Kitty stopped using the box

[systematic]

Hello, I recently moved with my seven year old cat and she recently stopped using her litter box.

When we moved she was startled and we kept her in her room with her box for a few days before letting her slowly explore the house, and it seemed to have worked! She did her business in her box every single day for almost two weeks. But recently she has stopped urinating in her box. We had her checked out and there are no infections or medical issues but she won't pee in her box, instead she pees next to it or across the room from it and on only one occasion, in another room.

We sprayed the areas she peed with Nature's Miracles orange oxy cleaner hoping it would help, but with no luck.

She still uses the box to poo, but she seems shy to use it to pee. We haven't changed anything with the box, it's the same box, same litter, same depth that she has been used to for five or six years now.

Also, I can't let my mom know she is doing this or my mom will want to get rid of her. So retraining her is out of the question, surely there is something I can do?!

We are currently having landscaping done so soon she will be able to go outside, but she is and always has largely been indoors, having only spent a few hours each day at the old place outside.

 

[mani]

Try getting an additional box... It usually is something that starts from an early age, but some cats won't wee where they poo. She may have just decided she's one of them!

Has anything else changed? New litter, new box etc?

 

[cat dad]

Possibly freaked out by the change (cats hate change). Or she might be smelling a previous cat. You probably get her checked out to make sure there aren't any health issues as well.

I would try Feliway, if you haven't already, and a litter attractant.

 

[vball91]

I would try an additional box, Feliway pheromone diffuser, and Cat Attract litter or the litter attractant additive. Also, just spraying the area might not be enough. You really need to let the enzyme cleaner soak in and let dry.

 

[dellawoods007]

put cat nip near the box. It tranqualizes them...It helped mine ...I did do 3 litter boxes....I'm suprised it's not a urinary tract infection...

 

[enendawson]

You might try moving the litter box.  I agree an additional litter box may help.  A few years ago, we had an experience moving into a rent house with my husband's brother and sister-in-law.  They had two sister cats who acted normally (as far as we were aware) in their old apartment.  When we all moved into the new house, their cats mostly stopped using the litter box like you described.  They tried sprays too.  Eventually, all it took was moving the litter box (actually, boxes. They had two) to a different room. 

 

[systematic]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, we might be buying a attractant litter this weekend. We already tried moving the box and adding a new box is impossible because my mom would ask why we're buying a new box.
 

 

[vball91]

If she asks, just say you read/heard that it's good for a cat to have 2 boxes, which is true!

 

[mani]

If she asks, just say you read/heard that it's good for a cat to have 2 boxes, which is true!

Yes.. just tell her it's healthier for the cat, which is true as, if it works, your cat will be a lot happier

 

[systematic]

Thanks to everyone for their help. We'll see how things play out. If worst comes to worse, I have a friend who can find a good foster home for my cat.