My cat doesn't use the litter box at night

by Cassidy

My male cat, who is three months old, uses his litter box on a daily basis, but at night when we are asleep he pees and poops on the carpet. I clean the litter box every day and have recently emptied it. I do not know any solutions. Please help!!

My thoughts: If he's using the litter box faithfully during the day, I wonder what's different about his situation at night?

I'm assuming he doesn't have a medical condition that gets worse at night? I'm also assuming there are no other animals in or near the house, especially at night.

When it comes to litter box problems for all cats, stress can be a big factor. When it comes to kittens or elderly cats, not having a litter box close by can be a factor.

What's different about night versus day? Is something causing fear, stress, or discomfort?

Cats can see in very low light, but if it's too dark, that could be a problem. I use nightlights to make sure Jazzy the Wonder Cat always has enough light for his night time litter box adventures.

Is your kitten spending time far away from the litter box at night? Maybe he doesn't have the best timing or control and the litter box is on the other side of the house.

If so, this might cause accidents. He's a little old for accidents to be caused by this, but it's worth thinking about. Adding another box in that part of the house might be revealing.

Do you lock him out of the bedroom while you sleep? If so, maybe this is stressing him out and frustrating him because he wants to be close to you. Try giving him free access to the bedroom at night and see if things change.

You could also stay up with him all night and see what his behavior is like. Then, the next night, you could try staying up very late and then going to bed. If it only happens when you go to bed, that would tell you what the stress trigger is.

Feliway may help if stress is involved, and Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra Litter Attractant added to the litter may help make the box more attractive to your cat.

If none of that works, you can try isolation retraining until he's using the box 100 percent of the time.

Please let us know how it goes with him.
-Kurt