I truly second this. Cats don’t understand their body is causing the problem, so they avoid the environment where the pain occurs. If they keep going for soft surfaces, get a new box and put a sacrificial towel in it with litter underneath in a different location than the old one. You can slowly pull back the towel when they are being treated for the problem, and then make slow adjustments to put the box back in the old location.
My cat did the same thing, and I was losing my mind before I realized it was an infection and she was peeing blood. Afterward treatment, I bought a cranberry supplement for cats, urinary food (doesn’t have to be the super expensive vet stuff, retail is also fine), and added wet food to her evening meals. She hasn’t had an issue since (8+ years).
I truly second this. Cats don’t understand their body is causing the problem, so they avoid the environment where the pain occurs. If they keep going for soft surfaces, get a new box and put a sacrificial towel in it with litter underneath in a different location than the old one. You can slowly pull back the towel when they are being treated for the problem, and then make slow adjustments to put the box back in the old location.
My cat did the same thing, and I was losing my mind before I realized it was an infection and she was peeing blood. Afterward treatment, I bought a cranberry supplement for cats, urinary food (doesn’t have to be the super expensive vet stuff, retail is also fine), and added wet food to her evening meals. She hasn’t had an issue since (8+ years).