Why Is My Cat Not Using the Litter Box? Part 1: Medical Issues

When your cat doesn’t use their litter box, they’re trying to tell you something is wrong in their life. And it’s our job to figure that out and fix it for them. 

The first step is always to take your cat to the vet. Urinary issues can be life-threatening for cats. If the vet determines the cause of the inappropriate elimination is not medical, then you can start on the behavioral detective work to figure out what is wrong.

This is part 1 in a series on litter box issues.

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About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends is working to end the killing of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters in part by getting more pets out of shelters and into loving homes.

We’ve come a long way since the first known city reached no-kill in 1994, and now we’re closer than ever to making the entire country no-kill. Today, roughly 2,500 shelters are no-kill throughout the U.S. — and 700 more are just 100 pets or fewer away from reaching that milestone.

Best Friends is committed to working with passionate people like you to save homeless pets through adoption, volunteering, fostering, and advocacy. In addition to our lifesaving centers around the U.S, we also founded and run the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals.

Working together, we can save homeless pets in our communities and secure a better future for our best friends. Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill.