Help My Cat’s Using the Rug.
If your cat stops using the litter box, the first step is to eliminate a possible medical condition before addressing it as a behavior problem. Sudden changes in litter box habits could be a sign of diabetes, idiopathic cystitis, urinary crystals, bladder stones, or renal disease. If your male is straining and producing little or no urine, it is a medical emergency.
To help the veterinarian diagnose a medical condition, please either collect urine or bring you cat to the office with a full bladder. To collect urine with a cat, first empty and clean the litter box. The litter box can then be left empty or filled with Nosorb, special litter crystals that do not absorb urine. The Nosorb crystals must be placed in an empty litter box, not on top of your cat’s ordinary litter. Confine the cat with the litter box in a small room with no absorbent surfaces. Please bring the urine into the office in a clean jar.
After any medical issues have been resolved, the behavioral side of the problem can be addressed. Make the litter box as inviting as possible. For most cats, this means a large litter box with low sides in an accessible area. If your cat is using only one inappropriate area, consider putting a litter box over that location. Try different kinds of litter until you find one that suits your cat’s fancy. Most cats prefer unscented and dust free litter. Some cats will show a preference for play sand, pelleted pine, or pelleted paper litter.
After making the litter box cat friendly, the next step is to make the inappropriate areas as unattractive as possible. Cover the areas with heavy plastic or aluminum foil. If possible block the cat from the entire area by shutting the door or placing furniture over the location. Place food and water dishes in the locations. Cats prefer to not have to urinate or defecate near their food.
After making all the appropriate litter boxes changes if your cat still has inappropriate elimination problems, it may be necessary to add behavior medications to his/her regime. These medications are used to relieve anxiety and to reduce any possible residual pain in the bladder from previous health conditions. A complete blood panel should be performed before starting on these medications.