Cat not using litter box

Question
My boyfriend and I went away last weekend (2 nights) and left our almost 2 year old cat at home with plenty of water and food. When we returned, she was very affectionate and everything seemed normal. On Monday or Tuesday night, she peed on the kitchen floor, when I came home from work for lunch yesterday (Thursday) she had pooped on the floor in the hallway.. inches from her litter box. Tonight, Friday night, I came home to a clean floor but then had to run out for groceries and when I returned she had peed on the bathroom floor. Nothing has changed.. nothing. What is going on? And how can I fix it?

Answer
Nicole,

She probably is still stressed from being left alone and now when you leave she thinks you are leaving her again for a couple of days. That kind of behavior is to show you that they are very upset. She should stop it as soon as she sees you are not going anywhere. Just give her lots of love, reassurance, and kitty treats.

It would be good to get her a kitty companion to play with, snuggle with, and keep her company when she is by herself. Having another cat helps relieve the stress and boredom of being alone.

You may also want to take her to the vet for a checkup. It could be a coincidence that it happened at you left her, but she could have a urinary tract infection, urinary crystals, a kidney infection, or even intestinal worms. All are painful and the cats associate that pain with the litterbox and go elsewhere.:

Also here are a couple of links to sites with good information on litterbox problems that you may find informative:
(copy and paste, or type the whole link into your address bar)

http://cats.about.com/cs/behavioralissues/a/outsidebox_two.htm

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/pointe/9352/litterboxhelp.html

Tabbi