Is there something else going that your cat is objecting to? Inappropriate elimination can also be a signal to communicate stress. Think of recent changes in environment moves, new people, pets, caretakers, schedule that may be troublesome for your cat and how you can address them. Make sure to clean those spots where the litter box has not been used with a good enzymatic cleaner. Cleaning with products to remove odors we may object to are fine for us but do not remove the amino acids left behind that our cats can still identify (and an enzymatic cleaner can remove) and may continue to target. Removing those deposits properly helps. For more on stress and litter boxes please go here.
Multiple cat households can be an other issue for some cats. A second box plus one might help and is frequently recommended for this. Apartment dwellers who are already dealing with a space premium may not find this realistic, and for those fortunate enough to have the space it still may not work. Because you simply cannot dictate which animal will use which box and when. Or whether or not territoriality issues may surface around the box, especially with new cat integration where the newcomer's use of the box may be prevented by the resident cat. If the issue is a dislike of anyone else using the box it is challenging if not impossible to create an exclusive litter box for one individual. To address these concerns, add the second box in a location far enough from the first one to be and feel separate and consider location just as carefully as with the first box.
Resolving the litter issue takes into account many variables: environmental stresses, litter box location, type of litter, type of box, litter not fresh enough or feces present, multiple cat use, or other individual preferences. To further add to the mix there is often a latency period when an animal may just keep doing what they were doing even though you fixed whatever it was that was wrong in the first place. And then as individuals react to aging or different environments their triggers may change too. Knowing what to look for in determining the factors and your cat's litter box preferences, can help the both of you to breathe a lot easier.
References
Bradshaw, J.W.S., Casey, R.A., Brown, S.L. (2012). Undesired behaviour in the domestic cat. In The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat (pp. 190-205). Oxfordshire, UK: CABI.
Frayne, J., Murray, S. M., Croney, C., Flickinger, E., Edwards, M., & Shoveller, A. K. (2019). The Behavioural Effects of Innovative Litter Developed to Attract Cats. Animals, 9(9), 683.
Ellis, J.J. McGowan, R.T.S. Martin, F. (2017) Does previous use affect litter box appeal in multi-cat households? Behavioural Processes, 141, 284–290
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