My girl, Precious is a Main Coon, 12 years old and weighs 19 pds, and she has been having a problem with defacating outside the box..... She would defacate on my Persian rug in the living room, so I took her to the vet. It seems that she has arthritis in her lower spine, and has what is called mega colon. So I moved another litter box into the living room and put heavy painters plastic over my Persian rug. She was using the livingroom box for a good long time, so I took the plastic off the rug, and woke up 2 weeks later to find feces on the Persian rug. So I covered it back up....Now when I wake up in the morning I find she has defacated on the painters plastic and just ouside her box. What should I do now ????? ( This is only defacation, she always urinates in the box)
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My Cat defacating outside box
- Thread starter tt+precious
- Start Date
You need to use an enzyme cleaner on the rug/carpet to get rid of the odor. Covering the spot with plastic will not help.
Generally urine or excrement is a territorial marking. If it is outside the comfort zone (litter box or area commonly used) could be from several different reasons. The most common is dirty litter, over shared litter. Two or more kitties-two or more litter boxes. Daily scoop cleaning, it's like flushing their toilet!
1) use an enzyme cleaner on the spot on the rug. You must do this, even if it smells fine to you.
2) make sure the box is large enough. Sometimes Matilda (who is large) is in her box but she hangs over it so the result is some poop right outside the litter box. Easy problem to fix.
3) make sure the box is always clean. Scoop 2x a day. It's good that you added a 2nd box.
4) Is she on pain medication for the arthritis? (I don't know anything about arthritis, especially not for cats). Maybe walking is painful for her and she just can't make it to the litter box in time?
Sometimes you can do all of the above and its just the cat. My one cornish rex would do the same exact thing. She would pee in the box, but poop on the rug. Didn't matter what I did, she did it as an only cat, and in a group.
The only thing that made her change was when the litter pan was on tile or non-carpet surface - then she would use the pan for both! But put the pan on a rug or carpet, and she would go back to using the rug instead.
No one had any suggestions that worked and I asked numerous times - even to "cat experts" at the shows.
The only thing that made her change was when the litter pan was on tile or non-carpet surface - then she would use the pan for both! But put the pan on a rug or carpet, and she would go back to using the rug instead.
No one had any suggestions that worked and I asked numerous times - even to "cat experts" at the shows.
feliway and cat attract are what i had to use for my kitty. chloe has no probs but patchy --- OY! if i didnt love her so much id sell her to the chinese restaurant jk jk
