Toilet trouble

[wh_em]

Hi,

I'm just a little bit concerned about my cat as he's been acting a bit strange in the last two months. Sometimes late at night he will howl/meow for one of us to attend to him, which is very unusual for him as he normally sleeps through the night. When we go to him he takes us down to the back door so we can tell that he must want to go out to use the toilet but we don't let him out at night. He does have a litter tray and we always direct him to it and encourage him to use it (he has been previously litter trained) but when he gets over to it he doesn't seem to know what to do.

Recently we have woken up to find he's soiled the floor in the downstairs toilet which had never happened before but then happened three times within a fortnight.

Tonight the same thing happened: he meowed for my attention and I followed him downstairs to the back door. I showed him to his litter tray but then he proceeded to take me back and forth between the back door and the toilet (where he had soiled the floor before). He then howled a few times and then finally ran to the litter tray and jumped straight in and used it.

Could he have some sort of cat dementia that causes him to forget how to use the litter tray and then suddenly remember again? Or does he dislike his litter tray but then gets so desperate to go that he has to use it regardless?

Just a little background info:
He was initially a rescue cat that lived with my grandparents and we inherited him in 2013
He's between 13-15 years old
He's been litter trained
He's neutered
His litter tray IS in the same room as his food but kept a few metres away - and they have always been in these positions (for 2.5 years)
The tray is cleaned/litter replaced regularly
There have been no big events or changes recently in the household

Thanks in advance for your help!

[lilynmitz]

Changes in toilet habits can often be an indicator of health changes, so as a first port of call I'd get him along to a vet. An annual check up and full spectrum blood tests are also a good idea for cats of his age to diagnose a wide range of conditions that start to affect cats in later life, including hyperthyroidism, which can lead to some erratic behaviour. He may also have a urinary infection, so that needs looking into as well.

Dementia is a possibility, and this is difficult to treat, other than by making minor adaptations that make life a bit less confusing for him as he develops new habits. Meanwhile, can you place a second litter tray right by the back door at night? And while you say you clean the tray out regularly, some cats don't like using even a slightly soiled tray, so the second tray is good from that aspect also.

[HomeLovingCats]

What kind of litter do you use (make and type?).