I would first rule out that he doesn't have a medical (maybe UTI) problem and then immediately go back to the litter you used in the past (before the problem started).

I'm not a fan of the paper type products and don't think they're comfortable for cats to stand on. The best litter I've found is Petco's bulk ...... a clumping litter. I find it nearly dust free, plus, my cat immediately took to it and never went back to her other litter box that had World's Best in it.

I forgot to mention in my original post that we did have him checked and the vet cleared him for any medical issues as the cause. We did switch back to the original litter and that helped some, as he was willing to use the box sometimes. But he didn't start using it again every time as we expected. Petco's bulk is the new litter I got. I was looking for something without fragrance. We have that in some boxes plus the original still in some boxes. All of them seem to use the Petco one fine, including Maverick when he's willing to use the box. It doesn't seem to be malicious or something he's trying to use to punish us. Honestly, he reminds me of a child who hasn't been potty trained. It seems like if he needs to go, he does so wherever he is. We're picking him up if we see him scratching at the floor and also after he eats and putting him in a box. Sometimes he'll use it at that point. Other times he'll jump out and a few minutes later he's used the floor. I have learned to try 2-3 times putting him back in.

At seven months he's no longer a kitten but a young cat. Even though all the cats sleep together there could be territorial issues starting to form and the signs can be subtle. Are all the cats spayed or neutered? Are any other cats around when he chooses not to pee outside the box?

One other thing you could try is a covered litter box to see if he likes the privacy but it really sounds like a behavioral issue due to interaction with the other cats.....if it's not a medical issue. One other vet question: did he culture or runs tests for a urine infection or did he just do an exam? Personally, if you're not using one already, I'd seek out a Cat Clinic so you can figure out the problem asap. Here is just one possible cause of the problem.

You wrote "He's never had any problems with using the box until about three weeks
ago. We'd been switching them to Yesterday's News (slowly) and DH
brought home a generic brand. The next morning was when we found pee for
the first time."

Why mess with sucess? Get him back on whatever he was successfully using asap - before this other becomes an entrenched habit. Then at some later date work slowwwlllly towards getting him adjusted to whatever you want to use for long term. Animals are like people - they are all individuals and if one just isnt as adaptable as the others ... well who knows why. It just is. Litter changes are a common cause of cats having problems - adult cats, young cats, all kinds. Some cats could care less about cleanliness or what the litter feels like or smells like - others are highly particular.

Just work with him before jumping to the big guns - amytriptaline, seriously? If its a learning issue and not a stress issue, how is a heavy downer drug going to help anything?

The vet did an exam as well as tests on a urine sample. He poops outside the box too, which points more to a behavior issue. We did switch them back to the regular litter. That helped some but didn't solve the problem. Sometimes he pees in the litter box and poops outside of it. Sometimes he does the reverse.

The other boys are all neutered. One of the girls is spayed. The youngest girl isn't spayed yet. She's only five months and has just now reached the four lb. weight that our vet wanted her at prior to spaying. I haven't seen any signs of territorial issues. They grew up together even before we brought them home. They play together and groom each other. We actually don't usually see when he does this or we'd redirect him to the box. Thinking back on the times we've actually seen it, some of the other cats may have been nearby, but not every time. A couple of days ago he was alone with DH in the bathroom and peed on the floor.

We have been working with him and will continue to do so. We're doing our best to resolve this issue. This has become pretty stressful for my DH and he is having some health problems of his own right now. We've agreed that we'll try everything to get him retrained and to help him. It isn't easy to try and retrain him when it mostly happens either at night or during the day when we're at work. This morning I saw him hovering near the box in the hall, so I put him in and scratched his paw. He jumped out. I put him back. He jumped out again and started scratching at the floor, which is what he always does prior. I placed him back in the box and scratched his paw again. He looked up at me as if he was confused so I scratched it again. And then he used it. Last night we saw him climb into the box and pee, though we did find poop in the floor when we got home. We found nothing this morning first thing. Later we found a puddle on the kitchen floor, which definitely happened after we woke up because I checked when when we first got up.

The amitriptyline certainly wasn't a first consideration. Actually it wasn't the first suggestion the vet made either. But if all else fails we are willing to try it. It is not, though, a downer. It's actually an antidepressant and anxiety relief medication.

We have five cats and six litter boxes, which are scooped twice daily.

How many litter boxes do you have? If you have 5 cats with one litter box, that is not enough,. I've read that you should have 1 litter box for every cat in the house. I have 2 cats, and 3 litter boxes. Cats can be territorial about their litter boxes. Your cat could be marking near the box, in order to tell the other kitties this is his bathroom. Scooping should be done twice daily, as Kittiemom states. If there is too much "stuff" in the box, he may refuse to use it. I'd switch back to whatever litter you used before the problem started, get a few more boxes and see if that helps. Also, if he is 7 months old, he could be getting sexual urges, which could make him "mark" also. Check with the vet on neutering. Good luck.

Try a box that is enclosed. Some cats like privacy. Also look at where the other cats are. Some may feel threatened if another cat hangs around near boxes. Make sure some are in different rooms.

He is neutered; this done in Aug. We've started him on the amitriptyline and that did seem to help with the peeing. Vet says it won't help with the pooping. He is, thankfully, not spraying. It's very frustrating. Sometimes he'll go for several days and not have any accidents. He did go for almost a week without peeing on the floor and for several days without pooping either. We were so hopeful! Then suddenly he started again on Friday and has done it every day since

We do have litter boxes throughout the house in various rooms. We have boxes with hoods but haven't used them because I've read that some cats don't like those because they can't see around them. He had used a non-hooded box before. I'll try putting the hood on one; it can't hurt since we have plenty.

Last night I put him in the litter box though he wasn't pawing at the floor, kind of like you take a child to the bathroom even though they say they don't have to go, and he used it then. This morning I looked for him to put him in but couldn't find him. I figured he was in the bedroom with DH and decided to wait a bit. It was still dark when I got up and since DH has been having terrible insomnia, I didn't want to wake up looking for Maverick. When DH got up, he found fresh pee in front of the closet. There's a litter box a few feet away.

I talked to the vet yesterday. He suggested that since the peeing was better and has now started again that I bring Maverick in for another UTI check. I wish I could figure out what he's trying to tell us.

I agree he should be checked again and if the UTI is negative I would go a step further and have an ultrasound done.

You've probably read lots of articles but here are two more.

Animal Hospital article and Gardenweb post.

Forgot to add this site, which is probably some of the best info around. Check out all her other articles in the right column.