Cat not using litter box routinely

Question
I have a 4 year old Himalayan cat.  Lately he has been going to the bathroom (not pee) in front of his litter box and even on the carpet 3 feet from his litter box.  We changed the brand of litter and keep his box clean all the time. That did nothing.  He does use the litter box often, but there is always 1 incident per day that he 'misses'.  Any suggestions to his behavior?

Answer
Brian,

I am giving you a URL that points to an excellent article, written by a vet who is also a cat breeder, on feline house soiling problems:

http://www.netcat.org/housesoiling.html

First of all you need to get yourself an enzyme based cleaner made specifically for pet odors and pet stains (available from most pet supermarkets and/or farm stores). This should be used to clean up "accidents".  It is p[ossible the cat went there for a reason long vanished, but the residual odor makes it a "good" alternative to the litter pan.  Evn if we cannot smell it, cats can!

Secondly, I would try to recall when this behavior started and see if a cause can be uncovered.  Some cats will use bathroom habits like young children as a way of "controlling" their owners (parents?).

Finally, as a precaution, I would use a trip to the vet to try to ascertain that there is not a physical problem.

Best regards... Norm.