Cat help - suggestions...

my cat started having some poop issues last year. After a few months of trying to find out why, and came up empty-handed, the vet put her on prozac. after a few weeks of that, she started pooping in the litter box again. Since then she's had an accident like 2 or 3 times. Usually i could tell that she was constipated and that there was a food issue, so i would give her a certain type and she'd be back on track.

well, in the past 3 weeks, she's pooped outside the liter box and I cant figure out why. One time she even peed! there have been no changes - litters boxes are the same, type of litter is the same, and they havent been moved. I scoop the litter every day and do a complete change every few weeks. (She only pees once a day and poops once every 2 or 3 days, so there's not much mess.)

This time I have changed her food, did complete litter changes, set up an additional 2 boxes (now totally 4 for ONE cat!), set up 2 of them to the other side of the basement near where she's continuing to go, took the hood off of one, and she is still pooping outside the litter box. she's "hiding" it - under a couch, in her cat tunnel - if that makes a difference.

I have an appointment with our vet tomorrow, but i doubt anything will be wrong. she's acting normal, eating normal and still grooming herself.

I read online that cats can be particular about the type of litter they use. What brand is everyone using? Any other suggestions on what I can do?

TIA

Message edited 8/12/2013 1:54:15 PM.

Re: Cat help - suggestions...

Your cat is clearly trying to tell you something. Is there some thing in the basement that is scaring her? Washing machine? Did you tryputting a litterbox upstairs? Is she old? Could she be having trouble making it down the stairs? I do not know exactly how many times my cats use their box a day but they both definetely go more than once a day and do not only go once every few days for poop. Is it possible that she is constipated and has associated going poop with pain? It could be a reason for litterbox avoidance. Can you put the litterbox where she is going to the bathroom? What litter are you using? Litterbox issues can be SO frustrating. You need to be a detective and try everything and see what works. Do you have only one cat? Is she still on Prozac?

Re: Cat help - suggestions...

She can definitely go up and down the stairs no problem. And nothing in the basement is new. She will be 9 years old next month...not sure if that considered "old" for a cat.

I have mentioned to the vet the past abt her peeing once a day and the poop too. He didn't seem concerned abt that. Her poop doesn't seem to be too hard either. I added some Metamucil to her food today to see if that helps any.

Right now we are using tidycat, but I am going to pick up cat-attracts this week.

I will not put the litter box upstairs...I have no place for it and I just dont want to go there. Sorryif that sounds horrible, just not going to happen.

Yes, this is frustrating..

Cat help - suggestions...

My vet told me that sometimes when cats have something bacterial/viral going on, like coccydia (sp) they wont go in the box b/c they dont want to contaminate it. I had this problem w/one of my cats. She was pooping behind the toilet instead of in the box. She went on the antibiotic for a week, and then she was back to pooping in the litter box.