kitty not using litter box

I've had this happen a few times in my crew! (I've got six) The first one was ruled UTI. Antibiotics sent him right back to the box. The second one was the same issue different cat. The third time it was different cat still being very fastidious about the box and adding yet anothe rlitter box solved this problem. The fourth time was a kitten who decided he did NOT like the litter and a litter switch brought him back to the box and sent another one out of it! [sm=rofl.gif]

As you can see the kiities can be fickle creatures! If the kitty is ruled healthy. No UTI no other issues... I would first buy a new litter box because sometime the boxes themselves start to stink. Then if that doesn't work try a new type of litter (maybe even two or three diff kinds)... IF that doesn't work I would get some feliway spray or a diffuser and put it near the box. (This helps with my kitties some but is not always effective) We have also had to do litterbox bootcamp with one of our youngsters where they were confined in the bathroom for a few days with nothing soft to lay on or pee on... a litter box some food/water and only SUPERVISED time out in the house. It sounds mean but it was only a few days and it was effective. (The cat was ruled healthy and I tried SEVERAL other things before trying that)

Hopefully she can get this all solved quickly!!!

Yep. [:'(]  It took months to figure out, and we did all the usual things (check for physical, change/clean litterbox, move litterbox, feliway, etc.) but it turns out there was another cat that was hanging out in our yard from time to time, and when he was around Scout stopped using her litter box. 
 
We try to keep an eye out for that cat and shoo him away now.  She's stopped going in her own bed, on our carpet, in our laundry, and in Roscoe's bed. But she still pees in our bathtub every once in a while. That I can handle.

Yeah, she has 3 cats and 2 litterboxes.  The other two use an automatic litter box and Phoebe uses the other one.  I suggested the bathroom thing to her but not quite like that.  I've emailed her this thread so please, if others want to contribute, that would be great.

The cat was such a problem in January that she had to have her carpets professionally cleaned.  And last night the cat started up again.  And last night she said she had just cleaned the litterbox completely the day before...

Here is her first email:
*Subject:* I need some advice
 
 You may or may not know that this past January I had a problem with my
 cats repeatedly peeing on the floor in one corner of a the study. We
 moved the litter boxes out into the dining room, sealed off the study and had a
 rofessional carpet cleaner come in to clean it. We finally moved the
 litter boxes and food back into the study. There has been only one accident in
 there (it was solids) but since then it's been fine. However, tonight when
 I walked into my apartment I could smell urine. It is emanating from the
 spot where the litter boxes were in the dining room.

 This is a plea for help. I love my cats dearly but it seems I just can't
 keep them from going outside the box. I don't know what to do.
 
 If I had to guess I'd think Phoebe was the culprit. And she has her own
 litter box which I clean out twice as often as the other one. I guess my
 first step is to take Phoebe to the vet to make sure nothing is medically
 wrong with her, but what if he doesn't find anything =( What if I'm
 unable  to keep her litter box clean enough?
 
 We've lived in the apartment for 1.5 years, and it was just this past
 January that there was a problem. It doesn't make sense. I'm at my wits
 end.

  Please any advice would be a huge help!

 Kat

I started this for her and let her know.
My sister says:
Thanks =) I hope it's just a UTI.

Could you ask her if the kitties with the UTI's peed outside the litterbox
constantly or just occationally and what is "feliway spray"

Kat

Rule of thumb is number of cats +1 = number of litter boxes you should have.
 
Hopefully it is just a UTI though!

I don't know about the fact that they're going back to the spot where the litter box was, that might be indicative of something... but the fact that it was an issue in January, not an issue for a month, then an issue again sounds just like Scout's pattern because she was only responding to the cat outside, and he's not around always. Just a thought.

Meritaten - I wish I had a big enough place for 4 litterboxes =) I currently
have one blue litter box which Phoebe uses exclusively, and one Litter maid
which my other two cats use.

Jensw - There are cats that prowl around my apartment, and we are on the
ground floor. However, these cats have always been around... do you think it
would happen just all of a sudden after a year of living here?

Hill - I will keep the type of litter in mind, though I've always used
either tidy cat, or arm and hammer during the entire 6 yrs I've had them.

Currently I have Phoebe locked in my bathroom with nothing but water and an
empty litterbox (to collect a urine sample). She has a vet appointment at
4pm tomorrow.


Kat

Thank you for listening to me vent and for the support and great advice. I took Phoebe to the vet today and she has a urinary tract infection. She will be on antibiotics for the next 10 days. The carpet guy is coming out once more to clean the carpet. Hopefully it will be the last time!

Thanks again! =)

Kat and Phoebe

Have no suggestion to help you out. I just know it sucks to have a cat use the carpet my 12 year old cat will use the hall way to punish us for leaving him while on vaction or the litterbox not being clean enough.
 
But that cat looks almost like the cat we groomed today becuz we done him in the same hairstyle and then we placed a green fluffy feather bow on his tail to torture (ok not really torture)him! At least when he gets it off he can play with as a new toy. []The poor thing has ear mites so bad he almost no ears wasn't the owners fault she found him in the middle of a country road.

Hopefully the antibiotics will clear everything up!!!

That picture is ADORABLE!

I came across this funny picture today. 

Is that Bubbles when she was kitten?  So did Pheobe lay on her?  Or did Bubbles smoosh her head up there?  lol....  Too cute!