5 cats, 7 litter boxes, BUT pee and poo on the floor!

Recently there have been puddles and turds around the litter box areas.
I have 5 cats, and no idea who is going outside the boxes.
We have 2 boxes on the main floor, 1 box upstairs, and 4 in the basement.
So far, they've pooped on the main floor and basement. (upstairs isn't frequently used)
The basement is the area with the most outside crap
My mom and I had just cleaned the area really well. We got out all the scattered litter, mopped the floor and changed out the boxes with fresh litter.
The next morning there was pee from one box to the carpet-runner!

Could this be their way of "remarking" their toilet space?
I have to pooper scoop 2-4 times a week, depending on how much they go, so I don't see how they can think it's not clean enough.

I've been lucky because my mom isn't getting upset about it, but I think if they start going on the main floor, she'll become very angry.
Is there anything we can do to try to keep the pee and poo in the box?

Thanks!
niki

I scoop my boxes 2x a day, no matter how clean or dirty they are. While you may not think them dirty, some cats are finichky & will think they are.

Have you cleaned the "accident" areas with an enzymatic cleaner?

You should read the pinned thread about inappropriate elimination

but

1 - Litter should be scooped ATLEAST daily

2 - You MUST clean up the area with an enzymatic cleaner or else they will always smell it and think it's ok to go there again

3 - if this isn't normal chances are someone is unwell. This is a cats way of saying they don't feel well. (UTI or something) you need to watch carefully for the culprit and take them to the vet.

Goodluck!

oh my gosh, 2 times a day!?
I thought 4 times a week was insane and time consuming!
I suppose I'll need to start scooping more often. (I wish they'd poo during outside time)
This has just recently started. Could the 4 boxes downstairs be enough for all 5? They are the most used boxes in the house.
I'll have to ask my mom what kind of cleaner she uses. It says it's for pets but I am not sure where she keeps it.
Thanks for your replies!

Where the boxes are located will also make a difference. I'd keep all the boxes, because removing some may make the problem worse.

It really doesn't take long to scoop every day. I've got 8 boxes inside & 5 outside I scoop at least once a day (often twice...no ncessarily the outdoor boxes) & it takes less than 15 minutes.

Eliminating outsid the box could be a sign of a UTI, like lmunsie said. I've got a kitty that poops outsid the box when she has a UTI.

Have you changed litter recently?
Are all the cats getting along?
Anything in the home (even subtle) changed recently?
Is it possible a kitty can no longer get into the box?

haha I must be a slow scooper, because I swear it takes 10 mins just for the 4 downstairs! But my oldest cat's medicine gives her the runs sometimes so I have to clean the smeared poo that runs down the sides and that's not fun at all!
oh and I didn't mean take boxes away, I meant would adding another one help?

All of our little boxes have been in the same places for as long as I've been alive.
I've changed the litter, and all the cats get along fine.
Nothing's changed recently that I can think of, other than I'm letting the kittens go outside on harnesses each day. But they look forward to it, so idk why that would make them want to poo out of the box.
I know all my cats can get in the boxes because I've seem them all use them plus we have a range of sizes.

I guess I'll just have to do another deep clean down there.

oh and for UTI, would they still poo too? When Stinkey was younger, she had frequent infections but she always peed on the carpets. I will look into the infection information

Thanks for all your advice!

Originally Posted by NikiWay

haha I must be a slow scooper, because I swear it takes 10 mins just for the 4 downstairs!

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It probably takes so long because there's so much to scoop, since you only do it every other day or so. If you do it more frequently, there will be less to scoop out each time, so it won't take as long. Trust us, it's really not that bad!

Originally Posted by materialsgirl

It probably takes so long because there's so much to scoop, since you only do it every other day or so. If you do it more frequently, there will be less to scoop out each time, so it won't take as long.

Trust us, it's really not that bad!

Click to expand...

Some cats will poop outside the box also as a sign of a UTI, but not all.

Please read this thread, it is very informative.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9563

Adding another box might help, but I do wonder if the runny/stinky stools are deterring the other cats from using the box.

How often do you change the litter out & clean out the boxes thoroughly? Ideally, it should be done once a week.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Adding another box might help, but I do wonder if the runny/stinky stools are deterring the other cats from using the box.

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I never even thought about that! Sandy just recently started with her runny stool and it is very stinky!

As for cleaning the boxes out totally, we don't do it very often. I admit, it's mostly because I'm lazy and I hate touching the stuff.
I usually only clean the boxes if they have stuff on them.

We've always been a 3 cat at a time family and I'd never think adding two little guys would add so much crap!

Well you've inspired me to go clean everything. I'll scoop every day for a week, and if they're still going out of the box I'll see about finding the little turd and make sure he/she's alright.

Thanks for everything! I really appreciate it!!
niki

You must think.....if your bathroom stunk like feces & urine, would you want to go in there? Probably not, so we must keep it clean for our kitties.

As for the loose stools, if they persist for more than a few days, be sure to get the kitty vet checked. If any of the kitties go outdoors, they could easily pick up something contagious in their feces.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

You must think.....if your bathroom stunk like feces & urine, would you want to go in there? Probably not, so we must keep it clean for our kitties.

As for the loose stools, if they persist for more than a few days, be sure to get the kitty vet checked. If any of the kitties go outdoors, they could easily pick up something contagious in their feces.

Click to expand...

The vet knows about the stool, we've been getting blood work done and we're trying to find the right combo for the medicine. It's not looking good though, she's lost a lot of weight.

I am 100% against letting cats outdoors, but my three boys were all born outdoors and lived there til I took them or found them, so they love to be outside and dart out the door at the first possible chance they get.
The only way my two little brothers can go outside is if they're on their harnesses.
Tiger stays by me, and if he wanders to far he knows he has to go back inside.

Thanks again.

I have 7 cats and 7 boxes, and I'm thinking about adding a few more, but I need to find a good place to put them. But I scoop 2 times a day. I can scoop all 7 boxes in about 5 minutes, and that includes the walk from downstairs to the upstairs boxes and back down to the trash.

I have 3 cats and 2 kittens. I have 5 boxes. 2 of them are litter robots so they self clean. I have one litter robot in the basement and one on the main floor. Upstairs in the cat room I have a HUGE open litter box, a Booda dome and a small pan for the two kittens in the bathroom. I use cat attract in every litterbox and since I have been doing this any issues resolved themselves.

Once you get the scoopings on a schedule it will be easier and faster.

You might try different types of litter material in a couple of boxes. I had a cat that would pee in the box but poop only in the bathtub. Drove me crazy. Started trying different material in a box and struck gold. She peed in one and pooped in the other. Turned out she liked shredded newspaper best. Another thought is that a cat might be getting ganged up on in the litter area. That happens too. Good luck