What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the LB?

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Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)

Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)

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It's me again asking for more tips! This time, I'm wondering if anyone has advice on what to do when you catch your kitty in the act of pooping outside the litterbox. Sadly, this is a frequent occurance for Sushi and me. Do you...
(a) scold them?
(b) let them do their thing?
(c) pick them up and put them in the litterbox (as the poop falls in a trail behind you)?
(d) ...other suggestions...?
I could SO use some help on this one! I need a suggestion that will STOP this behavior!!

Thanks! : )
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

First of all, never EVER scold your cat for not using the litter box (this goes for dogs as well that have accidents). It is not going to help at all, will likely make them fearful of you depending on how you do it, and just increase the likely hood it will happen again.

Second, how big is your litter box? how often do you scoop it? do you have multiple boxes if you have more than one cat? what type of litter are you using?

Generally, if a cat is avoiding the litter box, it's either too small, not cleaned enough, they don't like the litter or their aren't enough boxes for the number of cats. There could also be medical reasons behind it, but that's more commonly seen with urination I believe.

Hopefully making sure it's clean or getting a bigger box will help Suishi.
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

Long story short, it's not because the litter box is too small or unclean.
Any advice on how to handle catching him in the act?
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

If you don't mind me asking, how big is it dimension wise? For us it may seem perfectly big enough, but some cat's like ones way bigger than we'd think they need. I had a cat growing up that only used the biggest box we had, and it was literally big enough to fit all four of our cats in it at once. I think it might have been a cement mixing tray actually. He was a picky litter brat.

Sorry if you thought I was suggesting that you don't clean your litter box often :) For some cats, even using it once makes it "unclean" and they won't want to use it. So even if you're scooping it twice a day (which for my cats, would be totally fine), for Suishi that may not be enough. Like litter box size, some cats are picky about how clean a box is.

I don't have any recomendation on how to catch him in the act, and I'm not sure if it would even be helpful to catch him as he may freak out and think he's in trouble, but is it always in the same place? If it is, could you place another box there?
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

Sushi said:
Long story short, it's not because the litter box is too small or unclean.
Any advice on how to handle catching him in the act?
Click to expand...


Gently pick up cat and place him in the litter box. Never scold.

Perhaps he has arthritis in his hind legs that makes it difficult for
him to climb into the box ? Pooping activates different muscles
in the hind end than urination. Perhaps he can't make it into the
box in time ?

Is the entry to the box too high ? I've had to build a ramp into the box
for my older kitties. Cover with a towel for traction getting into the box.
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

I feel your pain.
My cat, Mickey has been doing this since last October. He would even do it in front of me.He has ruined sooo many rugs, cat beds, blankets. Behind the couches, tables, just where ever he had the urge. Sometimes runny, sometimes normal poo. Is he being harassed while going? Yes sometimes he was.
I can almost, not exactly tho, say when he was doing this his BG was high. I even called the animal communicator, Dawn Allen. She said he just gets the urge and cannot help it. Although he still does this occasionally, I still cannot figure it out. I have several litter boxes large to small. Enough for eight cats.
He always peed in the box which I was thankful for. Except when he had a UTI. Then he got the beds the pillows and such.
As for catching him in the act(and me crying) I would just let him go and clean it up. But when he did hit the box I would praise him.
I am sorry I am no help. Just alot of experience with the poo issue.
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

The only time Gabby ever did this was when she was constipated and her stool was large and hurting her when she pooed. She associated the litter box with the painful poos and that's why she stopped going in it. Is it possible Sushi has a minor constipation problem? This is very common in older cats. I had Gabby on a stool softener that she took with her food daily, and when she pooped outside the box I upped the dose a bit accordingly. With Sushi being diabetic and if constipation is the problem, you need to take care in your choice of stool softeners, because some do have a lot of sugar in them. I used lactolose with Gabby, but she wasn't diabetic. I believe many people here use Miralax for their diabetic cats.
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

Had big post and IE ate it...grrr.
ok Never scold, and I personally wouldnt mess with a cat at all in the middle of pooping. You could make the issue worse. You can put the poop in the box afterwards to give it the smell so she gets the idea. You can observe and see if theres anything else going on, is she in a weird position indicating it hurts, straining a long time...

Some cats like to poop and pee in different boxes, so make sure there are enough boxes for the number of cats. Rule of thumb, especially if theres an issue going on.. is one box per cat plus one extra.

Start adding box with different set up, but leave at least one box the way you have them now. clumping vs nonclumping (or other types of litter, Cat attract litter has helped some folks) liner vs no liner, covered vs not covered,

Make sure you are enzyming the spots where she does go. Cats sense of smell is way better than ours and if they smell it they might thing thats the place to still go.

Cats that go right near the box are "usually" making a statement about the box that they dont like. If shes going far away from the box, she might be saying she cant make it there in time.

