Litter box issues for abandoned cat

[DanielJ]

Hi, I know litterbox problems are common, but I think there's a lot going on with my cat so I wanted to start a fresh post. So:

I have a one year old orange and white cat named Loki who constantly defecates right outside of the litterbox. We've seen him do this sometimes, so we know that he's the culprit, not our other cat(a blue-grey). Sometimes it looks like he defecates in the box and then flings the poop out of the box, despite the fling-proof edges we have on the boxes(we have 2 boxes). Other times I think he just defecates outside the box and in his scratchings, some litter gets thrown out too. Can't say for sure.

Some possibly valid history: Loki was abandoned as a very young kitten, found outside a shelter person's door covered with fleas. She made sure Loki got proper care, and arranged for Loki to nurse/start with a mother cat who had given birth presumably around the same time Loki's had. This mother Loki was placed with had also been abandoned, so the shelter really worked out for them.

Anyway, Loki nursed here along with one of the mother's actual kittens whom we also adopted(Shadow). As far as Loki and Shadow are concerned, they are brothers.

When we first brought Loki and Shadow home, Loki resisted the covered litterbox we had bought. It had a plastic roof and a swinging door for an entrance. We witnessed Loki do his business on a nearby futon. Once when I tried to physically put Loki into the covered litterbox, he splayed out his limbs against the doorway in every direction to prevent it, so I think he has confinement issues.

So, we now have two uncovered normal sized litter boxes in our hallways. We use Space brand silica litter, which is easily scoopable and absorbs liquid and odor nicely. We tried clay litter at first but I prefer the Space litter for ease of cleanup. For a while we also tried pine litter, but Loki apparently didn't like that either.

Loki doesn't urinate outside of the box, just defecate. I don't know if I should try a different litter, or scoop the boxes more often, or what. One friend had his litter boxes housed inside of rather large cardboard boxes, which would certainly provide a little privacy and prevent any flinging, but we haven't done that yet--maybe we should.

I would appreciate any advice, and I'll gladly answer any questions that may help figure this out. I hope Loki isn't too old to change.

Thank you,

Daniel

[Traci]

When was he last checked by your vet? You should probably make an appointment to rule out underlying health issues. Anytime there is a change in behavior, litterbox habits, appetite, etc warrants a vet exam.

Try changing the litter type, and YES, the box needs to be scooped on a daily basis, most often several times a day. Thoroughly clean and rinse the box at least once a week. It could be that he does not like the texture of the litter, and therefore will not attempt to use it nor bury his waste. Silica, while absorbent most of the time, can be very annoying on a cat's sensitive paw pads.

Is the litterbox in a private area, away from heavy appliances and foot traffic? A "hallway" doesn't sound like a private area, cats prefer their litterboxes in a quiet, private area.

Do not cover a litterbox that you know he disliked in the past. Most cats do not like covered boxes, mainly because they retain odor.