Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
My cat, Andy, is a 2-1/2 year old tabby. He is unneutered because I haven’t had the money (I know I’m a bad “mother” in that respect). He eats well, is playful, all that good stuff. The problem is that he has developed a habit of not using his litter box to poop. It is clearly not the litter or the box, which I scoop daily, sometimes twice a day, because he pees in there just fine. But he insists on pooping elsewhere… under a living room table, just outside his box, even on my bed (ewwwwwww). Why is he doing this and what can I do to make him stop?
~ Toni
Siouxsie: There are a few reasons why cats will poop outside the litterbox, even if they’re content to pee in the litter.
Thomas: You’ve certainly eliminated (tee hee hee) one of those reasons because you’re scooping and cleaning it daily.
Bella: We always suggest a vet check when cats start doing their business outside the litterbox. Sometimes pain can cause difficulties in maintaining the “poop squat” — which is different rom the pee squat.
Siouxsie: Another question: How big is Andy? If he’s a large cat and you’re using a regular-sized litterbox, it could be too small for him to feel comfortable in the pooping position.
Thomas: If he’s a long-haired cat, he may be getting poop in his bloomers when he uses the litterbox, and maybe using the floor helps to alleviate that problem.
Bella: But we think the most likely culprit for Andy’s pooping problem is territorial stress.
Siouxsie: Given that he’s not neutered, he may be feeling threatened by another cat in the neighborhood.
Thomas: The fact that he’s pooped on your bed gives us a big clue that the behavior may be about territorial stress. The bed is your territory, and his. If there’s somebody new in your bed, he may be feeling like he’s no longer welcome there. Hey, it’s been known to happen!
Bella: Pooping under tables can also be a territorial insecurity gesture. Is that living room table anywhere near a window, by any chance? If so, Andy may be seeing an intruder kitty outside and responding to that by pooping to mark his territory.
Siouxsie: Pooping next to the litterbox is another way to claim territory. If the litterbox is near a door or laundry room, he may be smelling something that’s making him think his territory is being intruded upon.
Thomas: Can you remember when Andy first started pooping outside his box? Was there a pattern to the pooping? For example, did he start in one place and then expand his leavings to other locations?
Bella: You might not know this, but we cats are very sensitive to changes in our lives. We prefer to have a routine we know and understand, and when new things come into our live, it can be quite upsetting!
Siouxsie: Did something change in your life shortly before Andy began his inappropriate elimination? Did you start a new job, start using new laundry detergent, get a boyfriend or girlfriend, or have a visitor for a while? Changes in routine and smells can cause stress.
Thomas: So, what can you do about the problem?
Bella: The first thing we’d recommend is checking into low-cost or free spay/neuter clinics in your area. SpayUSA has a comprehensive listing of clinics and voucher programs that can help you to have Andy fixed at a price you can afford.
Siouxsie: Your local animal shelter or rescue group may also be able to connect you with spay/neuter services.
Thomas: If Andy is pooping near windows, try covering the bottom two feet of the window with cardboard so he can’t see other cats outside. If you have a back yard or a deck, you can buy cat deterrents; products like motion-activated sprayers and motion-activated ultrasonic emitters can make it unpleasant for trespassing cats.
Bella: You’ll need to get a good cleaner to really deep-clean the poop smells out of Andy’s deposit locations. Even if you don’t smell the poop anymore, your kitty, with his exquisitely sensitive nose, does, and that’ll make him want to refresh his scent.
Siouxsie: We’ve had great luck with an enzyme cleaner called Anti-Icky-Poo, and a number of our blogging friends swear by Fizzion, a carbon dioxide-based cleaner. Both of these products are available through online outlets and sometimes in pet stores as well.
Thomas: To be honest, Mama hasn’t had much luck finding either of these products in pet superstores or smaller independent stores, but it’s worth trying.
Bella: And for any territorially stressed cat, Feliway is your (and his) best friend!
Siouxsie: This stuff releases “happy cat” pheromones into the air and helps de-stress your kitty. It comes in spray and plug-in diffuser form. We’d recommend a diffuser and a spray for you. Use the diffuser in the room where your cat likes to hang out, and use the spray in the places where he’s pooped — spray it at about nose height. Don’t spray or plug the diffuser in near the litterbox, though!
Thomas: Using Feliway in the pooping places will help Andy start feeling less stressed in those locations and may help to reprogram his mind not to use those places as litterboxes.
Bella: This product is also labeled Comfort Zone with Feliway. Mama’s seen them for sale in pet stores, vets’ offices, and online, so it should be easy for you to get your hands on that.
