Cat - Spite ?

Question
I adopted a cat 2 months ago.  Cat is very affectionate and has adapted well to his new environment.  No problems.  Extremely well behaved.  HOWEVER, this is the 3 time this has occured, but this morning was the absolute "end" for me.  My cat has gone to the "bathroom" outside his litter box.  This morning, he actually made his mess on the placemat where his food bowl is located.  Disgusting !   Please comment.  

Answer
Hi Lynn!  This may be a behavioral issue.  Cats become stressed very easily.  If you have moved or changed the litter or the litter boxes, it could cause the cat to eliminate outside the box.  Some cats are extreme "neat freaks" about their litterbox, and will not go in the litter box if they have only used it even once.  If your litter boxes have not changed and their placement has not changed, and they are clean, your best bet would be to have a veterinarian check him out to be sure that there are no health problems that are causing this behavior.
Please let me know how it goes,
Hilary