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This question submitted by Anne from Missouri:

I have a large Maine Coon Cat. He is a bit overweight, but otherwise healthy. He has started going to the bathroom just outside the litter box. He urinates in the box, but the rest is outside. What should I do?

There are many reasons that a cat might stop using the litter box, but this very specific question may have an easy solution.  When cat owners tell me that their cat is a bit overweight, I usually would interpret their weight as significantly overweight. This cat is a Maine Coon, a large cat to begin with. If he is overweight, which hopefully Anne is working on, he may simply not fit in the box anymore. Since he is urinating in the box, he obviously is not avoiding the box itself so the problem may be that his bum is hanging over the edge when he goes.

An easy fix for this problem is to purchase a very large, low sided box. There are many options in the household storage section of your local retail outlet. A box designed to fit under the bed to hold sweaters or something like this should work just fine. This big cat should be able to stand sideways in the box with plenty of room in front and behind him so that he hits the box every time.

When a cat begins avoiding the litter box, there is often a simple explanation, but sometimes a medical problem or a more significant behavioral issue is at work. Veterinary care is very important when litter box habits change, especially if a simple change or two does not eliminate the problem.

Sometimes a cat will urinate outside the box, but will do everything else inside the box. When this happens, it is sometimes because urination is uncomfortable because of a urinary tract problem. This situation requires expert veterinary care as bladder or urinary tract problems can be a bit difficult to deal with.

When a cat avoids the box altogether, maybe the box is not clean enough. Some cats are quite particular about this and some cats won’t even visit the box a second time (this is not very common). Scooping the box once or twice daily and completely changing the box every week is a tactic that should be used if the box is being avoided. It is important to provide adequate numbers of boxes for the cats in the house. If you have 3 cats, you should have 4 boxes and if you have 10 cats, well then you should have 11 boxes!

When you suddenly have a cat that is avoiding the box, it is a good idea to add some extra boxes that have different types of litter in them. Cats certainly have preferences for litter and often do not like a change, but if they quit walking on the litter that they have been enjoying for years, change might be good. DO NOT buy the cheapest litter or the one that you have the coupon for, unless you ALWAYS buy the cheapest or ALWAYS have a coupon for the same kind. Most cats will get stressed by a change in their bathroom and may avoid it altogether.

If a change has occurred in the household, make modifications to help your cat feel more comfortable. Did you just get a dog or a new cat, did your baby just start walking? These factors may be interrupting your cat’s bathroom time. When there are several cats in the house, one cat may be the bully and may be preventing the less aggressive kitty from using the litter box. This problem should be fixed by having multiple boxes in different locations because the bully can’t be everywhere at once!

Making some simple changes (number of boxes, size of boxes) may be good steps towards preventing a problem. Remember, if you have a cat with litter box problems, your veterinarian is the best source of advice.