Going outside the litterbox.

We have 6 indoor cats, and have just moved from a tiny farm house to the new house we just built. We have 3 older cats that lived in our old house with plenty of room, and 3 "kittens" that are almost a yr old that we brought into the farm house when their momma died. The kittens were bottle raised.

All the cats seem happier now because there is so much more room, but 1 keeps leaving "presents" outside the little boxes. I keep them clean, and they are the same kind that we used in the old house...the ones with a lid. I haven't changed litter, and he doesn't do it all the time, only every other day or so. So, he DOES use the litter boxes sometimes.

We're not sure which one it is but we think its Gizmo. Giz was the runt of the kittens and is VERY spoiled. We didn't think he would make it and spent extra time with him trying to get him to eat when he was a baby. He used to sleep on my shoulder and I've been trying to break him from that since he's not so little now. Its just not possible. I started shoving him away at the farm house months ago so that shouldn't be the problem (I will give him all the lovins he wants as long as he lays on my lap or beside me...having a 12 lb cat on my shoulder is just not possible!!)

We have 3 big litterboxes for 6 cats. I clean them out daily. They didn't have a problem with 3 boxes in the farm house. I've used fenway for the last 2 weeks and it didn't help. He was checked out by the vet a few weeks before moving and everything was fine. The boxes are basically in the same places they were before...in the bathroom and by the back door. I've given Giz extra love and attention (but, like I said, we THINK it's Giz but not sure...we haven't caught him in the act).

Any suggestions? This is a new house and I want to stop this ASAP!

Sorry this is so long.

If you have to separate them into their own space for a while to narrow down the one doing it, do so. A move can stress out a cat and sometimes that stress causes them to become physically ill. If you can isolate the cat, get him to a vet.

We moved last year from the smaller farmhouse (13 cats including 3 bottle fed orphans) to a larger house and mine also love the extra space. We had a brief spell of marking (new environment), but my Stumpy also got sick a few months after we moved here. He had a hidden disease that showed up with the stress of the move.

I've never had a bottle fed go outside a litter box, so if it is Gizmo, he might be experiencing move stress.

I agree that it could be stress and another vet trip would be a good idea. I had an experience recently. I have to keep a very close eye on my Beandip, because he's prone to bladder trouble. When we were packing and moving in September, I kept watching and thinking Beandip was OK. He was OK...right up until the day we physically moved him. He put up with all the packing and commotion but when we moved him, he got sick. Thankfully he's fine now, but the move was hard on him.

Another thing is, how much bigger is the new house? Those 3 litterboxes that worked in the small house just may not be enough since there's more space now.

The house is much bigger. 1600 sq ft as apposed to around 900 sq ft. Plus we had boxes stacked against the wall so that cut down on the space too. I would hate to have to confine them in separate rooms, because wouldn't that put added stress on them? I'm afraid that would upset the other cats that have adapted well and cause them to show their "displeasure"...they all seem to love the extra room so much!

I didn't think it could be the size of the house. Since he was so used to a small house, could he be stressed because the house is much bigger? A kitty agrophobia (sp?) kind of thing?

The stress comes from a drastic change in their lives, not the size of the house.

I suggested separating them, but understand that it too could cause more stress. With the size of my household (I have more cats than rooms), I separate them in shifts. Put a couple cats in each room (perhaps split them up 3 by 3) and narrow it down to a few. Then shift them around with different buddies to narrow it down further. Or, if you strongly suspect Gizmo, put him in a separate room with a buddy for a while and see if it happens - leave the rest of the cats to wander. If it happens, swop out a cat with Gizmo's buddy.

Originally Posted by calico2222

The house is much bigger. 1600 sq ft as apposed to around 900 sq ft. Plus we had boxes stacked against the wall so that cut down on the space too. I would hate to have to confine them in separate rooms, because wouldn't that put added stress on them? I'm afraid that would upset the other cats that have adapted well and cause them to show their "displeasure"...they all seem to love the extra room so much!

I didn't think it could be the size of the house. Since he was so used to a small house, could he be stressed because the house is much bigger? A kitty agrophobia (sp?) kind of thing?

Click to expand...

I didn't really think that the size of the house was stressing him out. I just thought that if the new house was dramatically bigger, maybe another box or two would be needed. But I just read your 1st post again, he's pooping just directly next to the box? I guess that negates my theory.

Thanks guys. I guess we'll be playing musical rooms for a day or two. If its a medical condition, I need to know what kitty is sick. If one of them is just pissed because we moved, then I need to know which one needs more assurance and lovings. I wish I could learn to talk "kitty-talk"!

o my I am having the same problem but it only happens at one of the litterboxes and it just started recently and with 6 cats we have no idea which one it is...but we do have an idea we just have to catch the culprit, but see we have 4 litterboxes in our house too that are big and do get cleaned out daily as well !!! But the only drastic change in Willie who we think the culprit is is that he isnt allowed out anymore (he used to be indoor/outdoor for a while but now they are all indoor only except for midnight) So myself am looking for some answers to this as well, so happy someone made a post about this and I am not the only one

Our old cat Lightning used to poop beside the litterbox too - not all the time, but most of the time. It started when he was 10 years old and moved from a suburban indoor-outdoor home to a more urban, mostly indoor home.

We never figured out why. It wasn't related to litterbox cleanliness. He would also yowl while he was selecting the spot to make his deposit. Just in case there's a connection, though, I'll mention that he died of lymphoma.