My cat wont use the litter box

Question
We have a two year old cat who has always had issues using the litter box.  
Ever since she was a kitten, we've had a hard time getting her to use it.  I've
never had an issue like this with a cat before, and I've had many cats.  We have
three cats now, and she is the youngest.  We have two litter boxes, and
change the litter frequently.  One of the litter boxes is automatic (a "Litter
Maid" - it scoops the clumpable litter every time the cats use it) and the other
is a regular, open litter box.  We've tried a number of different kinds of litter,
and the one we are currently using seems to be the best.

The interesting thing is that this cat goes OUTSIDE the box.  Very close to the
boxes (within a few feet).  She does NOT go elsewhere in the house.

We don't know what to do.  Sometimes she does use the box.  Many times
she doesn't - even if it has just been cleaned.

My husband and I are beside ourselves - although this is mainly poop, it can
be urine as well.

I do appreciate your time and advice.  I've checked out other responses
regarding cats defecating outside the litter box, but most of these other cats
seem to go elsewhere in the house, whereas ours seems to understand that
the littler box "room" is where she should go, but is hesitant to use the actual
box itself.

Thank you again,
Danielle

Answer
Danielle,

It is rare, but there are cats who don't like the feel of litter under their paws and will NOT use a litterbox. I had of those. Nothing worked! I finally put newpaper down next to the litterbox and he used that. It was inconvenient, but not as inconvenient as cleaning the floor. You may want to try puppy pee pads (the kind they use for puppy potty training) or the human pads they put under the elderly in their beds. It's just a quirk of some cats.

You can try children's play sand in the litterbox instead of litter. You can get it at Home Depot or other building supply store. She might use that instead.

Tabbi