cat pooping on couch

I have two cats, both are about five years old. One is female, one is male. they are spayed/neutered. The male (hippy, my husband named him because he has long hair) has always been a little werid but about two months ago he started pooping and peeing on the couch. always in the same spot. We got five diffrent kinds of cleaner to get rid of the smell (four sprays and a pet cleaner for the steam cleaner). We added another litter box (even though he never had a problem with the one before). I even took him to the vet to rule out a medical problem. The vet gave us a plug in calming phermone thing that should help if it is a stress issue. The good news is with all of this he has stopped peeing on the couch, but he still poops there once or twice a week. Always at night.

Things that changed around the time he started this:
I cleaned the room where his litter/food/water are. I just took everything out and swept/mopped it (mopped with bleach water since my toddler had thrown cat food all over and I saw a bug). The vet asked if he still goes in that room at all. yes, he still goes to eat, drink, pee, and poop most of the time.
I got pregnant around that time, but I think that actually happend right after he started this. But that makes it that much more bothersome since I am not suppost to be cleaning it up.
we did move in dec. but we have moved with him before and this didn't start until near the end of may.

does anyone have any other ideas? I think the only thing I haven't tried is locking him in the bathroom at night with a litter box. but he would catch on quick and be hard to get in there after a few days.

I'm definitely not the authority on this subject, as I'm currently having peeing issues with my cat, but I've read that if the cat is always doing it in the same place, you can put some food there, because they won't mess where they eat. If he only does it at night, just put a bowl of food over the spot where he usually does it. I've never tried it, but you don't have anything to lose by giving it a shot.

If adding a second box helped maybe he doesn't like to use a soiled box. I've heard some cats don't.

How often do you clean out the boxes?

You might try adding a third box just to see what happens. I would put it close to the other 2 so he can piss in one and then go straight to a clean one to poop in.

Good luck!

our cat went through a 3-month spell where he would poop on the bed. 90% of the time, he would do this when my boyfriend stayed over at my place for the night. We guessed kitty was doing it out of anxiety or anger at being left alone for so long. Our cat-sitter said that some cats are stressed over the silence in the air when their owners leave, so BF started turning on the radio whenever he left, and the pooping stopped pretty soon after that.

I think our case is a bit unusual, but I'm wondering if there's something similar happening there. Do you keep him out of the bedroom at night? Have you been paying as much attention to him as before you got pregnant? Cats are so sensitive, I do think some of their strange habits are cries for attention.

I'd say try to find more patterns in when he is doing this, it may be emotionally triggered. Can you cover your couch in some plastic at night in the meantime to deter him from jumping there? At least, cleanup will be easier that way.

I thought about putting food there. but I was afraid they would just eat it and then he would go. but I was thinking just some treats. maybe if I moved thier whole dish there overnight it would work......

I am pregnant so we got some of those disposible trays that come with liter. I just throw the whole thing away once a week (on thur since trash pickup is fri) and put out two more. he never seemed to care before about how clean or dirty the box was.

I don't know if there is enough room for a third box.....

I am starting to wonder if maybe the other cat is intimidating him into not going over there as much since he still will use the box sometimes. (for pee and poop since I assume he poops more then once or twice a week). she has always been the more dominate of the two even though she is much smaller.

I was thinking of maybe getting a large crate. like one for big dogs and putting a litterbox, food, and water in there and putting one of them in there at least at night. what if I put the female (cailin) in there and let him become more comfortable with the house? do you think that would work?

before we had our first baby (two 1/2 now) we kept the bedroom door closed all the time. but I want to be able to hear our daughter and if she comes looking for us she can't open the door if it is closed so it stays open at night and closed during the day. he has been sleeping on the bed at night most of the time. especilly when my husband isn't home. my husband is in the army and was deployed when this first started. then it contiuned while he was back for a month and got a little better when he left, but that is when we changed from the regular cat box (that my husband was cleaning since I got pregnant the month he was back) to the disposible ones that I can just toss instead of scooping. He seemed to get more loving around the time this started but he gets just as much attention as before. maybe more since he seeks it more. one thing I don't like about petting him though is he mouthes. He doesn't do it to hurt, he does it as his way of 'petting' you back. he has always done this.

