If your Ragdoll suddenly stops using the litter box the first thing you need to rule out is a medical problem. Have your cat checked out by your veterinarian; once the vet gives your cat a clean bill of health you are ready to address a behavioral problem.
Don’t procrastinate resolving the problem. The longer you allow your cat to continue an undesirable behavior the more difficult it will become to correct. You will need to get to the root of the matter to find out why your cat is behaving this way; if you have ruled out medical reasons by having your cat checked out by the veterinarian it is a behavioral problem you need to correct.
The problem could be a simple; if you have not been keeping the box clean enough for your cat, cleaning the box more frequently could solve the problem. Observing your cat’s behavior might help you establish a pattern when problem occurs: is your cat doing this at a certain time of day, after a meal, is something else going on when it happens? Do you have company or children in the house? If you can isolate whatever is triggering this behavior in your Ragdoll you will be one step closer to correcting it.
If your cat has made a habit of going in the same spot, you will need to eliminate the temptation to keep going in that spot. Urine scent in your carpet is a billboard proclaiming “Go Here!” to your cat. You will need to thoroughly clean the area with an enzyme based pet urine cleaning solution. You may want to clean this area more then once to ensure the smell is removed. You will want to block the offended area off from your cat until the problem is resolved.
You can help return you cat to the litter box by giving it a thorough cleaning. If your litter box is in a high traffic area, consider moving it to an area where you can could have more privacy. Make sure the litter you are using is not overwhelming your cat with heavy perfumes and make sure your cat is not too big to use the box comfortably.
If you are having trouble identifying the source of your cat’s litter box problems, try identifying possible stressors in your cat’s life. Stress can come from a variety of sources: other pets, children, changes in your routine, and the dog outside your cat’s window are all potential sources of stress. Disputes with other animals over territory are a common source of litter box problems. You can often rectify disputes over territory by providing more than one litter box; some cats are very particular and do not want anyone else using their litter box.
Something to consider when trying to get at the root of your litter box problem is that you could be neglecting your cat. Do you spend enough time playing with your Ragdoll cat each day? Your problems with the litter box could be a cry for attention.
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My Ragdoll is showing aggressive behaviour towards our Persian cat after having gotten along for over a year very well. I put them down together in the lower level of the house at night. Can I continue this ?