My cat is about fifteen years old, and has been trained to use the litter box since she was only a few weeks old. We’ve never had problems before, besides one or two accidents. However, lots of things have changed for her recently.
I moved in to an apartment with my longtime boyfriend, and brought my cat (Kitty) with me. He also brought along his cat (Penelope). Now, of course the two of them don’t really get along. They fight a little bit, but mostly just ignore each other. At first, there were no problems whatsoever. For the first two months, they both used the litter box, ate their own food, and slept in different rooms.
But, during the past week, Kitty has decided she no longer wants to share a litter box, and we’ve been finding little “presents” from her on my boyfriend’s dirty laundry, and right by our front door. I’d been gone over the 4th of July weekend, so I figured she was mad at me for leaving her with my boyfriend, while also protesting the move. Of course, I’m not an expert, so I took to the internet to find a solution. If your cat is suddenly refusing to use her litter box, check out this article by the ASPCA. According to them, most potty problems are because:
-The litter box is not cleaned often enough
-There is not enough litter boxes in the house per cat; each one needs her own
-The litter box is too small, or there is a hood on it that makes your cat uncomfortable
-It’s not always easily accessible
-The litter is too deep; most cats only prefer 1-2 inches of litter
The article also lists that stress and conflict with other cats may be reasons they are avoiding the box. If none of those sound right, your cat may have a medical condition, like a UTI, and should be taken to the vet. Based on this, I think it’s probably a good idea to get another litter box for our apartment, so my cat has her own.
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