B. Consider the possibility of a urinary tract infection or urinary crystals. Such conditions can cause this kind of inappropriate behavior. Think of it as the cat trying to tell you something is wrong.

Edit: Male cats in particular can be prone to blockages. Particularly if they are not getting enough water. Remember that cats evolved to get most of their water from their food. If they are fed only dry food, they will sometimes not drink enough water.

[–] LowtierComputer@lemmy.world 43 points 3 days ago

Or in my case your cat is almost 20 and has dementia.

[–] MissJinx@lemmy.world 21 points 3 days ago (3 children)

My female.cat won't use the litter box. I had 4 between 2 cats and.clean it daily, but she suffered abuse and has a front.paw that hurts so I thinl she can't balance well on the littler. I now use dog pads for pee and poop inside the box and she loves it

[–] Boddhisatva@lemmy.world 16 points 3 days ago

That's sad. Some people suck. You are a good person to care for her.

[–] celeste@kbin.earth 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I know I've heard that cats with like arthritis will refuse to use a litterbox along with cats who have been declawed. Any paw discomfort I guess makes the litter uncomfortable? Nothing wrong with pee pads!

[–] other_cat@lemmy.zip 6 points 3 days ago

My cat has hyperthesia and overly sensitive paws, and she used to leap out of the litter box to finish frequently. Our vet suggested we try a gentler litter and it worked! We got a "soft paws" formula litter and it helped a ton.

[–] PlzGivHugs@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I'm having similar issues with my cat, and this sounds like a genius solution. No issues pooping in litterbox, but perfers books or bedding to pee on. According to the vet(s), he's in perfect health, and he has multiple litterboxs in different locations, so I guess he's just a weirdo. Dog pads in a litterbox seems like the perfect solution.

[–] MissJinx@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

She'll also pee on random locations if she's angry at me (like when I come back from traveling). She will pee in the bed as a tantrum. Look at something that may be weird. What helped.for me is that I started giving her special atention time. Everyday we have our brushing ritual where.she comes to me and I brush and pet her for how long she wants, usually right before bed. I feel like she is less anxious because of the routine.

[–] idunnololz@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I found all the curtains in a room we don't use was peed on. We washed the curtains. One week later they were all peed on again. I'm 99% sure he was marking his territory.

So I guess there is an option C.

[–] Boddhisatva@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

Yes, that's a good point. Un-neutered males can start marking around the house. And once those habits form they can be very hard to break, even if they are later neutered.

[–] ickplant@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago

All very good points!

[–] GiantChickDicks@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 days ago

Thank you for this comment! I have a cat with FLUTD, and this condition can become fatal quickly if not addressed.

I'd also like to add that declawing can lead to litter box avoidance, and as a consequence, inappropriate elimination in cats. Declawing doesn't just take the nail, but it also either removes or damages he first "knuckle" bone in cats' paws. This can result in nerve damage, which makes cats' natural digging in substrate painful. This is one of many reasons to not declaw your cat. There is no justification for this awful surgery.