Cat not using it's litterbox?

[errrratic]

We got a cat about a year or two ago and we didn't have many problems with her. Recently, though, she has been having accidents throughout the house and it's to the point where we can't take it and are considering giving her up (although I'd prefer not to as she's extremely attached to me).
I've been trying to think of what the cause may be, in order to find a solution. She is slightly overweight, she loves attention. And there are three other cats in the house sharing the same box - a closed area one. We just put her in the downstairs to keep the messes in an area that isn't as important and we put a spare, open litterbox downstairs - in case her weight is being the issue with the closed one.
She's been acting kind of funny though. She wouldn't come up to me today at all and actually ran from me when I walked up to her. So, I decided to go downstairs for a bit and shower her with attention - also giving me reason to show her the new box for her, in hopes she actually uses it. For some reason, she hates going downstairs though.

I really don't want to give her up, but we can't stand the messes all around the house.
I suggested a visit to the vet, but my mother has refused so far.
Any ideas on what the issue could be or things we could try?

[Edit by Stephanie - I'm moving this to the Pets forum as it should be more suited there and hopefully you'll get some more appropriate responses there. :)]

[SimplyComplex]

Hey,

I'm no vet or cat expert but this sounds somewhat like what my cat was going through. We have another cat living with us and we assumed she was peeing to be dominant. She would have accidents everywhere. So we tried cleaning her litter box a few times a day, but she continued to pee. Have you noticed if your cat has been urinating much more than usual? My cat was and she began eating less too. So, we took her to the vet and found her blood sugar was too high and she had a form of diabetes. After that, the doctor gave her an anti-biotic and we put her on a special diet. (She is a tad over weight). Her blood sugar rating went down and she is beginning to lose weight. So, we might not even have to give her the medications diabetic animals need.

I'm simply suggesting it might be like my cats condition. You should maybe look more into the amounts she is urinating or defecating and any other abnormalities and maybe make an appointment to see a vet. We were told that, caught early enough, cats have a tendency to grow out of diabetes to a point where a simple change in diet and exercise can be the cure to having to buy expensive medications etc.

I hope this at least gave you a starting point to consider thinking about. : ) Take care.

[i_am_me_again]

Hiya

I dont want to scare you...but...

Have you considered your cat being pregnant.? Maybe she could be diabetic. Or even have a bladder problem?

I really think you should consider a vet though. Try to explain to your mum that if you were ill you'd see a doctor....well your cat could be ill and needs to see a vet.

Hope things go well and I really hope your cat turns out to be well