one of my cats uses area rugs for a litterbox. I have a multi cat household , I use large shallow tubs for litter boxes and they are cleaned daily. I am only having problems with one cat
Obviously, the throw rug seems more natural to the cat than a litter box does. Get a new litter box, and place it on the throw rug. Also, make sure it has a different type of litter in it. This can be clumping/non clumping, scented/non scented, shallow/deep, and the such. My uneducated guess is that your scat cat, is just wanting a place all it's own... ;) More litter boxes and scooping more than ONCE a day is necessary for this finicky cat. Hope this helps,
Some cats just have certain things they like to go potty on. My cat is very good about using the litter box and won't potty on anything else-UNLESS it's a plastic bag. One time I left a new pillow still in the plastic on the top shelf of my closet-he got up there and peed on it. It's just his thing. Don't have throw rugs, or maybe spray the rugs with one of those anti-cat sprays and see if he starts to hate it. Also, once a cat pees on something, that smell is there forever and he will continue to pee in that same spot unless you clean it really really really well.
My sister has a cat that will potty on rugs or towel left on the floor. It is just a behavior quirk. I suggest not having rugs.
what are you cleaning the rugs with afterwards? if it is an ammonia based cleaning product it is likely to attract the cat, who is probably marking his(?) territory. Is he happy within the group of cats, or does he scrap/is he picked on by the others? The easiest way to stop this is to remove the rugs for a few weeks then put them back to see whether the habit is broken. If not you may need to resign yourself to a life without rugs.
Make sure you are using unscented litter. Some cats will refuse to use a litter box with scented litter. Another litter box in a private location may be necessary. For a multi-cat home, you really should have litter boxes in more than one location.
