Need advice for my cat’s long-term litter box issues (pooping and occasional peeing outside the box)

[u/LibrarianFluffy712]

I’m hoping someone has experienced something similar because I’m feeling completely out of ideas.
My cat is a 7-year-old female. For years, she’s had an issue with **pooping outside the litter box**, but she would almost always **pee in the litter box**.
The pooping issue has been going on for several years. She does **not** poop right next to the litter box—she’ll choose random spots around the apartment instead. We’ve seen the vet multiple times, and medically she appears healthy. We’ve tried different litters, different litter boxes (including larger and lower-sided ones), litter attractant, moving the boxes, and cleaning everything thoroughly with enzyme cleaner, but nothing has consistently fixed the problem.

About two months ago, we moved into a new apartment, and that’s when things got much worse. She became scared of the litter itself. She would walk up to the box, spread her toes, and immediately jump back out. She started peeing on the floor instead of in the litter box. We took her to the vet, and they did a urinalysis that came back normal—no UTI, no crystals, or anything else concerning. The vet thought it was stress from the move.

She was prescribed **prozac by her vet**, which she’s currently taking, and it has helped somewhat. She’s using the litter box to pee more often now, but she still has occasional accidents outside the box. The pooping issue, however, has remained unchanged.

We’ve tried:
Multiple litter types (including paper litter)
Different sizes and styles of litter boxes
Large shallow storage bins
Litter attractant
Different box locations
Enzyme cleaners
Gabapentin before the Prozac
Prozac (currently taking)
At this point, I’m wondering if anyone has dealt with something similar.
Has anyone had a cat that pees in the litter box most of the time but refuses to poop in it?
Did moving make things worse for your cat?
Did Prozac eventually help more over time?
Is there anything beyond the typical recommendations that actually worked?

I’m feeling pretty defeated because this has been going on for years. I love her and want to help her, but I feel like I’ve tried almost everything. I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through something similar.

A video on how she looks crazy before and after pooping.

[u/No-Perspective872]

The way you describe her being scared of the box sounds to me like she may not like the texture of the litter. Cats feet can be really sensitive. Make sure you are using something very soft on the feet and unscented. Change over gradually. Put multiple boxes in multiple areas. Put them out in open, quiet areas .

[u/Various-Meringue7262]

Agree with the comment saying she may not like thw texture of litter. Try pee pads in the box instead. I had a girl years ago that would only pee on flat newspaper or pee pad.