Litterbox problems with my new kitten

Me and my mother finally got the kitten we've been wanting for a while, and she's been good so far except for her not wanting to poop inside the litterbox. We got her Wednesday and she didn't pee till Thursday evening, and she pooped for the first time today, this morning, by the front door, then a little bit later, she pooped in the corner in the kitche, and just now, she pooped behind the dining room table. She pee'd twice in the litterbox, but for some reason, she won't poop in it. She was in there for about 5 minutes, and I noticed her squatting down but no urine/poop coming out, and she moved around a bit and still nothing. She was scraping around like she had done something and got out. I thought she might have had just an urge or something, so I thought nothing of it, till she got behind the table and I heard her meow really pitifully, so I lookd where she was and saw her squatting, and a light dribble of watery poop was coming out, so I grabbed her and put her in the litter box which was less than 5 feet away and she finishes, and covered it up. If it's any indication of anything, I think I heard a fart or something. Any ideas of what could be the problem? My mom said she noticed her meowing when she caught her pooping outside of the litterbox. Sounds as if she is in pain or something. Sorry to be so long winded lol. The place we got her from was really dirty and smelled bad and she is really skinny and underfed, so we're going to take her to a vet soon. I hope someone can help me. Thanks!

She should be seen by the vet as soon as possible, especially if she is having runny diarrhea. The vet will want to take a stool sample to check for parasites and other gastro-intestinal baddies and do a thorough look-see to make sure she is otherwise healthy and happy. He might also suggest a nutritional plan and food for her, discuss the necessary vaccines and talk to you about spaying her when the time comes.

Is there any chance it could just be because of behavorial reasons and not health? And if it is, what should be done to her when she's caught in the act?

Not from what you have described. The painful-sounding meow means that her stomach is upset, just like yours gets when you have digestive issues. She needs to be seen. This isn't behavioral, IMO. Love her, clean up after her, do not scold or in any other way punish her. She is ill, not misbehaving.

We are definitely going to have her seen, I hope tomorrow. She did finally poop in her box, for the first time after 5 poops lol. She was in the kitchen AGAIN in a corner and my mother heard her meowing again and shouted NO! lol and then she went to pick her up and Daisy went on her own to the litter box a few feet away and pooped. It wasnt much at all, couldnt have been more than 2 tablespoons. I hope the best for her. Im sad to say that I was probably given a sick cat, but I still love her

The digestive issues can be from many causes - have you continued feeding her the same food she was getting at her prior home? How far away do you live from her prior home - are you on the same water system or do you have a well? Coccidia and giardia are two common parasites as are roundworms, tapeworms ... there are many, many reasons she may be out of sorts. Let the vet guide you and please, let me know how it goes?

My continued best to you and just so you know ... we all love pictures! *grin*

~gf~

Well- I know that if it were me I would certainly confine that kitten to a smaller area until her health issues settle out. Even when these incidents are caused by health problems she is still learning to poop in inappropriate areas. I have a small unused bedroom that we have set up as a cat room with everything one would need but without room for errors.

It is not uncommon for new kitties to come home from shelters sick. We adopted Hannah from the pound on Thanksgiving weekend and she was sick with an URI for the first 6 weeks we had her. She spent those 6 weeks in a spare bedroom by herself. So don't feel bad that your kitty is sick, although it's not what you wanted when you got your kitten. It was a wonderful bonding time for us & the new kitty and allowed her to become familiar with the sounds of our home before we turned her loose in the rest of the house.

I would confine her to a smaller area until she's on the mend and has used her litterbox faithfully. You may need an additional box, one for her to urinate in and one for her to poop in. Also, make sure you're cleaning the box frequently. You also want to use an enzyme-based carpet cleaner to remove the smell in the places she's already pooped so that she doesn't return to those same spots and poop again.

Lastly, she does need to be seen by the vet. If not for the runny poop issue, just for a general check up to make sure she's in 100% top health.

Stephanie

Originally Posted by gayef

The digestive issues can be from many causes - have you continued feeding her the same food she was getting at her prior home? How far away do you live from her prior home - are you on the same water system or do you have a well? Coccidia and giardia are two common parasites as are roundworms, tapeworms ... there are many, many reasons she may be out of sorts. Let the vet guide you and please, let me know how it goes?

My continued best to you and just so you know ... we all love pictures! *grin*

~gf~

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the guy we got her from didn't tell us what she ate from what I can remember. She's been eating fancy feast, and for the past 2 days, we've given her regular tuna. we're about maybe 15 minutes from her old home. we're not on the same water system, they're in a different water district.

me and my mother used some advice from this site and some tips from the vet and she has finally started using the litterbox on her own without us directing her there.

Her health seems to have improved as well. her poop isnt runny anymore, its actually a solid, if thats the right word, but not like she's constipated lol. the only problem now is she doesnt drink a lot of water. and ill post some pics in a minute .

Edit: And we are still going to take her to the vet on Tuesday

Originally Posted by Cearbhaill

Well- I know that if it were me I would certainly confine that kitten to a smaller area until her health issues settle out. Even when these incidents are caused by health problems she is still learning to poop in inappropriate areas. I have a small unused bedroom that we have set up as a cat room with everything one would need but without room for errors.

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Her litterbox is in the kitchen and we don't let her roam around the house except for the living room and the kitchen. We only take her into our bedrooms at night to sleep.

Originally Posted by stephanietx

It is not uncommon for new kitties to come home from shelters sick. We adopted Hannah from the pound on Thanksgiving weekend and she was sick with an URI for the first 6 weeks we had her. She spent those 6 weeks in a spare bedroom by herself. So don't feel bad that your kitty is sick, although it's not what you wanted when you got your kitten. It was a wonderful bonding time for us & the new kitty and allowed her to become familiar with the sounds of our home before we turned her loose in the rest of the house.

I would confine her to a smaller area until she's on the mend and has used her litterbox faithfully. You may need an additional box, one for her to urinate in and one for her to poop in. Also, make sure you're cleaning the box frequently. You also want to use an enzyme-based carpet cleaner to remove the smell in the places she's already pooped so that she doesn't return to those same spots and poop again.

Lastly, she does need to be seen by the vet. If not for the runny poop issue, just for a general check up to make sure she's in 100% top health.

Stephanie

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Well she doesnt have a problem urinating and pooping in the same box. And she didnt go on the carpet, just the tile floor, thank goodness lol. she is going to the vet on Tuesday as previously stated.