My cat is not using her litter box anymore???

Question
I have a 9 year old calico and she has always used her litter box and we have never had any issues with her until about 6 months ago, she is urinating and going #2 all over our house.  We have tried changing litter and her box, we pick up the mess and put it in her litter box and nothing is changing.  She acts fine, she is eating, we have no new animals, they have been the same for over 6 years.  What is she doing?  She has always been an indoor cat and we have lived in our home for 3 years.  It's like she woke up and said to herself...what is a litter box? Can we do anything?

Answer
Nicole,
I feel your pain and frustration because I have a 14 yr old calico doing the same thing. She has kidney issues however and I know that so I am led to think that maybe your cat is having some bladder or kidney issues also.

Usually the first thing that is always done in a case of inappropriate elimination is a full exam and work-up of blood. Barring any physical problems, then it becomes a psychological issue.

With some cats it only takes one thing to set them off. A new cat they have seen outside, a dog barking at the wrong moment, a new person, baby in the house.

Sometimes it's a substrate problem. Cats do not like the kind of litter they are used to to be changed. Litter boxes in high traffic areas are also bad. Some cats actually have issues with what the litter box sits on, as in carpeting, plastic etc.

There are many articles you can find online about this subject. Just type in "inappropriate elimination" with or without the quotes (in Google) and see what you can find.

But first schedule her for an appointment with your vet.