kitten pooping in front of door - HELP!

[lismrog]

thanks for the replies. to answer some questions:

no, he hasn't been to the vet yet.

we estimate he's about 8-ish weeks old. he was found in the road by the person who gave him to me.

he knows how to use the box, and he does use it. but at night he still poops on the porch.

we live in san jacinto county, about 150 miles south of tyler.

as for the deodorized litter, what kind do you use? and also, what makes you think he's going to stick to the box when he's inside? the deodorized litter won't do any good if he goes on the floor.

he's pooping all over the porch, not only in front of the door, but often right in front of the door. . . two different doors, actually. it just makes me think he's acting out about something, but i don't know what.

he also doesn't seem to know to bathe himself, except right after i've bathed him. but maybe that's for another thread. =)

thanks so much for all the responses.

beth

[Medusa]

thanks for the replies. to answer some questions:

no, he hasn't been to the vet yet.

we estimate he's about 8-ish weeks old. he was found in the road by the person who gave him to me.

he knows how to use the box, and he does use it. but at night he still poops on the porch.

we live in san jacinto county, about 150 miles south of tyler.

as for the deodorized litter, what kind do you use? and also, what makes you think he's going to stick to the box when he's inside? the deodorized litter won't do any good if he goes on the floor.

he's pooping all over the porch, not only in front of the door, but often right in front of the door. . . two different doors, actually. it just makes me think he's acting out about something, but i don't know what.

he also doesn't seem to know to bathe himself, except right after i've bathed him. but maybe that's for another thread. =)

thanks so much for all the responses.

beth

I use Tidy Cats clumping litter and it's great. And you're probably right, he's pooping in front of the door because he's acting out, either because he's ill, which I pray isn't the case, or he's telling you that he wants to go inside and stay there. It's confusing for him. He knows to use the litter but it's instinct to go outside. He may have an accident or two until he realizes that he's in to stay but I've rescued enough cats over the years to know that they're fastidious creatures, they don't like to have accidents, and they truly want to use the litter box but they do have to be trained to use it. When I trained mine, the second they were finished eating, I put them in the litterbox. He's still such a little baby yet; he's got a lot to learn.

Also, if he only bathes himself after you bathe him, it's probably because he's trying to get the smell off from whatever you used on him. There's no need to bathe him unless he gets into something nasty. He'll clean himself naturally; just let him be. We'd love to see pix of him when you get the chance.

Please get him to the vet asap. If he was found in the road, he needs to be thoroughly checked and immunized. Bless you for taking him in. All furkids need a good and loving home.

[Medusa]

I thought of something later as I was cleaning litterboxes this morning. Be sure to clean the litterboxes at least twice a day. I clean theirs right before bed and first thing in the morning and, if necessary, during the day if I see that traffic has been heavy. My RB Peeka would "test the waters" first, so to speak; she'd put a paw inside the box and if it didn't feel right, she wouldn't use it and would go to another box. All the boxes in this house have covers and that helps to keep the odor down, too, although I'm told that some cats don't like covers but I've not experienced that. Also, the rule of thumb is one litterbox per cat plus one box, so it would be two boxes for your house. That way your kitty would always have a fairly clean box to use. Hope this helps.

[Catlady711]

If the kitten has had diarrhea and doesn't groom himself, he may be ill. I'd definately take him to the vet to rule out a medical problem. Be sure to mention the pooping on the porch to him.

As Medusa said keeping the litterboxes clean will keep odor down ALOT which would make your hubby happier.

[jennielynn1970]

8 weeks old and he's tossed outside. That's so nice.

Please get him to a vet. And get him inside, or sheltered somehow. He shouldn't be tossed outside like yesterday's trash.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I agree that he should be seen by a vet asap. Kittens can have worms, coccidia which causes diarrhea, fleas, and other medical problems. He should also be tested for FELV/FIV and if he's healthy he should get his first shots.

Later on he also needs to be neutered so that he's won't start spraying and marking his territory, getting into cat fights, wandering away from home, or getting female cats pregnant. I sure hope that there's nothing physically wrong with him. Good luck and please continue to keep us updated about him.

[jennielynn1970]

I didn't want to sound mean, it's just that he's a baby still. I can't imagine him being stuck outside and being sick.

Please get him to the vet ASAP.