Hang on, hang on! I think this is an easy fix!

1. Take her to the vet. She is exhibiting symptoms of a bladder infection. It's painful and can be treated with medicine.

2. While she is there, make plans to get her spayed. Unspayed cats have greater chances of getting various diseases, like certain cancers.

3. Get her spayed. She will be healthier and happier.

4. If you want kittens, go to the local animal shelter, where millions are euthanized because there are too many to place in homes.

Good luck!

As suggested by elly_nj, get her to the vet right off. She could have cystitis, which is extremely painful and can kill her. And PLEASE spay her!

AFTER her vet clears her, take a look at the cleaning products that you use. You could be poisoning her.

Think about it from the cat's perspective. You stated that you take pride in a clean home that smells good-so I'm guessing that you are using toxic things with the added problem of heavy fragrances. Remember, cats are built low to the ground. Fumes are difficult to escape. Also, your cat washes herself with her tongue, thereby ingesting whatever she washes off of her fur and feet. There are many ways to clean and disinfect your home without using such potent toxins. She may simply be offended by the cleaning products that you use. Cats don't tolerate perfumes. Are you using scented litter? Don't. You clean the litterpan daily anyway, so you don't need rubbish to mask any smells. Scented litters are a marketing ploy designed to make you think that your home reeks of cat. They are repulsive to cats and can even be harmful to sensitive cats. Oh, and don't fall for the all-to-common misconception that 'green' or 'organic' or 'natural' cleansers are safe. They are still comprised of concentrations that can be very harmful.

Next step is to clean the peed-on places thoroughly to remove all traces of urine. There are excellent enzymatic cleansers on the market for that purpose. I tried everything from plain white vinegar (which seems to entice male cats to pee where it's been used) to cheap vodka (which made the place smell kind of funny for a long time but the cats stopped paying attention to the spots where it had been used) to several of the available enzymatic cleansers. Enzymatics win hands down. I urge you to treat the spots, let them dry then treat again. They actually have a pleasant light fragrance that isn't as offensive as the heavy cleaning products. For most cleaning, plain hot soapy water is great, and baking soda is little short of miraculous for smell control.

Next. You cat would rather use door jambs than her scratching post. You have a few options. Apparently she likes the feeling of wood under her claws and a tall stretch when scratching. You can get her a log and set it upright. I have cats who won't touch a carpet covered post but are thrilled to have a log to dig into. I have others who prefer sisal fabric and sisal rope wrapped round a post. Make certain that the post is large and sturdy. The teensy posts you get at the big box stores aren't worth a hill of beans. You can buy simple little boards covered in sisal that are cheap and much loved. You can hang them from the door knob, you can lay them flat, you can place them on a step so they're slanted. See which placement you cat likes the most. Some cats like to stretch vertically (yours probably does) so a good stout tall post is ideal. Scratching is exercise and a natural behaviour.

Once you have addressed these steps, and inappropriate littering issues are still a concern, then it's time to examine the psychological aspect of your cat's surroundings. Is she assailed by the children when she'd rather watch from a distance? Does the noise level upset her? Does your cleaning routine bother her? Does she have a favourite person in the home with whom she prefers to play and snuggle? Encourage that person to give her plenty of attention.

There are so many possibilities. These tend to be the most common factors that result in cat littering problems.

I hope that this is helpful. I learned the hard way about toxic chemical use around the home. I'd like that it not be so traumatic for you. Good luck, and please don't get rid of the cat without giving her a chance.

IF she checks out okya, then you need to do a couple of things, one, close all the bedroom doors when you are not in there. Two put shower curtains - you can get really cheapo ones - and cover the bed she is eliminating on, as for the rugs, same thing, cover them. Chances are really good this is an infection and once it clears up she should go back to using her box. Good Luck

I had an cat that was unspayed because she was an indoor cat with no contact with intact males. All the rest of the cats had been altered. When this cat reached the age when estrus occurred, she would pee in odd places like the clean laundry folded in a basket, on the beds, or climb up into the mail sorting trays in the office and do it on the correspondence. I really believe that had she been spayed early this would not have ever occurred. There were medical reasons at the time I'd have normally spayed her was why it was put off. Yes, I did get her spayed and the odd peeing stopped. And yes, cystitis can cause the same routine. Have her checked for infection and whether you keep her or not, invest in getting her spayed for the next person who does take her. It's a very taxing and frustrating event for a female cat who is in her cycle not to be able to mate and they tend to cycle in frequently. My poor kitty ended up with an ovarian cyst. It could have been prevented entirely by spaying her.

I'll throw in my .02- first off get her examined and spayed and see if that fixes the issue (as has already been stated- the world does not need more kittens). An intact cat has so much sexual frustration, they just don't know what to do with themselves at times.

If after you have her spayed she is still having issues, my next question would be what the ages of your kids are? You speak of possibly wanting another, so I'm guessing they are young? I've read that sometimes cats don't respond well to crawlers- they don't realize these are people and feel threatened by what they think is another animal in the house. This issue will often arise at the time a little one begins to crawl.

As someone who has cats and a young child, I think it's important for cats to have a place to escape from the affections of children. As sweet as kids can be with cats, they can also be stressful to them.

First and foremost, get her spayed- everyone will be happier for it!

Good luck.

It has all been said....... if she is intact, get her spayed !! Especially when she has no outdoor outlet for her frustrations. Cystitis is definitely a possibility but I bet it is probably more of a psychological issue. I have had cats for over 40 years and the only time I have had issues with cats not using litter boxes was when they were stressed or intact beyond a youthful age. I have even taken in feral cats who never saw a litter box and they happily adapted with the exception of ONE !! This cat was very much like yours, but at a much younger age.... we had her spayed to no avail.....of course we are in a multi cat household so I assumed she did not like using another cat's litter box so I gave her one of her own...in a secluded place where only she could use it...no luck..... we had almost given up after months of experiments when I found a cat litter at Petsmart that was labeled for use with cats who were hard to litter train.......IT WORKED !!......now she is well adapted, all the previous areas have been cleaned with enzyme cleaners several times and life is good again.....she even uses the other litter boxes now..... do not give up on her, I have never had a cat who did not know how to withdraw from child attention that was unwarranted so I bet you can stop worrying about the children harassing her.....as long as they are not in constant hot pursuit, she will make herself unavailable when she has had enough.

I agree with the rest concerning kittens....if you decide on kittens...adopt....save a life ....and keep your current kitty healthier by having her spayed......good luck

Did anyone mention the location of the litter box? Is it in a private place? Is it covered? Is there more than one? I've heard that you need one more box than you have cats. I agree that a trip to the vet is the number one action to take and to make an appointment to have the cat spayed. Too many kitties without homes in this world. Please don't add to the problem.

It's been a week and the OP hasn't gotten back to us. I wonder what happened.

>It's been a week and the OP hasn't gotten back to us. I wonder what happened.

Considering that the OP created an account the same day that she posted, and hasn't posted elsewhere or since, I guess it'll remain a mystery.