My bengal just will not poop in his litter box. I have 4 cats including him, the 3 older ones go outside and don't use the litter boxes. I decided to keep my bengal an inside cat. I have 3 litter boxes now and he only pees in them. He poops right next to them. He did have bloody stools when I got him so I took him to the vet, he ended up having some kind of parasite from the water the previous owner had. So they gave me some meds and that cleared up. Then there was a time where he would sometimes go in the box and times he wouldn't. I took him to the vet again and they didn't find anything wrong and told me to get a bigger box, so I did and he seemed to like it for a few weeks. He then continued sometimes using it. I read that I should get another one so I got the same one, same litter, again he used it for a few weeks and stopped altogether, except for pee. He poops every morning next to the box. I feed him grain-free food, I bought him a water fountain and I treat him every time he uses the box, I just don't know what else to do.

I have 2 young male bengals and I have noticed that they segregate the boxes. 2 for pee and one for poo. They will never poop outside the box, but one will intermittently pee elsewhere if he is feeling that way inclined. Cat pee is such a horrible thing to have to deal with - especially if it has been a few days till you notice it! As long as he is peeing where he should be you are winning in my eyes! Just wondering though, how do you manage to keep 1 indoor cat with several outdoor? Maybe he is pooping in protest!

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Bengals can be very precious about their litter box! Mine also like one for poo and one for wee. One Bengal is less fussy than the other though. Jagger will not use a tray if it has been used at all without being scooped out first. But I wouldn't want to use a toilet if it had been used and not flushed so I kind of get that I also had to change the type of litter and location for him. These are all things you need to look at - where you want the litter box may not be where he would like it positioned!

Sometimes, if I can see he needs the tray but won't get in it (he will get in and out and get agitated), then if it is clean, I just put some fresh litter on top and then he will use it.

Are you absolutely certain the other cats don't use the litter trays at all? That could also upset him if he considers the trays his as he is the only indoor cat. Jagger will guard the one we now have in the hall from Hendrix if he thinks he is going to use it. If the weather is bad, both of mine will use their trays if they don't fancy going out.

Stress is something you need to consider as well. How is the relationship between your cats? Stress can be difficult to work out, so you need to watch them all very carefully and how they interact. Have a read of Cat v Cat by Pam Johnson-Bennett - its a must have for multi cat households.

Litter box etiquette is a minefield!! Good luck!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

I would say that the most likely reason for him accepting a new box but rejecting a few week old box would be smell. It sounds to me like you probably have a fussy kitty who, when it gets to a certainly level of smelliness, will reject the box.

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The little monsters 3

If he pees in the box, it's not an aversion to the box or litter. In most cases, a cat needs more space for a poop than a pee. They dig a hole to China and then try to scoot over it to poop and then need the are to cover it up. My bengal does not dig to pee at all. He goes in the box, squats, pees and then tries to cover it up. What do you consider a "larger" litter box? It may not be large enough still. The fact that he goes next to the current box proves that the area is good for him. You might want to get a larger storage bin and try that. Make sure it covers the area he currently is using and see if he will hop in and go. For some cats, you can't get a large enough litter box.

However, know that this is much more common in a multi-pet household. I'm not blaming your other kitties, but the environment (noisy, lots of cat commotion) may be contributing.

The one who will intermittently pee outside the box is soooo precious about it.....I once saw him go into the litter box, root around, come out and then go for a wee in my washing basket. This was the closest I ever came to strangling him!