Why won't my cat use her self-cleaning litter box after changes?

Question

Our cat was raised with a self-cleaning litter box. About a month ago I bought a regular litter box and regular litter and she used that but we didn't like having to scoop it every day so we went bac to the self-cleaning litter box. The box is kept in the master bathroom and the cat has started soiling in the bedroom at the entrance to the bathroom. Why won't she use the self-cleaning box now? Pet's info: Cat | Maine Coon | Female | spayed | 3 years and 1 month old | 25 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

There are a large number of reasons that a cat will inappropriately urinate or defecate (outside the litter box). I am attaching a handout below which discusses this in detail. https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951508 The first step in figuring out why a cat is going outside the litter box is to have your veterinarian do an examination and get a urine and/or stool sample to evaluate for a medical reason. If that is normal, then we need to look at other possibilities. The handout above discusses litter box issues that can play a role. Unfortunately, some cats do become afraid of self-cleaning litter boxes if they turn on while the cat is in the box. I have a few suggestions for you. First, the "correct" number of litter boxes is the number of cats plus one. So, if Mystic is your only cat, you should still have 2 boxes. Keep the automatic box, but add another box in another location. Make sure the other box is not covered or lined and is cleaned daily. You may also want to try products like Cat Attract Litter (https://www.drelseys.com/shop/cat-attract/). You should also look at decreasing stress in case that is playing a role. One option for decreasing stress is to add a Feliway Diffuser ( https://www.feliway.com ) to your house. This is a calming pheromone that will work for a month. If your veterinarian cannot find a medical reason and all litter box issues have been dealt with, then it may be time to discuss medication with your veterinarian. Medications are also discussed in the handout. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach

Why won't my cat use her self-cleaning litter box after changes?

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