Cat not using the litter tray

[BlackAlys]

We adopted 2 cats 24 months ago. They were in foster care up until they were 4 months - came to us fully litter trained.

One cat is very outdoorsy and the other prefers to stay in.

The indoors cat has, in the last year, taken to pooing onto a mat that we had down - but I put it down to her being really fussy about her damp litter tray, and kept on top of changing it. The litter tray was also lidded so I've removed the lid - thinking she was feeling too cramped in there.

It's become a habit though. Sometimes she'll use the tray overnight, sometimes she'll pop next to it on the floor. This morning, I've opened the kitchen door to find she'd poo'd right behind that so you can imagine the mess I've made opening the bloody door.

I'm so annoyed with her! The litter tray is empty and clean. I'm ashamed to say that she's been flung out and is currently mewing to be let in. Possibly to dump on the floor again.

Help!

Do you have more than one tray?
Is it near her food or water? Or in a busy part of the house?
Try a different litter?

@Wolfiefan thanks for answering.

It's in a large kitchen tucked into a corner and at opposite ends of the room to their food and water. I use the wood type pellets as they seemed to hate the gravel stuff.

We have an outside utility room but it isn't heated and gets really cold at night. I don't want to put her out overnight but it's getting tiresome looking for poo on the floor every morning!

Get advice from your vet. Ours was very helpful when our new cat was having issues with the litter tray. It’s so frustrating but with patience will hopefully get better. 😬

You need a litter tray per cat and some times its recommended to have a spare one as well. So you may need to put another tray somewhere else in the house.

We switched to natusan and that seems to have done the trick. There is generally an offer on which brings the cost down a bit, and you don't need to change it as often. It does track more than pellets but better than soggy foot in the morning. One of ours was weeing by the door to upstairs so every morning you had to remember to bodys swerve the puddle. With this stuff there hasn't been an more puddles. Do set it to spam though as the offers are relentless.

Get another tray so they have one each. And there is supposed to be a spare too. Dotted about so they can use whichever one they feel safe to go in at the time. Try different litter in each?

I couldn’t put her outside overnight, it’s still frosty overnight and in minus temperatures in some places.

Is she constipated if there has been a change in diet? Mine visited her tray (with no success) and then was dragging her bum along the floor trying to get stuck poo to come out of her bum, wee soul. That’s why I ended up with poo outwith the tray. She started in the tray but didn’t finish there! Perhaps yours is doing that too? You could try more wet food to see if it helps? Or an additional water bowl somewhere if she doesn’t feel safe to go drink. Is she eating ok? If the other cat is bullying her it could explain the issues.