We have a 15 year old cat and she now will not use the litter box. She is obviously old and has a thyroid problem (she get medications twice a day for this). The vet says she is otherwise healthy. We did have four cats, thought we are now down to two with the other two passing from natural causes. The most recent loss was more than six months ago. We have three litter boxes (two upstairs and one downstairs and we have not changed the litter type that we have been using for years (unscented).
The only change in routines is that we had been keeping the cats in our full basement area, but about two months ago we started allowing both of them to come and stay upstairs. They would stay downstairs until we came home and then she would cry at the top of the stairs until we let her up. Then we would put her back down stairs when we went to bed (and she would cry for a while then).
It is not a problem of having trouble getting into the litter box as she will jump up onto a table and pee on the table. And until this week she was going back downstairs and doing her business downstairs (though not in the litter box).
We hate the idea of having to put them back downstairs, but since she now has started using the entire available upstairs as her personal litter box, then we are out of ideas. So, we are long for any help that one of you might be able to provide. Thanks!
The only change in routines is that we had been keeping the cats in our full basement area, but about two months ago we started allowing both of them to come and stay upstairs. They would stay downstairs until we came home and then she would cry at the top of the stairs until we let her up. Then we would put her back down stairs when we went to bed (and she would cry for a while then).
It is not a problem of having trouble getting into the litter box as she will jump up onto a table and pee on the table. And until this week she was going back downstairs and doing her business downstairs (though not in the litter box).
We hate the idea of having to put them back downstairs, but since she now has started using the entire available upstairs as her personal litter box, then we are out of ideas. So, we are long for any help that one of you might be able to provide. Thanks!