Defecating Ragdoll driving us crazy, please help!

mak

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My sister has two ragdolls, brother and sister. She has had them for 7 years since they were kittens. All of a sudden the brother ragdoll starts to poo in different places around the house, and only occasionally uses the tray. In the past the brother has used the tray.
Its beginning to become a real problem as he has ruined the expensive couch and we wake every day in fear of where he has poo'd.

The vets did some test and the cat seems normal apart from a medium high thyroid. I'm visiting my sister from London and i've vowed to try and find a solution to the problem as its really getting her down. I know this cat quite well- he is a big dummy but as sweet as hell, the older sister ragdoll looks after him and she is the cleanest , neatest little creature you ever saw. They are both gorgeous looking.

I'm convinced this is a behavioral problem brought about by who knows what?? But how can i fix this? its becoming intolerable. Thank you so much for any help.
 

mschauer

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What kind of litter does your sister use and what kind of litter tray?

What kind of places is he pooing besides the couch?

Does he use the litter try for urinating?
 
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mak

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Thanks for the swift response mschauer.

He seems to be pooing indiscrimanatly, i just found some behind the sink in the downstairs bathroom, he has done it in my sisters bed and on the carpet and in the shower.

the cat litter is Tidy Cats scoop crystal blend. I don't think we have found any puddles or urine stains yet so it seems he is using the tray for that. His poo is very runny though, but the vet cant seem to find anything obvious after doing tests.

The problem seems to have started all of a sudden and has been happening for a few weeks now. Ive seen 'Cat Attract' litter mentioned in a few other threads but the reviews on Amazon seem to be mixed, can anyone vouch for it?

Better still could anyone guess why he started doing this and how we could stop it??
 
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mak

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pics of the Oscar the offender and his sister, Inca:


Oscar












Inca
 

zorana_dragonky

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Hi mak, welcome to TCS!
I don't have any answer for your poo problem, but there are some very experienced people here. However, I would like to say that your sister's cats are very lovely, and I feel that this picture should have a caption that goes like:

Originally Posted by mak

Oscar
I buyed you a krispy kreme... but I eated it.
 

laureen227

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if his poo is runny, he may be having difficulty containing it until he gets to the box. i think the vet needs to do more tests! has your sister switched foods recently?
i think the Cat Attract is very useful - really helped a couple of mine. but if he has an undiagnosed health issue, it won't solve that.
my local petsmart carries Cat Attract litters & the additive. your sister could use just the additive w/o changing her litter.
 

ldg

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While it may be a health problem, while they continue to work to figure it out, there are some things you can do while treating it like a behavior problem.

I'm not clear whether you're visiting her in London, or whether you're visiting her in the States and you're from London, but they'll have something similar somewhere in the U.K. It's Bach's Flower Essences. I'd consider a "Calm and Serene" formula or a "Multicat Household Harmony" formula. But about 5 drops should be put in the water twice a day, and you can drop a few drops on kitty (or kitties) behind the ears. I know they can be purchased here: http://www.catfaeries.com if you're in the U.S., though many health food stores do carry them.

I'd also consider Feliway spray or plug-ins (or both). Feliway is a synthetic hormone that mimics the "friendly" markers in cats' cheeks. It helps promote a calm and "friendly" atmosphere for kitties. Spray it liberally everywhere - except near litter boxes or scratching posts (those get marked with other scents, not cheek scents, and don't want to confuse kitties). Make sure they spray it ESPECIALLY wherever he's gone poop that he shouldn't.

I would consider purchasing the Cat Attract litter additive. The litter seems to work really well - except that it doesn't clump. So keep your clumping litter, and add the additive to it.

It sounds like the cats are sharing one litter box. With two cats - even though they've been fine with one box (if that's the case) for all these years, with two cats, there really ought to be three litter boxes. If they don't have three, I'd really recommend they add one or two to get there.

Has he ever pooped in the same place twice? If so, I'd clean it, put foil down over it, and then put oil of olbas on it. Cats hate the smell of oil of olbas. It can be purchased at a health food store. Get a teabag wet and drop a few drops on it, and set it on the foil.

But with the runs, it sounds to me like a litterbox avoidance problem - a health issue. If the vet is puzzled, grab the cat and a poop sample, and get a second opinion. In fact, search to see if there's a wholistic vet in the area, and give that a try. The question about switching food is a really good one, and important. If she hasn't switched food, it could be that he's developed allergies. I developed my allergies at 38 - cats, as adults, just like people, can develop allergies they didn't have before. So perhaps gradually switching his diet to a more hypoallergenic diet may help. Some cats are allergic to grains. Some have been allergic to chicken! You just have to switch foods to find out. BUT because most cats actually have sensitive stomachs, food needs to be gradually switched - making existing food a smaller and smaller percentage of the food with the change to 100% new food taking about a week in total.

No one's been feeding him milk, right? Most adult cats are lactose intolerant, and it could cause the runs, and thus the litter box avoidance.

Hope these ideas help, and hope you help your sister find a solution!

Laurie
 
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mak

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Thank you all so much for the feedback, I will show these responses to my sister. (i also just realized that you cover this problem in the FAQ's sorry for not reading that first!)

They do indeed share one tray but not from tonight, we have put another one down. Thanks for the tip about Cat Attracts - the additive sounds perfect(or should i say 'purr-fect' -sorry!) I will let you know how we get on. Love the caption zarona! What a great forum.
 

mschauer

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Your sisters kitties are beautiful!

If he consistently urinates in the tray I suspect the Cat Attract won't help. Certainly worth a try though.

Did his going outside the tray coincide with the start of the runny poos? If so, I would it could simply be diarrhea and he just doesn't always make it to the tray. In any case I think the runny poo definitely needs to be resolved. It is indicative of incompletely digested food and so he may not be getting the nutrition he needs. You don't want that to go on long term and maybe when you get it resolved his litter tray problem will be resolved also.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
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mak

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Hi mschauer,

I think you are right, i think the main problem is the cat has diarrhea which needs to be resolved. However i dont think Oscar was getting caught short as he seemed to seek out places. We tried putting down a new tray far from the first one and guess what? It works...so far. He has been using it. I'm still not convinced he will continue to do so but we shall see. Thanks so much for all the suggestions everyone!

Thanks LDG for your advice too, some very usefull info!
 

ldg

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Hope having that extra tray does the trick!
Wouldn't hurt to consider a third one.

BTW - if they have the money and the space, they may want to consider an automatic box. Perhaps a self-cleaning box would help. These are very expensive, but they are the best (we have two): http://www.litter-robot.com/ They are kind of large.

Just something else to consider.

Laurie
 

cc12

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I have one that protest pees and poos. I had him thoroughly checked and it was a behavior issue. Extra boxes will help him get to a box in time. Personally, I would have a few more in other places just to insure he can make it. Some cats do not like to pee and poo in the same box. Mine have one box that they only ever pee in. One they poo and pee in. 2 that they mostly poo in. Now with 3 more in my home we will see.

My protest offender can not abide by a dirty box and lets me know ASAP that no Meowmy it is not good enough. So I added a few more boxes so he could always have a clean spot. Could be Oscar is similar.
 
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