Occasional 'revenge' poops (this is long)

[champers]

At least, that is what we call them!

Hi everybody, I am new here because I am at a loss for solutions about my cat's occasional pooping problem.

He is a neutered male, six, very, very big boned, domestic short hair. He's been with us since about six weeks. He was an orphaned barn cat and I'm not sure he was weaned properly. He eats like crazy and can be quite whiny, but he likes to be around us and is sociable. He can be a bit of an attention hog, too, but realistically he's getting more attention than a typical pet!

We have one another cat, a black female, spayed. She's five and has been with us for as many years, so they are used to one another. Even though she came second I would say she is the dominant one. They get along well enough but aren't best friends. She'll hiss at him for no reason every once in awhile.

The male 'problem child' is litter boxed trained, but every once in a while he takes a poop in the living room, etc. We can think of no reason at all why he does this. Might happen once every three months or so. We talked to the vet, who agrees it is behavioural, but can't tell us any more than that.

Anyone have a similar situation... or advice?

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I really have no help for you except to let you know that you are not alone. My Peanut (who is 16) has not pooped in the litterbox for many many many years. I've made sure they were cleaned regularly and even when they are sparkling clean and fresh, she still prefers the floor. The only consolation for me is that our litter boxes are in the basement (unfinished) so it doesn't matter if she poops on the floor. I just clean it up when I clean the litter boxes and it leaves no mark or smell - that I can smell anyway. However, I would be a bit more concerned if she was doing this in the living room like yours is.

You have two cats, have you got two litter boxes? "They say" that you should have at least one litter box per cat. I've got two cats and 3 litter boxes. Also, make sure they are clean and scooped, maybe he doesn't like using a dirty box? Or, like you say, it could just be behaviorial. Do you notice that he does this after you've been away for a few days? Or any other pattern you can think of, such as guests coming over or anything that could upset his normal routine might set him off.

Good luck and let us know how things go!