All the sudden pooping problem

Hi, I've had my two 4-month old kittens for about a week and a half.

So far they have been very good about the litterbox. Always used it, never made any mistakes or went to the bathroom anywhere else.

For the first week or two, we're keeping them in the bathroom at night while we sleep, just to make sure they don't get into anything dangerous that could hurt them. They always go in there without complaint--they don't try to run out or escape or struggle when be bring them in to bed. We usually bring them in when they're settling down into a nap, so we don't interrupt their play.

This morning when we let them out, they (or at least one of them) had pooped all over the floor--in the shower, etc., instead of in the litterbox. This has never happened before and as far as I know nothing has happened outside of their routine to cause this.

-Any idea why they might have done this?
-Is it possible they're just trying to tell us "don't leave us in the bathroom anymore?"
-What should I do to keep this from happening again?
-How can I "train" them to realize this is not acceptable behavior? I know you can't really "punish" cats after-the-fact, but is there anything I can do so that they don't just get away with this?

If it's just that they don't want to be left in the bathroom anymore, we can start leaving them out. But will they think they've "won" and that pooping on the floor is the way to get what they want?


Thanks,
chris.

Hi, if the poop is loose and dark and mucky, they have diarrhea, caused most likely by drinking milk... but if they aren't drinking milk (which they don't need, water's better), you'd have to ask the vet why they're doing it. If it's not diarrhea, but normal stools, then they may either want their box cleaned out before bed, or dislike the particular litter and want a different kind (non-perfumed and possibly softer on their feet).

Please click here to read about how to stop inappropriate pooping.