I tried putting his carrier on the couch thinking that might keep him away. he just went on a diffrent spot on the couch (but went back to the other as soon as I took away the carrier). I put a litterbox on the spot on the couch. he didn't use it. (I don't blame him, the couch isn't really a stable surface for a litterbox). he just went on the floor by the couch. so I am kinda afraid to put anything else there since at least as long as he does it in the same spot the problem is contained. I shampooed the couch last night and hoped that the dampness might deter him a bit. it didn't he still went there.

Maybe try putting a bowl of food on the couch, and a litterbox next to the couch where he peed there? Take him to that box on occasion, put him in, and gently push his paws around in the litter with your hands. I've been doing this with my kitty, and sometimes she'll go ahead and pee in it then and there. I know your problem isn't peeing, but it might get him closer to understanding what you'd like him to do.
I'm really hoping you'll figure this out somehow. There has to be a way.

I had a cat poop everywhere but in the litter box. Anyway, I wondered if it could be the litter that's in the premade litter trays. I used those about 10 years ago and my cats didn't hate it, but I can see how a cat can become upset if you change the texture of their place to go. I try to not change their litter brands because they know when it's different.

I would also try to avoid food and litter in the same room. If the laundry area is large enough it's ok, but it can't be close to each other. I would put the food in a hall or something, but I'm sure with your 2yr old, it will be hard not to keep the little hands outta there.

My cats eat in the kitchen and potty in the laundry room.

One of my cats use to poo all over my room specially under my bed, one day i steped on some at night and was thinking of a way of making him go in the box.So i picked some dookie up with a latex glove and smeered a little on his nose and sience cats dont like the smell he started using his box ever sience.You can try this but not sure if it will work with yours.

you might try the CatAttract litter or the additive. it's really pretty much stopped Chip's occasional 'bed dumps'. you can purchase it online, altho my local Petsmart also carries both the litter & the additive [i use the latter].

also, if you scoop multiple times daily, your risk is much lower, & he'd might be more likely to use the box. here's some info i found online...
If you have a cat, have other people empty the litter box, and have them do it daily. This reduces the risk of infection because the oocysts aren't infectious for the first 24 hours after they're excreted. If you must do the job, wear disposable gloves and wash your hands well afterward. Some even suggest wearing a mask in case any particles become airborne when the litter is stirred up, and disinfecting the box by pouring near-boiling water into it five minutes before you handle it.
and this: If your cat is kept indoors and never fed raw or undercooked meat, then your family's feline probably has a low risk of catching or spreading toxoplasmosis. Still, you can also catch it from eating raw meats or uncooked produce that's contaminated.

• If you are unable to have someone else change the litter box, wear gloves when you do it and wash hands thoroughly afterward.
• Keep your cat inside at all times to keep your pet from getting toxoplasmosis from the soil and/or small infected animals it tries to catch or eat.
• Keep your child's outdoor sandbox covered, especially overnight, to prevent wandering cats from using it as a litter box.
• Don't feed your cat raw meat.
• Steer clear of stray cats.

HTH!

Originally Posted by skewch

I had a cat poop everywhere but in the litter box. Anyway, I wondered if it could be the litter that's in the premade litter trays. I used those about 10 years ago and my cats didn't hate it, but I can see how a cat can become upset if you change the texture of their place to go. I try to not change their litter brands because they know when it's different.

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he started doing it before we switched. it actually got a little better when we got the disposible trays.

Originally Posted by skewch

.....
I would also try to avoid food and litter in the same room. If the laundry area is large enough it's ok, but it can't be close to each other. I would put the food in a hall or something, but I'm sure with your 2yr old, it will be hard not to keep the little hands outta there.

My cats eat in the kitchen and potty in the laundry room.

