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My senior cat stopped using litter box. Why is she peeing on floor?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Longhair | Female | spayed | 13 years and 5 months old | 12 lbs

We have a 14 year old cat that suddenly stopped using the litter box. She now goes on the floor in the kitchen and we can't figure out why. Any suggestions?

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on March 11th, 2018

Maybe it is not a behavioral situation, it might be a medical one. the first thing you need to do is to taker her to your vet for a checkup and urine analysis in order to rule out any medical conditions first.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 10th, 2019

    This could be due to something like feline idiopathic cystitis or bladder stones. Unfortunately without seeing Creature in person, I can't say what is going on so therefore cannot say how to fix it. I would see if you can get her into the vet sooner than the 25th.

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on March 5th, 2017

    Poor kitty! In a 15 year old cat, I would be very suspicious that there is an underlying medical problem causing him to have accidents - especially since this is such a sudden behavior change for him. Illnesses like diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and chronic kidney disease are very common in older cats, and often cause changes in bathroom behavior like this. Many of these problems are quite treatable once a diagnosis is made, so I would strongly recommend taking him to the vet for an exam - he/she can do blood work or other testing if needed to help determine the problem. If there is a medical issue causing the accidents, you won't be able to make any progress at changing the behavior until this problem is addressed - so I would try and get to the vet tomorrow if possible :)

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on June 20th, 2017

    I'm sorry that you're having this problem with Felix! In older cat like this with no previous history of litter box issues, I would be very suspicious of a medical problem causing him to do this. Some common possibilities would include hyperthyroidism, inflammatory bowel disease, or a food allergy or intolerance to something in his diet - this can develop over time, so it's possible for any of these things to be the problem even if his diet has not changed. In some cats, pain due to arthritis or other problems can make getting in and out of the litter box uncomfortable, which can also lead to house soiling in other areas. I would recommend taking Felix to the vet for a full check-up as soon as you are able to. Your vet can do blood work and a fecal exam to help determine what might be causing this behavior, so that the underlying problem can be treated.

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