Health problems can also cause litter box problems, even if a cat doesn’t necessarily appear sick. For this reason, it is important to check with your veterinarian first. Some medical problems that can result in this behavior include painful urination or bowel movements due to bladder infections or intestinal disorders. Because of the discomfort associated with eliminating, your cat may avoid the litter box and begin to seek other places, hoping to find a location where it does not hurt. Only a trip to the veterinarian for a thorough physical examination - which may include a urinalysis - can rule out a medical problem.

Animals also develop preferences about where they like to eliminate. These preferences may be established early in life, but they may also change overnight for reasons that we do not always understand. If your cat often reaches out and scratches the carpet after using the box, he may come to prefer the carpet over the litter box. Many cats seem to develop a preference for soft surfaces, such as piles of clothes or the bed, while others may prefer slick surfaces such as the bathtub or the kitchen sink. Cats with an outdoor history may prefer dirt or grass.

To resolve a surface preference problem, the litter box needs to be made more like the textures your cat prefers for elimination. Likewise, the inappropriate places where your cat is soiling need to be made less attractive. For example, for a soft-surface preference, try the fine-grained, clumping litters. If your cat has been using the bathtub, provide a slick surface in the litter box by placing very little, if any, litter in the box. If your cat has been outside, try generic potting soil in his litter box.

Read more about urinating outside of the litterbox.
Previous page about urinating outside of the litterbox.