Why does my cat mess on the rug in front of the litter box?

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Originally posted by Lime_Kitty05
My female cat Thunder does that too we have 4 cats and we know shes the one doin all the mess we have even see her. She will even do it right in front of you. She will pee all the tile right when everyone is in there. and she like poops every day on the steps. My mom whats to just get rid of her. she wont stop doing it. Shes fix and shes started maybe about 4 months ago and she is 3 years old. any suggestions for what i should do i clean the litter box right after they use it, but thunder choses not to use the box? what should i do im desperate!!!

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Same advice you need to get your cat to the vets for a full check up to rule out any physical problems. If you cat is declawed also request a paw x-ray.

Check you have the right number of litter trays in the right location etc.

These articles might help both Lime_Kitty and Brezzy Top Cat..
http://www.piftails.com/littertrayintro.html
http://www.piftails.com/littertrayproblems.html

I'm am sorry you kitty is going outside the box often. I have a cat that still has his claws, and occasionally he'll go outside his box on the bathmat in the bathroom. He does this when he deems the box not sanitary enough for him. Some cats will not go in the box after they have peed in it. So even if you have already scooped it that day, he might go pee, then need to poop again (some cats go twice a day or more) and he might not want to poop with a pee clump in there. I know his litterbox problems stem from when he was a kitten... I was not yet married to hubby and he and the stepkids NEVER cleaned the box on the days I was nt here. So poor Allen ALWAYS had a disgusting dirty box. :( He developed a pickiness about his box. How can I fault him for something my family did to him? I take my pennence and scoop his boxes at least once a day. I am constantly adding fresh litter.

Though it does seem suspicious that your cat's litterbox problems began after the declaw. He might go outside the box because he associates the pain with the litter. It hurts a lot less to scratch and bury poop into carpet than it does to do the same in gritty, rocky litter. I have had a cat with complications from declaw. Its not as uncommon as people think. Like yourself, and now Calliesmom, most people have no clue that their cat's litterbox problems can be directly linked to the declaw. Imagine if all the people with declawed cats who have litterbox problems realized this... we might finally have some concrete proof that declawing leads to behavioral issues.

While Dylan has never soiled outside of his box, he does act like his paws hurt him at times. We took him to the vet and had x-rays done - and two of his paws have sharp bone fragments left behind from a sloppy job. My vet can correct this with surgery but suggested we wait until he shows increased pain or signs of infection. Right now, it is just occasional, as if he gets a pinch now and then :( All four of his paws were done before we ever adopted him.
So, there are surgical as well as medical ways to help with post-declaw problems. Emily and Eliot show no problems at all, never did and we had their front paws declawed. Lizzie and Robbie are our first with claws - we won't have this done again...and learning to clip the sharpies and take them to a scratching post has been very satisfying because it works!! The clipping was not fun and I did do lots of blood shed:D BUT, now I can do the kittens and back claws on E&E all by myself and it only takes a few minutes. I seldom bleed at all:p

For Olivers Meowmie - I really would suggest having his paws x-rayed. It was not nearly as expensive as I thought and then you will KNOW if his paws are hurting him and it cam be corrected.

Another thing you mentioned is stinky and mushy poo. This usually means parasite infections (not worms) but bacterial or amoebic infections and this makes pooping painful. It takes a direct fecal smear to detect (not a flotation). Just ideas!! Hope you find your answers.:)

Oh and my kitties are VERY finicky about a clean box. They will not use a covered box, prefer scoopable litter and I scoop it at least twice a day. I have four large boxes for five kitties. One of the boxes is a huge rubbermaid "sandy beach" that holds 21 pounds of litter:eek: Yup!! FINICKY ABOUT CLEAN.

i you non-clumping litter and i clean it out each and everytime i see something in it thunder always pees on the rugs or puts on the steps its driving me crazy. and she pukes alot. shes been to the vets recentley and theres nothing wrong with her. Is she just being a brat?

i ment to type use not you.

I thank every one for all their advise. Oliver has his appointment to be neutered next Weds as well as a full fecal exam and x-ray of his paws. He hasn't pooed on the rug now for several days and I still have my barn cat inside also sharing the two litter boxes---:confused: See it is so sporatic that we are very confused. Oh and I am trying to scoop more often. :D Sometimes checking 3 times a day just to try to prevent another accident. Oliver was de-wormed in December for tapes and other parasites but never thought of an infection. I hope the vet can diagnose and treat him and get rid of his awful mushy and smelly poos. Could that also explain his bad breath? For such a young cat, I am so surprised that his breath is so awful. :eek: I've checked his teeth and they are nice and pearly white and he eats only dry food. I just never thought to tell the vet about his breath, or mushy, smelly stools.

Oliver's Mom...
Yikes, I never associated breath with the chronic infection but my two youngest do have that same distinctive unpleasant smell to their breath at times - I *think* so anyway because they both sleep right next to my face and I notice it often and just figured they were ...uhm...f@rting:D Yes and they often have the stinky and very mushy stools.

As for the infections - we have had the babies since the first week of October and never quite rid of it. Different strains replace others - sometimes rods, then spirochetes, the something like a coccidea. They have been on so many different antibiotics - liquids, tablets, IV's, injections. For the past 6 weeks or so I have them off the meds and am trying easy-on the -system diet plus achidophilus capsules and a natural remedy that a PT friend sent that is simple pectin and kaolin. They will do great for a few days and then it is back. I suppose with five cats they all pass it around and I am frustrated. All have been clear of all worms and fleas and the vet told us that only a direct microscopic smear and stain will identify what is in their colons. He also checks for tenderness but there never has been any.

