Okay, let’s talk about this. Dealing with an elderly cat who suddenly decides the litter box is optional is… well, it’s something. I went through this with my old girl, Patches, a while back.
It started subtly. An accident here or there. At first, I just cleaned it up, maybe grumbled a bit, figured she just missed or something. But then it got more frequent. Not fun waking up to little surprises outside the box. I knew I had to figure out what was going on.
First Stop: The Vet
Before anything else, I got her checked out. That’s always my first move when a pet’s behavior changes suddenly. Old cats, you know, they can get things like arthritis, kidney issues, urinary tract infections, stuff like that. Any of those can make using the box painful or difficult.
So, I bundled Patches up and off we went. The vet did a full check-up. Blood work, urine test, the whole nine yards. Felt her joints too. Turns out, she did have a bit of arthritis starting, which was good to know, but the vet didn’t find any infection or kidney problems causing the immediate issue. So, medical emergency ruled out, mostly. Phew. But the arthritis angle gave me something to think about.
Looking at the Litter Box Setup
With the vet visit done, I turned my attention to the actual litter box situation. I started thinking, maybe something about it was bothering her now that she was older and a bit creaky.
- Cleanliness: Was I slacking? Honestly, maybe a bit. I got stricter, scooping twice a day, every day, no exceptions. And I did a full litter change and scrub-down more often, like weekly.
- The Box Itself: Patches had used the same type of covered box for years. But thinking about that arthritis… maybe climbing into it, or the high sides, were getting tough? I went out and bought a new box. This one had much lower sides, super easy for her to just step into. I kept her old one out too, just in case, but put the new low-sided one right next to it.
- Litter Type: Had I changed brands recently? Nope. Still the same unscented clumping stuff she always preferred. But just to be sure, I experimented a little later. Got a bag of softer, finer litter, thinking maybe it felt better on older paws. Put that in the new box.
- Location, Location, Location: The box was always in the laundry room. Quiet, out of the way. But maybe getting there was now a longer trip for an old lady? Especially if she had to go right now? I decided to add another box. I put a second low-sided one upstairs, closer to where she liked to nap during the day. More options, less travel.
Patience and Observation
Okay, so I had cleaner boxes, a new low-sided option with softer litter, and an extra box upstairs. Now it was just… watching. And waiting. And cleaning up any mistakes without getting mad (hard sometimes, I admit).
I made sure the areas where she’d had accidents were cleaned really well with an enzymatic cleaner. You gotta get rid of that smell completely, or they might think it’s an okay spot to use again.
What happened?
It took a bit of time. She ignored the new box downstairs at first. Still used her old one sometimes. But she did start using the new low-sided one upstairs almost immediately! That told me accessibility was definitely a factor. She also seemed to prefer the softer litter in that upstairs box.
Slowly, she started using the new low-sided box downstairs more too, especially after I put the softer litter in there as well. The accidents didn’t stop overnight, but they got much, much less frequent. The combination of easier access (low sides, extra location) and maybe the softer litter seemed to be the key for her.
It wasn’t one single magic bullet. It was ruling out health issues first, then really thinking about her comfort and access as an older cat, and trying a few different things. Lots of scooping, lots of patience. But we got there. Mostly. She was an old girl, after all, occasional slip-ups still happened, but it was manageable again. Just part of loving an old friend through their golden years.
