Cat RUNS like crazy before POOP

[mmgregorio]

Hi. My cat runs like crazy before and after he poops. I've taken him to the vet and she says it's normal, but sometimes I think that he might be in pain or something like that, because he meows a lot before and after too. Also, he jumps into furniture, walls, etc. He really gets "wild".

Is this normal? If not, what could be causing this? Is any exam that could proof that everything's ok with him?

Thanks!

Maria

[Medusa]

No, that is not normal. I've had a lot of cats in my day and none of them behaved that way before or after using the litter box. They get wild and run and romp through the house but they're playing, not using the litter box. I'd go to another vet for a second opinion if I were you. I sure hope that your kitty is going to be ok. Please update us. :)

[lvpets2002]

:) I will agree with Mary && to that is not normal at all.. Good Luck with a New Vet & keep us posted..
No, that is not normal. I've had a lot of cats in my day and none of them behaved that way before or after using the litter box. They get wild and run and romp through the house but they're playing, not using the litter box. I'd go to another vet for a second opinion if I were you. I sure hope that your kitty is going to be ok. Please update us. :)

[Emeraldgreen]

I do have two cats that do this but only after using the box to take a poop. I feel kind of silly now because maybe it's really uncommon. I added the word 'Box Ballistic' to the Furminololgy thread and everybody must wonder what the heck I'm talking about!?! LOL

My cat Jimmy goes absolutely mental after he's used the box to poop. He comes flying out of there and finds the nearest thing to do his nails on (usually the carpeted step in our bedroom or the cat tree in the cat room). Then he flies around like a crazy man and throws toys up in the air and his tail gets completely fluffed and then he engages in a game of chase with my other cat Stinky.

Stinky is the other cat that also does this. She only does it every third or fourth time though. Not sure what makes it worthy of 'freaking out' but she races out of there like a bullet and does similar things like Jimmy. But out of all the cats we have, these are the only two that do it.
They seem super happy and playful and frisky so I haven't been worried. And now that Jimmy's IBD is under control and he is having normal poops, he freaks out even more. LOL

I do wonder about your cat racing around before and meowing. It reminds me of how a cat yowls before they throw up. Maybe you could bring in a fecal sample and get it checked?

[Catlady711]

My mom's cat and a couple of mine run around like crazy after they poop but no running around before, and no meowing before or after.

Even my megacolon cat doesn't meow when he's constipated, just grunts in the sandbox.

Hmmm, can't say I've ever heard of one that does what yours is doing.

[pomtzu]

I also had a cat that used to do this - but only after pooping in the litter box - but not every time. I always attributed it to him just feeling better. My ex used to sing an old commercial whenever he saw the cat do this. Remember the old Alka Seltzer commercial? - "plop, plop, fizz, fizz - oh what a relief it is"!!!!! :D

[Catty1]

Oscar sometimes does this - and my mom's lilac point ALWAYS does this - it's so funny!!!

Perhaps the simplest thing to do is to take a fresh sample of poop to the vet and have them do a check on it. (just turn a fresh clean baggie/ziplock bag inside out, use it like a glove to get the sample, then turn it 'right side out'. :) )

Hoping your kitty is just a nut like some of the others here. :D

ETA: I've known some cats to also meow, as if they are announcing their accomplishment!

[3Catcondo]

My 2 male cats do this. They will shoot of out the room where the litterbox is and down the stairs and act wild as a march hare!!!!! One of them also meows afterwards, sometimes too. I look at it as a warning to hold my nose LOL :p I have never thought of it as an indicator of something being wrong with them.

[jennielynn1970]

I do have two cats that do this but only after using the box to take a poop. I feel kind of silly now because maybe it's really uncommon. I added the word 'Box Ballistic' to the Furminololgy thread and everybody must wonder what the heck I'm talking about!?! LOL

My cat Jimmy goes absolutely mental after he's used the box to poop. He comes flying out of there and finds the nearest thing to do his nails on (usually the carpeted step in our bedroom or the cat tree in the cat room). Then he flies around like a crazy man and throws toys up in the air and his tail gets completely fluffed and then he engages in a game of chase with my other cat Stinky.



I have a few who do this. Honey is the one who does the ballistic running around and scratching and stuff every time after using the box. He acts like a wild man!! I think it's just them feeling relieved after going to the bathroom.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I hope that your cat is fine. I have a cat with IBD/colitis and he flies out of the litter box and will also start running around after going poop. I always thought that it was because he couldn't stand the smell of it. He hardly ever covers it up and will sometimes think that he's finished but then will continue to go on my carpet. He also flies out of the litter box after he pees and will sometimes come back to cover it up.

Ever since Pearl was a kitten, she'll start meowing loudly before she uses the litter box. At first I thought that she was in pain but she just wants to announce to everyone that she's now using the litter box. She does this when she's peeing or pooping. She's a very talkative cat.

[lillymom]

Mega-Colon, a condition where the cat cannot eliminate properly. My cat began to eat excessively to help push the food through her system. When she began screaming and needing to run while pooping through the house, I knew she had a real problem. I had to go to 2 vets before she was properly diagnosed.

[Momto4FemaleFelines]

I'd have to agree with those who say this is not normal.

Excitement or a burst of energy AFTER using the box may not be a sign of a problem, but it also could be.

But running before and meowing a lot while going, very well could be a sign of a health issue going on.

How is your cats' stool? If it's hard and dry, it could be causing pain to actually get it out. If it's runny, soft, smelly...there could be stomach pain going on while the cat goes, much like when you have a bout of gastroenteritis or diahrea.

