Poops outside litter box but pees in it

Ruben, 1-year-old male, neutered about 7 weeks ago, is pretty consistent about pooping outside the litter box. He has been doing it in the exact 2 spots, 2 times a day, for the past 7+ months. He pees in the box no problems but refuses to poop in it. Took him to the vet...his problem is psychological.

Any ideas what it means and how i can stop it?

hi there! 

may i ask -- how many cats are there in your home? and, how many litter boxes? have you cleaned the two spots that your Ruben has been pooping on? if so, what have you used to do the cleaning?

is your boy declawed?

have you changed anything -- like the location of the litter box(es), the brand or type of litter used (clay or scoopable), covered vs uncovered litter box(es)?

i just want to make sure we've got some pertinent info about this situation.

It sounds like something upset him at some point while he was pooping in the litter box, and he's since decided it's not a safe place to go. It could have been an external event that frightened him, or it could have been some internal discomfort (constipation/diarrhea) that has resolved itself on its own since then. Since he's going consistently in these other two places, it seems likely that whatever bothered him hasn't occurred again, otherwise he would be switching it up and continuing to try to find a safe place to go.

Sometimes something as simple as getting an entirely new, different litter box is enough for the cat to trust using it again, but sometimes it takes a bit more effort to retrain a cat out of the habit. Make sure you clean the areas very thoroughly with an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle, so there's no lingering scent establishing the area as a bathroom.

It's also best to have more than one litter box in general (most cat households do best with 1 litter box per cat, plus one extra). This helps prevent the habit of going outside the litter box from happening in the first place. That way, if you have a long day and don't get around to cleaning the box, they'll have somewhere else to go, and also in the event that something does spook them, they have a second option as well.

So, if just cleaning and getting another litter box doesn't fix it, you can set up a litter box in both of the spots where he normally goes. Also maybe put some newspaper down on the floor surrounding them, so clean up will be easier if he still avoids them. Hopefully, he'll start using those boxes normally, and then you can gradually move them a few inches a day to where you'd prefer them to be permanently located.

If that doesn't work, you can try changing the type of litter, the style of litter box, adding Cat Attract additive to the litter, etc. If it's a really stubborn case, some cats need to be confined to a small room like a bathroom with their litter box for several days to get them back in the habit of using it.

mickNsnicks2mom said:

 
hi there! 

may i ask -- how many cats are there in your home? and, how many litter boxes? have you cleaned the two spots that your Ruben has been pooping on? if so, what have you used to do the cleaning?

is your boy declawed?

have you changed anything -- like the location of the litter box(es), the brand or type of litter used (clay or scoopable), covered vs uncovered litter box(es)?

i just want to make sure we've got some pertinent info about this situation.

Click to expand...

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Hey!

6 cats. 1 giant litter box. ...waiting for the &

Clean the 2 spots every time using a disinfecting spray/cleaner.

Not declawed. Haven't tried changing the location, nor the brand. Open litter box.

All of them are rescues i couldn’t find a home for... so i kept them with me. I live in a small place so getting another litter box is not feasible. They are all fixed.

One thing i forgot to mention. He hasnt really stopped trying to mate or yowl since he's been neutered. Sometimes i wonder if the vet shaved him and forgot the actual neutering...but obviously he hasn’t. He spends ALL his time chasing after the other cats, tying to hump them and yowling all night. This has decreased significantly over the past 2-3 days though.

It can take several weeks for the hormones to leave a male's system after neutering, so I wouldn't be too concerned about that yet. It should get better soon. And I really do think adding at least one extra litter box, even a small one, could help a lot. It must be more inconvenient to clean up poop on the floor twice a day than making room for another box.

katocy said:

 
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Hey!

6 cats. 1 giant litter box. ...waiting for the

&

Clean the 2 spots every time using a disinfecting spray/cleaner.

Not declawed. Haven't tried changing the location, nor the brand. Open litter box.

All of them are rescues i couldn’t find a home for... so i kept them with me. I live in a small place so getting another litter box is not feasible. They are all fixed.

One thing i forgot to mention. He hasnt really stopped trying to mate or yowl since he's been neutered. Sometimes i wonder if the vet shaved him and forgot the actual neutering...but obviously he hasn’t. He spends ALL his time chasing after the other cats, tying to hump them and yowling all night. This has decreased significantly over the past 2-3 days though.

Click to expand...

i'm not going to (above emoji's). while your situation may not be ideal with 6 cats in a small place and one giant litter box, let's see what we can come up with as a solution(s).

about how much square footage is your home? are you able to make alterations to it -- do you own your home?

do you have shelves or cat trees, to increase your space vertically?

have you used enzymatic cleaners on the two spots your Ruben has been pooping on? are those spots on rugs/carpeting, or on flooring of some sort?

the space where the giant litter box is placed -- is that space open above it, all the way to the ceiling? are you handy/able to do some DIY type project, have or could borrow some tools if needed? or know someone who is able to do a DIY project?

here at TCS there are many creative members! together we may be able to come up with some workable solutions.

Can you put a smaller box under the kitchen table? Sometimes we have to put up with a box in an area we don't want. At least for the next week or so. There's got to bw room for one somewhere. How about an open closet with it in front of closet?

How often do you dump the litter?

I had a cat who pooped on the floor because she hated clumping litter. I got her a box with clay plain litter. No more poops on floor. She had long hair and she didn't like particles sticking to her butt. Does your cat have long hair?

mickNsnicks2mom said:

 
i'm not going to (above emoji's). while your situation may not be ideal with 6 cats in a small place and one giant litter box, let's see what we can come up with as a solution(s).

about how much square footage is your home? are you able to make alterations to it -- do you own your home?

do you have shelves or cat trees, to increase your space vertically?

have you used enzymatic cleaners on the two spots your Ruben has been pooping on? are those spots on rugs/carpeting, or on flooring of some sort?

the space where the giant litter box is placed -- is that space open above it, all the way to the ceiling? are you handy/able to do some DIY type project, have or could borrow some tools if needed? or know someone who is able to do a DIY project?

here at TCS there are many creative members! together we may be able to come up with some workable solutions.

Click to expand...

About how much square footage is your home?

383 sq ft (116 sq m). I know, I know.

Are you able to make alterations to it?

Really simple changes maybe. Can't really renovate (break walls).

Do you own your home?

No.

Do you have shelves or cat trees, to increase your space vertically?

No.

Have you used enzymatic cleaners on the two spots your Ruben has been pooping on?

No. Just disinfectants / bleach / multi purpose cleaners / soap.

Are those spots on rugs/carpeting, or on flooring of some sort?

Tile flooring.

The space where the giant litter box is placed -- is that space open above it, all the way to the ceiling?

Yes.

Are you handy/able to do some DIY type project, have or could borrow some tools if needed? or know someone who is able to do a DIY project?

I'm a hardcore DIYer. But mostly work on mechanical and electrical things. I do however do pretty much everything around the house myself. I am yet to do any major work, but always up for the challenge. Got plenty of tools.

foxxycat said:

Can you put a smaller box under the kitchen table? Sometimes we have to put up with a box in an area we don't want. At least for the next week or so. There's got to bw room for one somewhere. How about an open closet with it in front of closet?

How often do you dump the litter?

I had a cat who pooped on the floor because she hated clumping litter. I got her a box with clay plain litter. No more poops on floor. She had long hair and she didn't like particles sticking to her butt. Does your cat have long hair?

Click to expand...

I can add another litter box. I actually thought of doing it many times. But i just don't see what difference that would make since the other cats are going to use it as well. He has short hair