9 year old cat has started pooping on the floor just outside the litter box? Why & how to stop her.?

She is having a hard time reaching the box because she already has to go before she realizes it.

That or she is mad or annoyed about something in her box. It might not be clean. You need to clean that box daily or they get pissed.

First, whenever there is a sudden change in behavior, consider that it might be a medical problem. Take your cat to the veterinarian for a good examination. Be sure to tell your veterinarian about the house-soiling problem. If your cat gets a clean bill of health, here are a few things you can consider:

Litter cleanliness: Be sure you keep the litter box very clean. Cats are clean animals and some may want their box meticulous. This may mean scooping 1-2 times daily and/or changing the entire material every 3-4 days.

Litter box location: Check around where the litter box is to be sure that there is not something about the location that the cat may find a problem. This could be a noisy appliance, people walking by, the dog approaching, nearby children playing, or other cats in the household.

Disharmony between housemates: In a home with multiple cats, there may be subtle underlying tensions that may make one or more cats anxious. This could lead to non-litter box usage.

Continued use of one particular material: If your cat has been eliminating outside of the litter box for some time, it may have developed a preference for another material besides litter. If you think this is the case, consult your veterinarian for help or a referral to a veterinary behaviorist or an applied animal behaviorist.

Chances are pretty good that your cat has worms and once you get the worm problem cured the cat will go back to using the litter box again. One type of worm that is really easy to find is tape worm. As soon as your cat has a bowel movement check the fur around the butt. If you see something that looks about 1/2 the size of a grain of rice and is either white or yellow in color your cat has tape worm and will need to get treated for it here is a site for a pill that should take care of the problem: http://www.vetamerica.com/feline-tape-worm-tabs-pr... now that we covered that if your cat doesn't show any signs of tape worm you need to collect a fresh fecal sample and take it to the vet to be examined. Since hook worms, round worms and other little nasty things can only be seen under a microscope only a vet can really determine if the cat in question has these types of worms and a shot is needed to kill them.

Sometimes cats don't handle change very well. They act out just like kids. If you have changed something like the litter box or just move the box. It could be something not pertaining to the litter or the box, maybe something changed in your household like a new member or who knows something has changed and she it not happy.

When she does it outside the box, move it to the box. Try changing to a different type of litter. Try a bigger box, she might feel confined.

she might not be able to controle it and just has to when every she does get get her put her in the litter box and if she tries to leave put her back till she goes

Try changing the litter type it might have a smell she does not like.