilets.

 

[delia t]

Well he'd "attempt" to cover it, alright. But he'd scratch at the dryer that's right across from the litter box. He's done that since he was a kitten, scratching outside of the litterbox even though it's big enough for him to pull at the litter. We never understood it. Quasi, his brother, who's the same size as he is has no trouble turning around and covering it.

I mean Paco would turn around, smell it, see it uncovered and WANT to cover it, but scratch at something outside the litter box, even if the box is completely clean, etc. And this is with every littler box we've had since he was a kitten.

 

[ferocioussamo]

I know what you mean. I am currently looking after a cat who has no problem covering her feces after using the litter box, but after that she goes out to the middle of the room and starts scratching the floor and covering an imaginary poop! We have no clue what she's thinking. Maybe it's a sort of reflex, or maybe she is thinking about what a good poop she just had and can't help but do a little scratching gesture. Anyway, I hope the vet examination shows all is well with Paco and he is just being silly. Maybe a little quarantine time with his very own litter box will do him well, as long as he has something to do in there. But don't isolate him for too long. You don't want to experience the mess a bored cat is capable of making.