Rule out medical. Is it soft and diarrhea or hard as rock. Both can lead to cats not using box. Arthritis, motility issues, neuropathy, parasites and..anecdotally speaking... hyperthyroid. cant find any references in vet literature except that some hyperT kitties have diarrhea and go outside box but several members of this board in the past have had cats suddenly start pooping outside box and ended up hyperthyroid and was corrected when on meds.
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

Hi!
Sorry for my delayed response. I appreciate your input--I'm not so much asking why Sushi is pooping outside the litterbox as I am how to react/what to do when I catch him in the act.
I know for sure that the reasons why are more complicated than getting a bigger litterbox/more litterboxes/type of litter/a cleaner litterbox, so I'm really seeking advice on how to handle the times when I'm around and he chooses to poop outside of the box. So:
>> Never scold, but do I just let him go and not bat an eye? I feel like I'm encouraging/approving the behavior if I do that.
>> Sometimes I do pick him up and carry him to the litterbox, but the poop just falls behind us in a trail, and Sushi seems pretty bothered by it.





...also:
Peggy, has Mikey stopped pooping everywhere? Your situation acutually sounds worse than mine! I've considered having an animal behaviorist come help me. I've been praising the heck out of Sushi for using the litterbox, and that (in conjunction with switching to canned food and rigidly sticking to our schedule) has REALLY helped.

Julia, I think you're on the right track. I think it's been painful for Sushi to poop, and he began to associate pain with the litterbox.

Lisa, nothing's worse than a computer deciding to eat your post/email/whatever for a little snack! :? How do you enzyme the spots where accidents happen?
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

both my cats have been doing this recently...i have changed multiple litters and everything, i dont know if its age or some sort of OCD what but they have to have it totally and completely cleaned out, they both pee in the box (thank god) but for some reason at times they leave me presents on the outside. i havent exactly caught them redhanded but the one litter i had left a icky smell on them after they used it, i happened to go down and surprise for me, i smelled the cat to find the culprit, i thought it was just patches but its both of them! so now i just leave a garbage bag down there and i scoop before i go to bed and before i leave for work!
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

Simplify cleanup and lay down some painter's disposable plastic tarps. That'll protect the stuff, plus prevent odor buildup which reinforces using the location.

Also, please rule out medical problems first before assuming it is intentional.

KOE by Thornell may be helpful in cleaning and deodorizing areas that have already been nailed. It was used in a house that had been foreclosed on ... with more than 50 cats left inside (Foreclosure Cats Story). This product enabled the reclamation of the house.
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

Our litter boxes are in our furnace room on a concrete floor. A few years ago, Squeak started pooping on the floor occassionally. We had 2 cats and 3 boxes and the boxes were changed frequently but not religiously. It doesn't seem to matter whether they are dirty or clean. Cleo died this summer and we now have 2 boxes and one cat. We have a roll of paper from a newspaper that we use to keep the floor clean; we simply throw it in the garbage when it gets soiled or ripped. Squeak doesn't appear to have any physical reason for this, and isn't consistent about when he does it. He's an indoor/outdoor cat and will poop on the floor some days even if he's been outside and able to poop there. We've always thought there was some sort of emotional reason for it but can't track it down. We've just accepted it, but given that it is in a room with a concrete floor, its relatively easy for us to deal with.
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

Unless sealed, concrete is a porous surface, though the pores are tiny. It can absorb and retain odor, as can cement block, brick, and plain cement. When I first moved into my condo, I had a fire restoration company powerwash the basement (block walls, concrete dlab floor) because the former owner had 2 large Golden Retrievers that didn't always get let out enough ... with the odor to prove it.
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

My cat is newly diagnosed and I have noticed lately that there has been some poop outside the litterbox, always in the same room, and almost always on a bath mat. I know it is her and not her brother because of the smell and softness.
I had thought it was because of her neuropathy (she also pees in front of it occasionally), but now I am wondering if this is common in diabetic cats? And if so, why?
 
Re: What to do when you catch your kitty pooping outside the

Maui has this problem on occasion. It's not because she is being bad or doing it deliberately as an act of revenge. When this happens to her, it's usually looser stools and she does it in the bathroom on the rugs, towels that sit in front of the box.

I know it upsets her, because she tries to bury it after, folding the towel or rug over it.

Why this happens, I don't know exactly. As most of the time she makes it to the boxes. I do think it's physical and she can't help herself.

If your cat is going just outside the box, then put down towels and rugs that you can easily put in the wash with some bleach and show understanding and sympathy to kitty. If your cat is like Maui, then she is embarrassed by these accidents and feels bad.

If it's happening in places other than the lb area, you may want to put towels in those places or get a supply of puppy training pads that she can go on safely and you can easily clean up.

hope this helps.
 
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