Cat Information

Why is my cat going outside of the litter box?

My cat Kia keeps going outside the litter box for some reason. I clean the cat litter and it looks fine but she still doesn't use it. She used to but lately she hasn't.

Public Comments

1. There can be so many reasons for this: 1 - the litter is clean, but she can smell urine on the box itself (I have to bleach mine every week even though I use liners. Liners, not liner.) 2 - she suddenly decided she doesn't care for that litter anymore. 3 - she has a bladder infection and doesn't know how else to tell you. 4 - something scared her when she was urinating.
2. when you clean the litterbox, do you change it out weekly? meaning, take the old litter out, and put fresh litter in. Just scooping the litter doesn't clean it, it just gets the waste out, after a while, it really starts to get rancid. Another cause could be, your cat's mad at you, or something has changed in the household.
3. As Hannahsimon mentioned, she might have a bladder infection, in which case the litter box gets associated with pain. Has she recently been declawed or had a paw injury? The litter is painful to sore feet. Or, lastly, have you gone a trip, or done something to tick her off? My cat does that when I leave. She goes right outside the box when I come home, just to let me know she's not pleased with me. If it continues, take her to a vet to get her checked out.
4. I have lots of cats - here's the top reasons they won't use their box: Cat has a urinary infection or worms. Litterbox isn't being scooped or completely changed often enough. Litterbox is being cleaned with a cleaning product cat doesn't like. Cat doesn't like type of litter being offered. Litterbox is in a bad location or had a bad experience there - like too much traffic around her area (no privacy) or perhaps something scared her there - an argument, something falling, being teased, etc. My suggestion, first watch her - is she straining or going to the box very frequently, or urinating only small amounts; look for any signs of worms or bloody urine or poo, very smelly poo, etc, =see a vet if you feel anything is not normal. Clean litterbox well using water, dish detergent & a little chlorine bleach, rinse very, very well. Ammonia cleaners may smell like another cat to her; some cleaners like Pinesol & Lysol are toxice. Try a different type of litter, there are many options - clay, clumping, silica chips, pine, paper, etc - see what she prefers. Keep the box clean - scoop & change often. Make sure her box is in a quiet out of the way spot. Also, cats tend to prefer box that doesn't have a hood - if yours is covered, open it up. Also, some folks use cat liners - some of my cats hate those. If she needs her litter scooped a lot, look into one of those automatic boxes like Litter Maid - more expensive, but maybe worth it. Also, some cats are "kickers" - they really dance in the box & kick a lot of litter out, then arrange that litter into a lneat ittle pile & voila "instant litterbox" so they pee or poo on it! - in this case a deeper litterbox may help. However, if your litterbox is deep now & you are having problems, that might be the cause - some cats don't like a deep box, especially kittens or aging cats with joint pains as they can be hard to climb in & out of. If they have wet or poo'd on carpet, that can be hard to break, as they will return to the same spot where they smell that. Good Luck!
5. But don't you have to litter train it.
6. My kitty did this a while ago and it was because of a bladder infection. Bladder infections are more common in male cats but your baby could still have one. Get her checked out and GOOD LUCK!