Stopped Using the Litter Box

[newwoman1959]

I have 2 cats who are littermates and are 8 years old - both are males. For some reason one has stopped pooping in his litter box, although he still urinates in the box. He usually goes right beside the box so I placed another litterbox where he was going. Now he poops elsewhere in the same room.

I crated Felix (his brother, Max, isn't having this problem) and he uses the litterbox just fine in the crate, but after a few weeks when I let him out of the crate he went back to pooping on the floor.

What the heck is going on? Does anyone know what I can do to stop this behavior? I really do NOT like keeping poor Felix in a crate.

[Freedom]

Hmm, that is a puzzler!

If he was urinating outside, it could be a UTI.

If he was going elsewhere, maybe he has some arthritis and can't get in the box. But he gets in fine for pee, just not for poop. Do you have a hood on your box? And when he is crated, is there NO hood? Maybe it is an arthritis issue, and he can stoop over with the hood on?

I can't think of anything else, just now, sorry.

[Sundance]

When we adopted Blackie, around age 8, we were told that he "occasionally" pooped outside the litterbox. Like your kitty, he would pee in the box, no problem, but sometimes he would leave a pile right outside the entrance to the box. As he got older, he did it more often until he was leaving a pile outside the entrance to the box almost every time :( We tried spraying Feliway, using Feliway dispensers, moving one box away from the others, putting in more litter or less litter, putting paper towels or aluminum foil outside the front of the box, changing the type of litter, cleaning the box as soon as he peed (when practical), and had him checked out at the vet several times, all to no avail. The weird part was he would stand and scratch around the pile as though he were covering it over. He never went anywhere else but right outside the entrance to the box. We never figured out why he did it or how to stop the habit. Blackie is at the Rainbow Bridge now after surviving years with diabetes and hyperthyroid, but I would gladly clean up his mess if he could be with us still. We miss him :( Good luck with finding a solution and please let us know what it is if you do!

[Catlady711]

Several ideas here...

1) is the consistancy of the poop dry and hard at all or have alot of hair packed in it? Reason I ask is that Jack, my megacolon cat, did that whenever the hair got too packed in, and again several times just before he was diagnosed megacolon. If the poop your cat leaves is hard, dry, and/or packed with hair a trip to the vet may be in order.

2) are you using an enzyme pet odor cleaner on the spots? If they smell anything the cat will keep using the spot.

3) is the litterbox large enough?

4) is the other cat bothering this one when he's in the box?

5) are both cats neutered?

Other than that, I don't have much for suggestions. At least be glad it's poop and not urine as that is much harder to clean up.

Good luck.

[kb2yjx]

Cats are rather finicky about their litterboxes, do you keep the boxes IMMACULATE???? Maybe he does not like the litter any more. Maybe a stool check at the vet to rule out????

[newwoman1959]

To answer all of the questions posed by your responses.
- both boys are neutered
- none of my cat boxes are covered
- Max never bothers Felix when he's in the box
- the stools are pretty firm and dry and always have been for both cats, so I guess my next step would be a trip to the vet (you know they love that)
- I keep several litter boxes, but I'm not particularly diligent about cleaning (I change the litter once each week)

I have decided to try switching to the clumping litter and see if that helps, just in case it's the smell of the urine in the box that may be causing him to go outside the box.

Felix is a great cat and this is his only problem, so whether or not I resolve this he will stay with me in my home for the rest of his life - I'll just clean up after him if I have to.

Thanks again to all.

[Medusa]

- I keep several litter boxes, but I'm not particularly diligent about cleaning (I change the litter once each week)

That could be the problem right there. I clean the litterboxes twice a day, morning and night, and more often if I see heavy traffic. Think about it, you wouldn't go for a week at a time w/out flushing your toilet. Cats are fastidious creatures and like their litterboxes clean and fresh. I hope the answer is as simple as that. Good luck. :)

[newwoman1959]

You all were right! The cats have been with me for over 8 years and never complained about the cleanliness of their litterboxes, but apparently they are becoming more demanding as they reach middle age. I switched to scoopable litter and scoop every day now. Also, I provide three litterboxes for the two cats to make sure they don't get overloaded. Today is Felix's fourth day out of the crate without a mess on the floor so it's looking good (since he went on the floor the day after I let him out last time).

I also got a laser light to exercise the boys and Felix loves it! Max thinks Felix is an idiot because he obviously knows it is NOT a mouse, bug, or anything else that needs chasing. Max just sits and watches Felix make a fool of himself. Unfortunately, Max is the heavier of my cats, but not terribly fat.

Thanks for all the suggestions, thoughts, and support.

Jacque

[kb2yjx]

Glad things worked out, and the boys are happy!!!