Our Elderly Cat Is Using The Carpet to...

[iscream]

poo. She turned 17 at Easter, and has always been a clean cat. She still plays and eats and drinks, and never urinates on the carpet.
Her litter is Yesterdays News and has been the same type most of her life
Her litter box is down stairs, and she still uses it. But she has pooed under the dining room table several times, and she urinated in my husbands work bag, twice.
The only other time she did this was when we went on vacation and she was alone, with ds's gf popping in a couple of times a day.
Her coat is glossy, her eyes bright, nose wet, she leaps and bounds playing with her toy mouse. She is a head butting purr machine still, and talks to us still.
I think a visit to the vet to see if she has arthritis or something, making her want to avoid the stairs?
She sleeps more than usual.
Anything to worry about?

I just saw this in my threads I started.

Well, thought I'd mention we solved it. She didn't like the covered litter box apparently. We changed it for a lower one with no lid and problem solved.
Can't say I blame her really.

Can I ask, how long had you had the covered litter tray? Our old man (21) has had a covered litter tray all his life, but he has recently started to use everywhere but the litter tray to poo (not wee, funnily enough). Wondering if we should change the tray

The covered trays require the cat to step up more to get into them, so it could be stiffness and arthritis preventing him wanting to use it. You could place an open one with shallow sides next to it, and see if he uses it?
21 years, a great age :)

Thank you , I will try that. He is very stiff nowadays, poor chap, but he does his best

So sorry, I forgot I posted this. How is your cat SleepyButAwake ? We had only had the covered litter box for a year maybe? I think it is possible she has trouble stepping into it, as she has begun to have accidents right beside the box, or half in the box, and half out. But she stopped going on the carpet at least. My oldest son said cats often urinate on vinyl or leather things, like sports bags, or back packs, if they are on the floor. So dh keeps his new work bag off the floor now, and she hasn't gone near it.

I am getting her a heated bed next week, hope that will be more comfy than the stereo, and she won't have to jump up to access it.