If you haven't had a stool sample checked, do so. If you feel your vet is not addressing the problem in a caring, concerned manner, find another vet.

[Queen of Poop]

Cali and Diego both come flying out of the litter box like they're on fire! But usually because one or the other is waiting on the outside of the box to pounce on the pooper! It's like it is some sort of weird cat game.

[KittyMomma]

I'm new!! My male neutered cat has been doing this for months and goes crazy after wards only. Running up and down the hallway and jumping onto the bed and then the floor just going hog wild is how I describe it. My vet told me it was normal aggression and he was just getting out of the fighting/lover mode and into a more comfortable role now that he wouldn't be a fighter or a lover anymore. That was 4 months ago and he is still aggressive at times and after bathroom breaks. He is FIV + but my vet says that has nothing to do with his behavior. Other than that he is the sweetest kitty ever. I don't know what to do, a friend of mine suggested it could be his anal sacs and they need to be squeezed to relieve pressure but my vet was speechless when i presented that option. SO Help....................:confused:

[katladyd]

My Ming does this at night mostly. If I see him tearing through the house, I know he has just taken care of some "business". He was just at the vets a month ago and got a clean bill of health.

[moosmom]

My cats always get wild AFTER the've taken a major, stinky dump. It's like they've had a ton of weight lifted off of them.

[Speedbump32]

I've never heard of cats doing that before they use the box, but I can always tell when Diva poops - she runs through my apartment like a crazy woman - Saya, my older cat, usually winds up chasing her. I figured she just felt better :cool: Sometimes Saya will do that too, but not as often.

[bleupurrs]

My Zoe does this she runs out of her litter box, heads for the couch and files her nails in a fury...Phoebe does not, so I think it is just the nature of some kitties. I will check with my vet next time we are there but I am not going to be concerned at this point.

[Kater]

Hi. My cat runs like crazy before and after he poops. I've taken him to the vet and she says it's normal, but sometimes I think that he might be in pain or something like that, because he meows a lot before and after too. Also, he jumps into furniture, walls, etc. He really gets "wild".

Is this normal? If not, what could be causing this? Is any exam that could proof that everything's ok with him?

Thanks!

Maria

Hi Maria! I thought I'd chime in with some ideas here. First of all, I think this behavior would be worth mentioning to your vet again and making sure you emphasize that this concerns you and you want to actively look into it. My guess is that your vet simply wanted to reassure you that a cat who gets a bit wild after pooping is not abnormal. However, what you are describing sounds a bit more serious and more importantly is concerning to you. You know your kitty best!

I think your suggestion that he is possibly in pain is very astute. Cats get osteoarthritis just like dogs, people and most animals that make it to a geriatric age, so that is a possibility, especially if your cat is older. I happen to think it is underdiagnosed in cats. How old he? Also, has he always done this or has this pattern emerged more recently?

Another idea. It can sometimes be hard for vets to diagnose things based on an owner's description alone, so if you could get a video of your cat doing these behaviors that would probably help your vet understand what you are seeing better than anything. Maybe your digital camera can take short videos? 30 seconds or so would be really helpful.

Anyway, hope that helps!
Kater

[emspace]

Hi. My cat runs like crazy before and after he poops. I've taken him to the vet and she says it's normal, but sometimes I think that he might be in pain or something like that, because he meows a lot before and after too. Also, he jumps into furniture, walls, etc. He really gets "wild".

I’ve had this exact experience and recently solved it so I thought I’d put in my story in case someone else comes here looking for help.

I’ve only had my cat a year and half. She was a rescue adoption and highly anxious of people and noises. It took me a while to get her to trust me, longer than previous cat adoptions, and even now, she hastens to get out of my way if she’s on the floor somewhere along my path and if someone knocks on the door, she runs and hides under the bed. If she were a pack animal, she’d be the omega cat. She has no dominance characteristics whatsoever.

Even after a year with her, she was still very scared of my SO and to this day, if he moves too fast, she bolts.

So, 8 months into her adoption, she started pooping inappropriately around the house, on the bed, on the couch, under the bed, in the hallway… But not all the time, just randomly. Most of the time, she used the box. I did notice that she didn’t poop daily and that she might’ve been constipated.

After the second month, I did notice that she went wild quite often before she ended up in the litterbox. Strange strangling noises and loud mrows and running up and down the hallway, leaping onto the bed, then launching down the other way and leaping onto the couch (we live in an apartment).

This went on for six months.

Here’s what we tried:

Took her to the vet, but they told me the same thing as OP. Nothing medically wrong with her.
Tried some electric hormone dispensers. Expensive. Didn’t work.
We put dropsheets over our furniture when we weren’t using it. But she’d still poop on the floor.
Tried shoving her nose in the poop. Felt very badly about that. Didn’t stop her.
I tried changing the type of litter. No change.

Finally took the cover off the litterbox. End of problem.


I’m now inferring that her behaviour was due to anxiety about getting into the dark and covered litterbox. Because our apartment is small, there’s not much floor space and the only place for her litter is in the front entryway. But from here, you can here traffic in the hallway and the elevator quite distinctly. I’ve seen her flinch in the bedroom when hearing people outside the apartment door. I suspect the closed box just made her feel trapped.

BTW, she hates being put into the carrier and nearly always pees as soon as we put her in there. That was another clue.

Since I took the lid off (and then had to buy a litterbox with higher sides so she wouldn’t make such an enormous mess), there have been no further “accidents.”

She does still get wound up and runs up and down the hall when she wants to play, but she no longer makes the strangled and mournful noises when she gets antsy. She also seems to be less constipated and pooping more regularly.