Inappropriate Defecation

[dragonchilde]

I'm at my wit's end with Mozart. He keeps defecating outside the litter box! Nathan tries very hard to keep the litterbox really clean, and he will use it... I've just been catching him a lot lately going to the bathroom in various places around the house. Never the same place more than twice. Fortunately, their stools are firm, so it's easy cleanup, but I have a baby coming! I can't have cat turds lying around.

If it was urination, I'd think urinary tract infection, but it's not. He pees in the litterbox just fine. I went out and bought him a HUGE litterbox (he's a big kitty) that he could fit in, and he does use it, most of the time. We clean up with resolve afterwards, and he rarely uses the same spot twice. He KNOWS he's not supposed to, because if we catch him, he runs.

What can I do to stop this? It's getting out of hand. I'm tired of finding cat turds around, and when the baby comes, if he keeps it up, I'll hate to, but he'll have to go outside. I can't have my baby getting sick when she picks up cat mess, or crawls where he's been.

[jenluckenbach]

Do you have enough litter boxes for your cats?
by rule of thumb you should have 1 box for every cat, PLUS 1 more.

Are there at least two boxes that are the large one he likes?
some cats prefer to pee and poop in DIFFERENT boxes. if there is only 1 his size and he has peed in it, he may refuse to use it.

so far this is all I can think of, I will keep my thinking cap on for you.

[Grace]

I seem to remember reading once that urination outside the box is a medical problem; defecating is behavioral in origin.

[dragonchilde]

Thanks. I'll try another litter box... but our house is SO small, and we just plain don't have anywhere to put it! One room (the one the litter box used to be in) is now off limits, since it's being turned into a nursery.

Thanks for your help!

[AbbyMom]

Very recently a co-worker had the same problem with one of his cats. I gave him the link to cats international:

http://www.catsinternational.org/

They have an excellent article on litter box problems. In his case, he switched to a different brand/style of cat litter and the problem stopped immediately.

What type of litter are you using now? In my co-worker's case, he switched to a clumping type, non-scented.

BTW--to whomever posted the link to cats international earlier, thank you very much! I've used it several times.

[TopCat3]

Originally posted by dragonchilde
Thanks. I'll try another litter box... but our house is SO small, and we just plain don't have anywhere to put it! One room (the one the litter box used to be in) is now off limits, since it's being turned into a nursery.

Thanks for your help!

I had an "aha" moment when I read this post, dragonchilde. I was already thinking the cat was aware that "something was going on" in that you are focussing on your forthcoming new addition to the household - as we know cats sense all sorts of changes before we've even made our decisions yet!

Then when you said you had moved the litterbox and made that room off-limits, I just felt that to be significant. Formerly the room was very much their domain, a place to do private cat-things, now it's offlimits and in some way associated with "all this fuss and focussing Mummy's doing that we don't really understand about yet but we know it means changes".

I'm not sure what the answer is but I get the feeling this might be the reason. Maybe you could put the litterbox back in there for a few days, and buy a second one for the new litterbox position. Only let the cat into the nursery once or twice a day after meals, move the old litterbox in the nursery, nearer and nearer the door each day , then it's in the doorway, then it's just outside the door, then it's nearer and nearer to the new litterbox and so on, until they kind of merge in the cat's mind!

Just a suggestion

[jenluckenbach]

Agreed with TopCat 100%.

[ramanth]

Second what Topcat said. I was just about to say the same thing.

Mozart has sensed the change and is letting you know he's not happy with the way things are going. Moving a litterbox can be a big thing to a cat. Crazy things.

Good luck! *hugs*

[dragonchilde]

Well, the room isn't off-limits yet. As a matter of fact, he spends most of his day in here. He sleeps in the window most of the time.

The thing is, he will use the litterbox... just not consistently. He's had accidents in here (this room is also my computer room) as well as in the living room and kitchen. There's just no pattern to it, which is what confuses me. The only thing that changed was the location of the litterbox.

*sighs* Cats.

[TopCat3]

Originally posted by dragonchilde
Well, the room isn't off-limits yet. As a matter of fact, he spends most of his day in here. He sleeps in the window most of the time.

The thing is, he will use the litterbox... just not consistently. He's had accidents in here (this room is also my computer room) as well as in the living room and kitchen. There's just no pattern to it, which is what confuses me. The only thing that changed was the location of the litterbox.

*sighs* Cats.

Oh well....

[dragonchilde]

As soon as I get some extra cash, I'm going to switch litters, and see if that helps. We're using the uber-cheap clay in the bag stuff. He'll use it, but I don't think he likes it much. We're also going to set up another litterbox (we just plain don't have room for 4, but I think 2 will help immensely, since neither of the other cats have any trouble with the one.

[jenluckenbach]

Another thing I wonder. How new is your "newest addition"? And has the pooping become worse since this extra cat came to live with you? Just another possibility.

Oh, and don't rule out a medical problem as a possibility. I have been seeing poops outside the box lately. I dismissed it. THEN I saw Lucas pee on the rug. I have since been treating him for a UTI and I have not been finding poops on the carpet any longer. since I never caught the pooper, I am only assuming that these incidents might have been related.

[dragonchilde]

Noodles has been here since before Christmas, and he and Mozart are best buddies. That's definitely not thte problem.