Siouxsie: We’ve had great luck with Feliway. It’s helped us through house moves, vet visits and shelter stress, so we think it’ll help Andy, too.
Thomas: Good luck, Toni. Please let us know how things turn out!
JaneA Kelley is a punk rock cat mom and award-winning blogger. She is a regular columnist for Catster Magazine, and she and the Paws and Effect Gang share a home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
My big cat is the opposite, he pees everywhere! oN the counters, on the stove… we have 13 cats and 6 litter boxes, 3 of which are big enough for hiim to fit his fat butt into. I may get the enzyme cleaners and try cleaning everything!!
Omg, with 13 cats you need a minimum of 13 litter boxes! Some cars pee in one and poo in another. I’ve seen mine go from one box to another until they “like” a box and do their business in it. It’s actually recommended two boxes per cat because of this. I presently have 11 cats, and boxes in 3 separate areas of our house, basement and one in each bedroom (because I have to sequester 3 cats to feed them separate from the others. Peeing can be a sign of stress also. 13 is a lot of cats, as is 11, ESP since we have a small house.
Also I’ve found some cats like coveted boxes, others uncovered. Also a change in litter can be an issue, my hate perfumed litter. A make even neutered will spray/mark. Sounds like he’s really stressed…an issue I have with one here too. I give him extra space from another male that annoys him and give extra, extra attention. Though I’d def suggest more boxes!
13 kitties? Holy crap (pun intended).
Stress huh? But from what? I live in an apartment. He won’t jump up on the window sills to look out. And if I hold him and walk to the windows he wiggles out of my arms, scared. He’s an only “child”. The only stresser could be that he’s alone all day until I get home from work. Poor baby. I wish I could bring him with me.
Try leaving a radio on, I read that in a cat book years ago. I’ve bought a bird song CD and play that on repeat in my CD player. Also The Cat Daddy has some flower essences, I’ll try and find the link and post it. I’ve used some before, they can work.
Stress can be any thing new in your environment, CHS he of schedule, anything. Cats are über sensitive.
I had a similar problem with my cat and found that he didn’t like the recommended 2-3 inches of litter in the box. He only wants less than an inch of litter or he poops outside the box. It’s worth a try to reduce the amount of litter in the box to see if it helps your cat.
Or increase litter, mine like more.
Marty & Debbie: Well, it can’t hurt to try both ways. I’ll give it a shot. BTW, Debbie is Andy’s auntie. She loves him to pieces too. I keep checking my apartment every time she leaves after a visit with her son cuz they keep threatening to catnap him. LOL.
The Kitties and commenters Debbie and Jill have all given you very good advice. I would also add that one of my feline family members (we have 4) likes to pee in one box and poo in another. Why? Beats me, but it works for her so I keep two littler boxes downstairs along with another one upstairs. Another of the feline family sometimes uses puppy pee pads., which are right next to the litterbox. Again, I don’t know why. He never uses the pee pad near the back door for dog emergencies. Getting your guy neutered will help him be a little more relaxed (although it will take a month or two) and that will help him feel less territorial . You’ll be amazed at how much getting him fix will help. If you can’t find a low cost program, ask a vet. Sometimes they’ll give you a break on the price, especially if they have an opening on the day they preform those surgeries. It never hurts to ask. Good luck with your little pooper.
Thank you for that, Dorothy. Andy does have two boxes and he’s kind of big … long, weighs about 10 pounts… so his boxes are a good size.
“Little pooper” … too funny.
Toni
The one suggestion I forgot, neutering him…yes there may be a low cost spay/neuter clinic in your area. I find my holistic vet here charges less than the standard vet clinics too. Also if there is a vet school in your area, they may have reduced rates?
Thank you my lovely and talented feline friends. I will run out and get the Felway product for my little prince … he’s SUCH a mushfash :) and get back to you on how well it works (or not). As for when he started this problem? I realized in thinking about it that he has done this … on and off… for about as long as I’ve had him. He had stopped for a while and then started again.
Stay tuned.
That stuff didn’t work for a friend with several cats…the squabbling and hissyfits continued.
Xoxo
Shame on you ! There are many services that offer inexpensive spring and neutering
That should have read, “SPAYING”
Spirit Essences by Jackson Galaxy I’ve heard is good.
first & foremost, please get to the vet for a check-up. when my cat started doing this, it turned out he had cancer.
Me & my wife have a six month kitten who has started pooping on the Window seal in the kitchen in the same place & we don’t know why, she’s a happy kitten & very playful, she used her litter box till about a week ago & she still pees in the litter box, we’re 1st time cat owners & we just don’t know what to do about this!! Can someone please help us? 1st time cat lovers!!!