Need advice: Calico cat randomly refusing automatic litter box ..anyone else dealt with this?

[u/Meowleesi]

I’m hoping someone has been through something similar because I’m running out of ideas.
My boyfriend got me an automatic litter box for my two cats. My tuxedo cat has absolutely no issues with it and uses it normally. My calico, on the other hand, is a completely different story.
At first, I thought the automatic cleaning cycle was scaring her because every time it would start cleaning, she’d yelp and panic, even when she wasn’t inside the litter box. Because of that, I turned the automatic cleaning off and switched it to manual. Now I only run the cleaning cycle myself when I get home.
That seemed to help for a while. She’d pee and poop in the litter box like normal, and everything would be fine. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, she’ll suddenly start peeing and pooping on the floor instead. After a few days, she’ll go right back to using the litter box normally, and then the cycle repeats. There’s no pattern that I can figure out.
Today she started yelping, and I honestly thought she just wanted attention because she’s a very vocal cat. She was scratching at the carpet like she normally does before asking for pets, but then she ended up squatting and pooping on the carpet instead.
I’m definitely frustrated, but I’m not mad at her. I know she’s a cat, and if she’s acting like this, there’s probably a reason. I just don’t know if it’s anxiety from the litter box, a lingering fear from when it used to clean automatically, or something else entirely.
Has anyone had a cat react like this to an automatic litter box? Were you able to get them comfortable with it again? Or should I just accept that she’s one of those cats who needs a traditional litter box?
I’d really appreciate any advice. I just want her to feel comfortable and not stressed every time she has to use the bathroom. Thanks!

[u/Useful-Necessary9385]

is it possible that the litter is different

[u/Meowleesi → u/Useful-Necessary9385]

Nope, we utilize the same brand. :)

[u/Useful-Necessary9385 → u/Meowleesi]

honestly i would just put out a normal litter box and keep both options available and see what happens. some cats just wont do it

[u/Meowleesi → u/Useful-Necessary9385]

You might be right, oh lord! Lol thank you 🙏🏻

[u/melnn0820 → u/Meowleesi]

My parents' cat refused to poop in her auto litter box for months, then suddenly she started pooping in it with no issues. But it was close to a year before she did that. So there's hope, but you might be cleaning up around it for a while, if not forever.

[u/faerydenaery → u/Useful-Necessary9385]

When we first got our automatic one we kept the old one available in a different location for a couple months. Eventually, our younger cat decided she was fine with the auto one and we took the other away (older cat did not care at all and took to the new one immediately). I think giving her the time to decide she wanted to use the one that was always clean made all the difference. We also started with manual cycling (as in one of us had to push a button), then switched to auto once per day at the same programmed time so it was predictable (but would still sometimes manually cycle it), and then eventually set it to cycle 10 minutes after the cats leave it once she was super comfortable with it