My two are also having spay and neuters in February and I will ask the vet to thoroughly check the bowels when they are asleep. From what I read, this is likely a large colon problem and perhaps similar to IBS. I also read about scary thing, too but try to to think about those. Thankfully, everyone uses their boxes but they are terribly finicky and I scoop - well it seems like constantly.

Hope you find some answers with Oliver - something that can be corrected. You sound so frustrated!! I would really be upset if any of mine were soiling outside the boxes:(

Take care!!

Well, he broke his good streak. Oliver pooed on the rug and I found it this morning--right in front of the boxes where he always messes. I think the reason he did it is because my barn cat Shadow, that we brought in so Oliver could have company, that has been held captive indoors for about a week now against his will, has been wanting to go outside and I haven't let him go out. Last night Shadow was ripping at a hole that Oliver made in the rug by the door, so we let him go outside at 12:00 am. We woke up to the surprise. :( I really think it is totally a behavior issue with Oliver and his soiling on the rug. He went about 7 days without making a mess and as soon as we let Shadow out and he was alone in the computer room for the rest of the night he pooed on the rug. :mad: I can't wait to see what the vet says about him on Weds.............

Great to hear you are taking Oliver to the vets.

Might be an idea to write down all his symptoms including bad breath etc so you will remember to tell the vet.

Please let us know what happens at the vets.

Hi! Just thought I would drop you a line regarding the 'poop' outside of the litter box. Please, do not think I am making a comment about your personal relationships!!!!! I am simply telling you why MY kitty did the 'poop outside of the litterbox' thing. My JoJo has had a history of bad health. She was diagnosed with diabetes at age 4. I did not know she had this problem until
I noticed blood in her urine...it was scoopable litter. I found her at age 4, brought her into my home, she was fine. I started dating someone, and I think the stress of meeting someone new, besides myself (not to mention his little dog), really freaked her out. She behaved like a wild woman! She pooped outside of her litter box, she tinkled everywhere, and she hid under the bed. At night she yowled like someone was pulling her tail. I took her to my vet. We had bloodwork done and found out she was/is diabetic. It took a few years to get it under control. But, I must tell you, when she is put in a different situation, she poops outside of her litterbox to this day. It is her way of dealing with stress. She does not do it frequently anymore, but it does happen if she feels that I am not giving her enough attention, if she cannot sleep under the covers with me, or if she is being bad and I scold her. She has a younger brother that is very demanding of my time, and she does not like that. If you have other cats, take that into consideration. They might get along, but they will always be jealous of your time. Spend a day snuggling and brushing (very important!!!!) your kitty. The brushing lasts a few days and calms them down. Promise.

When cats' routines are disrupted, they can act out in this way. I think cats are obsessive-compulsive!

Thanks, Deirdre! You are the first person that really seems to agree with me that this is an emotional "acting out" type of behavior! I honestly think that Oliver is doing this as a way of saying "Poop on you!" When ever he gets caught on the counter, in the plants, etc., and scolded --(he hates my finger point, mean face and scolding voice) he tends to poo on the rug in front of the box. One thing I can say I am thankful for, is that he does it consistently in the same spot! I don't have to search for it! But I would like to replace the rug in here. I feel like it is just crawling with germs even though I have spot cleaned it and will use my friends carpet cleaner on it soon. I will wait until after his neuter and check up to make sure he doesn't have anything "wrong" and then hopefully if he can go a month without pooing on the rug, I will try to replace it.

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Originally posted by Breezy Top Cat
Thanks, Deirdre! You are the first person that really seems to agree with me that this is an emotional "acting out" type of behavior!

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It is not a matter of agreeing or not agreeing with you but a matter of good practice.

The golden rule is rule out physical problems BEFORE looking for behavioural problems.

Another suggestion have you tried cleaning your rugs as I outlined in the litter tray articles ? Also using a black light to ensure all scent has been removed might help ?

Do I understand you have about 10-15 pets in the house, cats and dogs?
I saw your question about dogs eating dog poop.

You probably have some pretty unhappy animals battling through each other for attention.

Exactly how many are in the house, and what ages?

I have one cat in the house, Oliver, the siamese 9 mos, a dachshund 5 years, and a cairn 7 mos. Shadow decided he didn't want to come back in the house and I thought it would be tough on him since he has always been an outdoor cat. Besides, Oliver was outright attacking him, so I can't blame him for not wanting to come back inside. I have my Large breed Mix dog 8 years, and 3 cairns outside - two that are 1 year and one that is 7 mos, 6 barn cats (all rescue) various ages, and 4 horses various ages, with a foal on the way. Oh and two teenage boys. No one is lacking attention around here, ESPECIALLY Oliver. He is in your face and on your body --We call him a lint ball. Oliver enjoys playing with the indoor dogs and "fighting" with them and doing his sneak attacks. The strange thing is when I go to someones house that has an indoor cat, I usually never see it because they hide and maybe come out just before leaving. Oliver on the other hand is unlike any cat I have ever owned and will immediately sit in companys lap! Guests comment about how friendly he is. He actually gets the most attention out of everyone since he demands it! That is why I say we have a love/hate relationship with this cat. He is the friendliest cat we have EVER owned. As for all the dogs...we own a 26 acre farm and I take them on walks/runs around our property. Keeping track of 6 dogs running in different directions is sometimes difficult but they love the freedom and hunting for voles and mice. We are in the process of fencing all our property and the dogs will have a yard of about 2 acres to run safely as well as supervised runs on the rest of the property. We have a coyote problem so we have to be very careful that no one gets distracted and lost. I may do invisible fence still to keep them out of the flower beds and garden. :D