Cats and their litter boxes can be hot spots for owners.
It is a love/hate relationship.
Owners love it when their cats use their litter boxes religiously and hate it when their cats start to develop issues.
There are numerous reasons why cats will start to develop elimination problems.
Below are three possibilities and their solutions.
One possibility could be that the cat heard a frightening sound while doing his business.
It could be the vacuum cleaner being turned on at the wrong moment.
Or it could be thunder right as he is about to do his business.
Or maybe it was the dog bumping into his litter box that frightened him.
Whatever the case, now he is associating that fear with the litter box.
It may not make sense, but in the cat's mind, that is what happened and he is sticking to it.
To remedy this situation will require time and patience.
It might be necessary to switch to a brand new litter box that does not resemble the old one at all.
The location may need to be switched to a quieter one.
Close attention will need to be made so that frightening sounds do not occur when the cat is using his box.
Another possibility could be that the cat is sick.
If the cat has a urinary infection, elimination may be painful.
If the cat is constipated, elimination can also be painful.
To a human, it does not make sense to associate the pain with the location, but cats do not think in human terms.
The cat may not understand that the pain he is feeling is from a health issue instead of the box.
The remedy for this situation is a trip to the vet.
After which a new litter box and/or a new location may be needed.
Yet another possibility is that the cat just does not like the type of litter used in the box.
Some cats are very finicky.
The litter may be hurting his paws as he walks on it.
Or it is making him sneeze and he does not like it.
One big issue for many cats is the cleanliness level.
Some cats will not use their litter box if they have eliminated just once and it has not been scooped right away.
To remedy this issue, the owner may need to try various kinds of litter to find the one that is suitable for the cat.
If the litter box is not cleaned often enough, the owner will need to clean more often or purchase one of those automatic litter boxes.