Cat Won't Use the Litter Box

[libra4687]

I have a huge problem with my 8 year old neutered male cat. He has always been a bit iffy about the litter box, and very particular about the brand of litter he will use. It has to be extremely clean for him to use the box which means it has to be cleaned more than once a day because he shares it with his brother. Lately, he has been completely avoiding the litter box and going on the bathroom floor (urinating and defecating). This has been happening for the past week. He will go so far as to avoid using the bathroom during the day when I am there to watch him. He waits until I leave so he can go on the floor.

Today, the litter was completely changed using his brand as always and the box was thoroughly cleaned with mild soap and water before the new litter was put in. I watched him run to where the box was, jump inside of it, look agonized, and jump out and try to run into the bathroom. Then he saw me watching him and ran back to the litter box. He repeated this process over and over until I picked him up and tried to comfort him because he looked extremely anxious. I tried lining the box with newspaper in case the soap and water I used to clean the box was bothering him, but it didn't help.

This happened this morning and despite the fact that he has been eating and drinking regularly, he has not gone to the bathroom. It has been about 9 hours since I started watching him and he has not gone. I have tried sitting in the bathroom with him and the box and i've tried nonchalantly watching him in case I was making him nervous. Neither helped.

Is the problem sharing his box with his brother? He has lived with his brother his whole life using one box so I would think he would be used to it by now. I live in a small one bedroom apartment and don't have any place to put a second box, and I would have nothing to keep his brother from also using that box.

Is he sick? He doesn't appear to have any other problems. His food and water intake is fine, he is acting normal besides this issue and seems to have sufficient energy. I don't know what to do but I can't spend all of my free time sitting at home to watch the cat, and I am afraid he will start going on the furniture. PLEASE HELP!!

 

[ligwa]

Get him to the vet. By the sounds of how you are describing what he was doing, there is something wrong. Poor guy. Have him checked out soon.

Have you tried putting a box in the bathroom just for him? Just in case.

 

[Willowy]

I would call this an emergency situation. Has he tried to squat, then jumped up? Or squatted but nothing came out? If so, that's an emergency--he could be blocked and that's fatal if not treated. Look up emergency vets in the Yellow Pages (or online), give them a call.

Even if he's not blocked I do think a vet check is in order. The way you describe his issues doesn't sound like normal litterbox avoidance. Is the bathroom floor hard or carpeted? IME, cats don't go on hard surfaces unless something is wrong.

When all is normal, I would suggest trying to find some way to add another litterbox. Maybe in the bathroom?

 

[cheylink]

He needs a vet check ASAP! This could be symptom of several different health issues, most importantly he is obviously in distress.

 

[yosemite]

Please get him to the vet asap.

 

[carolina]

Sounds like your cat has an UTI. God forbid he is blocked, as that can be lethal fast.
Please take him to the vet ASAP. This is an emergency.

 

[libra4687]

Thanks everyone!

I don't think its a blockage because he has been urinating and defecating. This would indicate it is not a blockage. He will go anywhere BUT the litter box.

My boyfriend has had him since he was a kitten and informed me this wasn't the first time he has done this. I guess he's just weird about the litter box? He peed in a box full of newspaper without litter, but went number 2 just outside of the box. Is there any way to train him to use the litter? He won't use any other brand until we found this one. Now it seems he won't use this brand. We can't keep only using newspaper, because, as you can imagine, the stench is terrible and we don't have time to clean it immediately every time he goes.

Also, my boyfriend and I just realized that the litter box we are using used to belong to his dad who took care of our cat's mom and another brother. Even though its been scrubbed repeatedly, we think maybe there is still a smell of the other cats and it is distressing ours. Our other cat, the brother, is fine with using it. Any more ideas would be helpful!

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by Libra4687

I watched him run to where the box was, jump inside of it, look agonized, and jump out and try to run into the bathroom. Then he saw me watching him and ran back to the litter box. He repeated this process over and over until I picked him up and tried to comfort him because he looked extremely anxious. I tried lining the box with newspaper in case the soap and water I used to clean the box was bothering him, but it didn't help.

This happened this morning and despite the fact that he has been eating and drinking regularly, he has not gone to the bathroom. It has been about 9 hours since I started watching him and he has not gone. I have tried sitting in the bathroom with him and the box and i've tried nonchalantly watching him in case I was making him nervous. Neither helped.

This is a major sign of an UTI. You have to take your cat to the vet.
Cats do not like peeing outside of the box, and UTIs are the #1 reason for litter box avoidance. The first thing you have to do is take him to the vet for a urinalysis.
It sounds your cat is in pain - that is what they do when they are in pain when urinating.... They pee outside of the box, jump in and out of it, etc - to the "T" what you described.

How many boxes do you have (and how many cats?), is your litter box covered or uncovered, where is it located, and what litter are you using?

 

[white cat lover]

Before you can treat it like a health issue, you *must* rule out a medical issue.

Even if he's still urinating, he may have a UTI, crystals, or bladder stones - which can cause litterbox issues.

I'd still have the vet check him out as soon as possible (specifically test a urine sample) to get over that hurdle. If that comes back clear, then you can address it as though it's a behavioral issue - but until you rule out a health issue by a vet check/urinalysis you can't be sure.

 

[rarepuss]

Please take him to the vet. Sounds like a medical issue.