help ive got a naughty little kitty!!!

[Sugarplum]

i have 4 cats all wonderfully behaved really affectionate and litter trained except one of them who urinates in the tray but will not do a number 2 in them! he always does it on the floor next to the tray!
we thought it was because he is rather large and fluffy so went out and bought the biggest tray we could lay our hands on and hes still insisting on using the floor!! wondering if anyone can shed some light on this for me (he did always use the tray as a kitten so he does know what to do!!)
many thanks

[Maisie]

Hi, is there a rug or something he is using near the box? I've had this exact problem with 2 older cats, they had never had a problem with it before. For one there was nothing we could do, he just refused to go #2 in his box, we tried everything, the other cat was going on a rug near her box and once we removed it she was back to using her box for everything. I'd say just keep the boxes clean and remove anything he may like on the floor. One theory I heard was that as they get older the digging in the box is harder on their little feet. You can try getting a box for him and putting pee pads for puppies in it instead of litter.
Good luck.

[CThogs]

Have you changed your cat litter at all? Ours only like certain brands and will start doing that if I try to change it on them

[sweetgrey]

If the box is clean (sometimes ammonia smell builds up and picky felines won't step in even if the litter itself is fresh/clean), and you've tried switching to a different litter (sometimes the clay dust bothers some cats- Swheat scoop, worlds best litter naturals or other natural litters usually take care of that issue), then it may be a health issue with your kitty. I had a cat who went from very fastidious to going outside the litter box- right on the litter pad outside of it. Turns out she had a UTI, and needed to be put on medication. Sometimes it's the only way a cat can tell us that there's something wrong. It's a sure way to get your attention.

So I'd suggest dumping the existing litter, cleaning out the box (just don't use bleach- bleach+ammonia will really do a number on your nose), and then putting in a natural, non clay based litter. If you only have one box for the 4 cats, I'd recommend getting a few more as well- it's hard to keep the ammonia smell from building up even if you're great about scooping every day if you have multiples. If the problem continues, a vet visit is in order.

Good luck!

[Sugarplum]

hi thanks for your responses i do have more than one tray and i still use the same litter i always have done since ive had him theres no carpet and all the floors are laminate i could understand it if he did ones and twos on the floor but it is only twos he seems really happy and his personality hasnt changed at all just cant seem to figure him out!!
many thanks

[Grumpy Spike]

Do you have a tray or an entire box? Because our youngest was doing his nr 2 next to a clean litterbox.Till I removed the top half of it since then he is using the tray for everything.Recently I installed the top half again and he is doing fine now.

[mauvecat]

I know this is not that feasible with 4 kitties, but people say you should always have one more litter tray than the amount of cats. If your kitty is seeing other cats use the tray, even if he isn't waiting himself to excrete, he will emotionally maybe not want to rely on that actual tray when he is most vulnerable. Because the fact he is doing it next to the tray shows he isn't having problems getting there if you know what I mean . Good luck! My little guy is one and his favourite place ever to sleep and relax is my bed. He's fully litter trained but the strange thing is, about three times a year he insists on urinating or doing a number two on my bed! And when he has an upset tummy (he is very sensitive) he chooses to run from downstairs to use my bed instead of his clean toilet downstairs!? Kitties are very naughty!