pooping for attention?

My sister has two neutered male cats, they are brothers from the same litter. Although well behaved, they have a bad habit of pooping on the couch, laundry, carpet... whenever my sister leaves the house for two or more days. They also do this when she has friends over, especially if they spend the night.

We took them both to the vet, and they are fine.
She thinks this behavior might be out of jealousy, or because they are angry at being left alone. My friend has this same behavior issue when she bathes her male neutered cat... except he poops on the bed, not the couch.

Does anyone know if the cats are really doing this from being angry? I've read a few articles on animal behavior, and they contradict each other on this topic. It would be nice if we knew the reason for the behavior, cause then we could find a solution!
Thanks!

It is common for people to "humanize" their beloved pets. I do not believe that cats do bad things out of malice. Your sister's boys are obviously quite attached to their human, so they feel stressed over being left alone for a very long time and probably not fond of other people. Also, tell your sister to use the right enzyme cleanser when cleaning away the "accidents". Cats will return to do their toilet thing in places where they can smell even small traces of feces/urine. Finally, I am sure other members here will recommend Feliway for the cats. Although I do not use it myself, I've read it helps a lot in situations like your sister's in.

We'll have to give that a try, thanks!

Originally Posted by yayi

It is common for people to "humanize" their beloved pets. I do not believe that cats do bad things out of malice. Your sister's boys are obviously quite attached to their human, so they feel stressed over being left alone for a very long time and probably not fond of other people. Also, tell your sister to use the right enzyme cleanser when cleaning away the "accidents". Cats will return to do their toilet thing in places where they can smell even small traces of feces/urine. Finally, I am sure other members here will recommend Feliway for the cats. Although I do not use it myself, I've read it helps a lot in situations like your sister's in.

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they will sometimes do it out of stress (especially if they can smell that they did it there before)...my DH's childhood pet was very good about using the box, except one time when his parents were having a nasty screaming match--she pooped right under the table in the room they were in---that stopped the fight pretty fast

Jury's still out on whether she was scared or just wanted them to shut up.

Try adding a litterbox. A lot of cats don't want to poop where they pee, and a 2nd box just may do the trick.

When we moved, my perfect kitty developed stress induced fecal incontinence. She'd NEVER missed the box or had any other accidents in all the years I'd had her. I didn't realize how easily stressed she is. Once I invested in some feliway and she became more comfortable in her new home, she was fine.

Stephanie