Cat RUNS like crazy before POOP

[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.