Problem with foster kitty...

Looking for some advice for a kitty I'm currently fostering.

Her background: she was in a rescue shelter for almost a year...in a cage. She has had a lot of digestive problems - not eating and diarrhea (which is still a problem). She is eating now, both dry and wet foods (wet is special recipe with pumpkin). The vet has done several exams and has found no physical problems with her, so we think the digestive issues might just be stress related. The shelter believes she is about 3 years old. She was an owner turn in and was not well taken care of, possibly abuse, but we don't know.

I have been fostering the kitty for the past 3 weeks and things have been going pretty smoothly, up until yesterday. At the shelter, she didn't have a problem using her litter box, although there were times I visited her and she had pooped outside of her box, but just outside the box. Could be because of limited space. Since I've had her, she's been really good using her box; I even added a second one so she had options. Yesterday when I woke up I found some presents, in two different spots. She had pooped, only poop, in two areas of my living room. They weren't hidden, so luckily I found them easily (the smell helped too!).

At that point, I decided I needed to keep her in her own room while I was gone for the day and of course, she used her litter box. When I was home today, she was good, no problems. Went out for several hours, got home, had a present again.

I'm not one to give up on animals - I can't bring her back to the shelter and put her back in that cage. I have a heart. So, any advice on what the problem might be and what I can do to help fix this issue?

Thanks for any help you can give!
mrsdiva

Poor baby, and poor you It sounds like she has, understandably, some deep anxieties about being left behind. Perhaps, when you're gone, she needs to be confined in her room and a Feliway diffuser installed, to help her through the lonely times.
Also, and if this sounds weird, just ignore this, but I would take the time to explain to her that you have to go & when to expect your return. It sounds goofy, I know, but it seems to help alot with my cats (a horseman taught me that one should talk to horses cuz they understand the thoughts, no matter what language is used, and, for me, anyway, it seems to work with cats,too). It can't hurt, and it doesn't cost anything, and hopefully will reassure her. Also, you can try giving her a new name, even a nickname, so she gets the sense that this time it's gonna be different, that, in a sense, she's with family now, a very caring auntie who will care for her until her forever-mom shows up.
Sending prayers & vibes for you both, and bless you for paroling her out of the shelter