Is Bigguy getting finicky with his litter box?

We have two cats and they are the strangest cats. They were litter trained and never had a problem until a couple of years ago when one of them decided she was finished with litter boxes. Now she goes on puppy training pads. The other one followed suite and was using the puppy pads and ignoring the litter box that sat there unused forever, then one day she started to use the litter box again! They drive me crazy! I think it is a big conspiracy by the cats worldwide to drive us up the wall. I think they have secret meetings and come up with ways to torment us while still being so cute and adorable we can't stay mad at them.

Cat are very clean. I clean my cats litter box everyday. If litter box is not clean, cats can pee and poo next to it or somewhere else in the house....

Did you change the brand or type of litter you use? Believe it or not, some cats are very finicky about the litter they'll accept and some won't use it at all if they're not happy. Also, yes, I'm afraid you may have spoiled him...lol! Annie

Sounds like he may be spoiled! lol. My family had a cat who used to poop behind the couch if his litter box was full. Do you use clumping litter? If not, you may want to because then you can just remove the clumps of pee and poop everyday rather than having to empty the whole thing every other day. -Tink

In 50+ years of sharing my life with cats one thing I can say is it's not unusual in fact your male shows all the natural behaviour. Most adult male cats won't use an already soiled tray. They are still guided by natural instincts, it's normal for a male cat of any species to be off on their own, it's natural behaviour to urinate in the same places as that is used to leave a marking scent to others, this is renewed often, which explains why he isn't peeing on the floor, but any solids should be removed asap. A strong healthy animal in the wild would never use the same area to poop twice as he wouldn't be in the area to do so! An outside cat with a large territory to roam wouldn't either. Your cat knows instinctively that, that build up of scent indicates a weaker animal. What he doesn't know is that another stronger cat isn't going to find his scent. Or that the silly humans don't understand the scent message. He's obeying nature not doing something just to annoy you or because he's 'fussy'! By keeping them and training them to use a tray we have to take responsibility for it. Whatever litter you use in the tray it should be scooped of solids as soon as you know it's there. If you use a clumping litter then you'll be removing most of the smell and so shouldn't need to waste litter, once a week is often enough for a full clean out. Ever wondered why a cat will immediately pee in a clean tray? It's renewing the territorial smell you've just spent ages getting rid of!

I wonder...if your litter is scented or the soap you're washing your box w/is scented it might be grossing the cat out. LOL...cat's are strange like that, aren't they? I think this might be a good question to pose to your vet too. Sometimes cat's that pee on the floor and usually go in a litter box have urinary tract infections. Could something be going on w/his intestinal system? Just food for thought...probably not though...it is a bit unusual...

he might be sick, check it out with the vet, or maybe there is an agent in the litter or the cleanser you are using that he doesn't like

I would say he's fussy. He also might be an outdoor cat and is telling you, he wants to go outside. Some cats are born that way. You could also try a different brand of litter or a larger box size. I really do not know much about indoor cats, the ones we had went outside, so there was no problem and they kept in the yard, under the trees, or in the soil.

Oh my goodness! You change the pan every other day...I have two cats and change the litter and clean out the pan once a week, not so often. Of course I do clean out the litter of the pee and poop everyday--what kind of litter do you use anyway? I use either Fresh Step or Johnny cat Multi-cat

I got one of those self cleaning litter boxes. I love it!!! I empty the container once or twice a day and the box is always clean for the cats. My Siamese that I have now had a battle going with my Mom for about 6 months after I got her. There were few mornings that I didn't get up to my Mom telling me that my cat pooped in her potted plants and she grabbed a handful of poop. (eeeeeewwwwww! It's so gross but I still get the giggles over it even though Mom is gone and Murphy is 14 years old.) It finally dawned on me after the 1000th time Mom got upset about poop in her potted plants that Murphy didn't like the litter. I changed brands of litter and poof, no more poop in the potted plants.

Oh my gosh wow yeah he seems super spoiled lol! Why do you change the litter every other day? What kind of litter do you use that seems like such a waste to me! I scoop the poop out of there everytime I see it which is a few times a day and then I scoop the pee out when I see its clumped up or before I take a shower before bed so that way the even if there isnt anything I can see I get it out of there anyway.

Hi ctrymuziklvr, I use the clumping litter and find that it's best. I usually clean the box twice every day and add another scoop or two. It is important to keep it clean. Usually a cat will use the litter box if it's kept clean, so I don't think you are spoiling him. Blessings.

Hi, I echo everyone else's response, more important than changing litter is scooping. It is important that you remove clumps no matter what they are as soon as you can without being a fanatic about it. I think Biguy just does not like going in to a box that has anything in it until he makes his next deposit. Cats can be very funny about this. I think your changing the litter is overkill for YOU. He does not need that, try extending that process a little bit at a time, just in case he has gotten spoiled. I also agree that you should keep the litter relatively deep, Replace some litter as you scoop. I have read that most cats wait until their owners come home to use the box. I had a cat that went to the litter box as soon as I came home. I should note that I had to go to the bathroom as soon as I got home, so we went togehter. LOL Of course I had no clue what she had done or not done during the day. Good luck. I hope this resovles your problem. I bet it will.

You change the litter? You don't just scoop out the poop and pee clumps? I don't change my cat's litter that often. I just keep it clean. I think you've taught Bigguy that a used litter box is unacceptable :D I wonder -- how do you retrain a fastidious cat??? Good luck on this.

It could be that he doesnt like the smell of whatever you are using to wash the box out with detergent/disinfectant? Also as several others have said, clumping litter is much better than any non - clumping sort. You just scoop out the clumps and there's no need to change the whole tray full of litter. I use "Worlds Best Cat Litter" It's made from corn, and it's 100% clumping and biodegradable as well - you can just dump the clumps in the toilet and flush it all away. It's more expensive than other kinds, but having tried several other kinds, both clumping and non - clumping, I'll not use anything else now.

If you have been using the same litter...they may have changed the formula and he no longer likes the scent. My guys were fussy like that....now i have dogs.

Haha that Bigguy is funny...Guess he does not want to get his litter box too littered...Lol..I think you have hin spoiled rotten,they do get spoiled ya know???

We only change the litter box - as needed, usually a couple times a week but then we have 2 cats in the house and 3 litter boxes (one on each floor of the house). Our problem is my cat doesn't 'cover' her business and my daughter's cat that lives here gets made and does her business in front of the box. Maybe yours figures he's helping you out - since your going to clean it out anyways he'll just leave it on the floor for you :) I really have no idea :(

I don't know if he is spoiled. But please, I was having similar problems with Kayla my cat. We took her to the vet several times. Nothing physical was wrong with her. She started peeing in the laundry. and finally on the couch. Due to health problems for my daughter and lack of money to replace clothing and furniture, we gave her up.I still miss her terribly. I hope your problem is small and resolves itself quickly.

Have you watched Bugguy do his business outside the box? Maybe he is just turning the wrong way and letting his rear hang over the box when he poos. I had a cat that did that every now and then. The female cat I have now rarely does that, but if I don't scoop her poop each time, and she needs to poo, she will go in the dog's litter box if there isn't poo in it. She likes to pee in the dog's litter box most of the time. I think that is because the dog became her mommy and taught her to use it.