cat wont use litter box!

Question
We have a 10 year old cat that we inherited from my grandmother who passed away six months ago. He uses his litter box, but then randomly will go pee or poop on the floor or the rug. We dont understand. We clean his box daily and just dont understand why he sometimes, and then other times wont use it. We have another cat, but both of them have their own personal litter box. Please help!!

Answer
Hi
cats use urination and their faeces as a communication tool. It is designed to tell other cats that they are around and that this is their territory, it also helps to comfort the cat themselves as spreading their scent around helps to make them feel secure in their environment.

Many different things can cause this behavior from stress, changes in the home or situation etc. My best advice is to point you towards my web pages about both cat urination and its causes and also middening which is when cats use their faeces for communication. It will help you to understand the possible causes and may help you to find a solution. here are my pages

/cat-urine.html
/cat-poo.html

best wishes
Kate