Cat is obsessed with litterbox

Question
Hello and thank you for your time, I really need some help!

I have looked all over the internet for help with my cats bizarre behaviours and I am still perplexed. My seven year old male, Rajah, has been obsessed with his cat litter. He visits it literally every five minutes or less, and often doesn't even go to the bathroom there. He then digs in the litter for minutes at a time, flinging the litter all over the place, and even getting his poop everywhere. He likes to sit in it too, and it gets all over him, and he tracks it everywhere in the house. I have to vacuum at least four times a day. He also has an obsession with water, which he has always had since he was a kitten. The cat litter fetish started maybe a month or so ago. Now when he plays with his water, he gets cat litter in it and I have to clean out his water system several times a day. I thought maybe he was constipated, so I gave him a can of tuna fish with lots of oil in it. He doesn't seem to be constipated. I think he wants to play, even though he has plenty of toys and cat furniture to climb on. I have taken to closing the door to his litter and restricting him to only a few visits a day, but I don't think it is fair to close it off to his sister kitty, who may have to go too. When I close the door, even if he has just gotten out of the litter box, he yowls and whines and meows like it is the end of the world! He starts to jump on things and purposely knock them over to get my attention. He tries to claw the door open, then he tries to claw cabinet doors open, yowling the whole time. I am forever either stepping in either water or cat litter (or both in some cases), even sometimes in the poop he has flung out of the litter box if its early in the morning and I havent put my glasses on yet. I don't think he is seriously ill, this has gone on for months now. Someone said maybe its heartworm, but he is an indoor cat and he hasn't been wheezing or vomiting. I cant take him to the vet until Thursday at the least, but I am going to take him. Do you think maybe it is a UTI, or is he just trying to get my attention in a negative way? I am going crazy, his actions are perplexing and I try to keep my house as clean as I can, but he seems to get joy out of tracking his litter all through the house, and in just sitting in his liter and digging in it and flinging it as far as he can. I know I may sound a bit uncaring, I am just at my wits end with this, I have even had to change my clothes because when he sat in my lap he was covered in litter and got it all over me. I love him so much and I would hate it if he was ill, and nothing I have done will persuade him to stop this activity. I am going to do my best to take him to the vet by Thursday of next week, but until then, any advice or thoughts on why all the sudden he is acting so bizarre? Thanks so much!

Heather

Answer
Heather,

I have though about this long and hard and feel that your cat may have a medical problem.  Your vet can help you determine this.

One thing you can do is to get a covered litter pan and put a plastic dishpan inside to hold the litter.  This will help contain the litter in his exuberance.

I am with you, this behavior and the sudden onset sounds like a urinary tract problem.

Please let me know what you find.

Best regards... Norm.