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the 'cats room' is the utility room. we put up a baby gate so our toddler can't get in but the cats can jump over it (and we help them jump with things on either side). on one side of the room is thier food/water then there is the thing they can stand on to help them jump (its a little cat house thing that came with thier cat tree, but they don't like going in it, I think he is just too big) and on the other side are the litter boxes. It is set up so I can easily check thier food and water without having to step over the gate. Above the litter (way up on the wall) are two hooks my husband put up for plastic bags. one is just a plastic bag full of plastic bags. he used them when scooping. the other is for the gloves (the big yellow kind). I think the room is a little bigger then my upstairs bathroom. on the other side of the gate is a small hallway that has the laundrey closet on the other side. one end of the hall goes to the entryway and the front door, the other side opens into the kitchen. we have a tall baby gate at the end of the hall by the entry way and another tall gate with a pet door on the other end of the kitchen that goes into the dineing room. we had to get the tall gates because my daughter is a tall acomplished climber. I was also wondering about switching the gates so the pet door was closer to the cats room but that gate only opens one way and it is much easier for us to carry in grochieres and stuff with this set up. plus installing them was difficult and I don't know if I have the energy to do it again....

I have to keep my daughter away from thier food/water and litter. she thinks the litter is for her to dig in and when she can get to thier food she thinks it is her mission to force the cats to eat it. we can keep her out of the kitchen most of the time. but if she really tries she can get the one gate open and of course she comes in when we are in there. (she actually does help me cook by throwing away things for me). at least she has stopped eating the cat food. but it won't be long before the next one wants a taste.....

plus that hall already has our recyleing box in it and is difficult enough to manuver in. I will often choose the "long way" instead if I can.

Originally Posted by laureen227

you might try the CatAttract litter or the additive. it's really pretty much stopped Chip's occasional 'bed dumps'. you can purchase it online, altho my local Petsmart also carries both the litter & the additive [i use the latter].
....

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I have seen that at the commissairy. I kinda figured it was just for kittens though. I will check and see if they have the addititve next time we are there.

Originally Posted by laureen227

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Originally Posted by laureen227

If you have a cat, have other people empty the litter box, and have them do it daily. ,,,

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I don't have anyone else to do it. I was thinking about putting up an ad for a teen to come by like a summer job or something though..... but I don't know if I could afford them daily.

Originally Posted by laureen227

....because the oocysts aren't infectious for the first 24 hours after they're excreted. ...

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that is good news then for cleaning up the couch then.

Originally Posted by laureen227

....If your cat is kept indoors and never fed raw or undercooked meat, then your family's feline probably has a low risk of catching or spreading toxoplasmosis. Still, you can also catch it from eating raw meats or uncooked produce that's contaminated.....

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I am vegitarian and my cats are indoor only when they are here. They have however stayed with my parents between moves and my parents sometimes forget and let them out. Cailin is also a very good mouser and will/has caught them in the house.

Originally Posted by Catstorm

One of my cats use to poo all over my room specially under my bed, one day i steped on some at night and was thinking of a way of making him go in the box.So i picked some dookie up with a latex glove and smeered a little on his nose

and sience cats dont like the smell he started using his box ever sience.You can try this but not sure if it will work with yours.

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That's an obnoxious and disgusting "solution" to the issue , not to mention a counter-productive one, despite your impressions of cause-and-effect. You won't find a single animal behaviorist who would endorse such an approach.

Originally Posted by RobertM

That's an obnoxious and disgusting "solution" to the issue

, not to mention a counter-productive one, despite your impressions of cause-and-effect. You won't find a single animal behaviorist who would endorse such an approach.

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I'll have to agree with Robert on that one. It seems like an offensive thing to do to a cat, and I really can't think of a way that having poop on your face would translate into a request to start pooping in a litter box. It just doesn't add up.

I Have the BEST solution for cats pooping on couches. use plastic shopping bags,cut them open (to get more room from them) spread all over the entire couch every night religiously . That WILL work.My cat hasnt pooped for over 3 wks now.Make sure you use the same cat liter that they were used to going in when they did use liter box.Good Luck ! Hope I helped someone.

We have been battling pooping and peeing issues on and off for several years now.  We have tried the plastic bad approach but our cat just pooped on top of the bag and even put scratches in it as he tried to cover his poop up.