Hi everyone! My 15 year old boy Charlie and I recently moved apartments, we’ve been at the new place for about 5 days now so definitely a recent move. I’ve only had Charlie for just over a year but he’s a really chill cat and had no accidents when I brought him home the first time so I figured this time would be the same. 

Unfortunately, he keeps trying to pee and poo in my carpeted bedroom. I’ve been closing the door to that room for most of the day, but I leave it cracked at night because he likes to sleep with me for some of the night. A few days ago I caught him peeing on a pair of my pants that were on the floor, and last night he tried pooping in an empty corner of the room. Luckily he scratched at the carpet beforehand and that woke me up so I was able to shove a blanket under him to catch most of it (he has chronic diarrhea that he is under treatment for so I’d rather not have him poop on the carpet lol). 

He does only have one litter box in my apartment, but he did fine with just one last time and even my vet in the past said 2 was probably unnecessary since we live in such a small space. I’d be happy to add a temporary litterbox to my bedroom, but where he’s going isn’t a very convenient location and I’m worried it’d become a permanent box. He uses his main litterbox in the living room just fine when the bedroom is closed, it’s only when it’s open that he tries to go in there to use the bathroom instead. I’ve had a Feliway diffuser in my bedroom since we moved in, this is the first time using Feliway so could that be making him want to mark in there? Sounds like an opposite reaction than what is expected though.

This seems like this is just a stress response due to the recent move, is there anything I can do to help him through this and adjust to the new space without sacrificing my new carpet? Thanks!

Senior cat trying to go to bathroom in carpeted bedroom after moving apartments. Any tips to get him to stop?