After Two Months, New Cat Has Decided She Doesn't Have To Use The Litter Box

[fleur4]

Hi
Last December my husband and I adopted a 3 year old Siamese cat. She was a perfect little angel until about two weeks ago when she started leaving her calling card in the living room. I don't think she pees on the rug, but she does leave #2 on the living room rug. She has two big litter boxes, which I keep very clean. We have no other cats. She has a clean bill of health, so I don't think it's a stomach issue. She eats well and is very playful, so I suspect it's some kind of territorial thing. Vet suggested trying a "cat attracting" type of litter so we're waiting for delivery from Amazon.
I don't understand it, she was on her best behavior until about 2 weeks ago. Maybe now that she feels secure she thinks it's okay to do whatever she wants?
Does anyone have any experience with this? We're very upset, giving her up is NOT an option!
Thanks!!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Baby meezer!!

I like the vet's idea, and no, cats don't think that way of doing whatever she wants.

You might try some Natures Miracle to clean, and it sounds like she's using the same area every time so you could also get a few puppy pee/training pads 'til things get squared away.

Also, pick up a couple of feliway diffusers - if it isn't food, or even if it is, there's likely something stressing her whether in the home or outside of it. There are other calming products such as treats and even collars - the ingredients are varied so you can try a few different ones and see which work.

Is the poo looking normal for her? Do you have a water fountain?

Oh, and try and lower the intensity of your own reactions - she's picking up on your stress which isn't helping.

Best of luck - let us know how things go!

 

[fleur4]

Thank you so much for your response! I'm using NonScents to clean the area, I like it much more than Nature's Miracle. Also, thank you for reminding me about Feliway, a friend had suggested it a few years ago for another cat's anxiety. I can't imagine her being stressed, my husband and I are both retired so we're home a lot of the time with her, but she was a stray, so who knows what's going on in her pretty head!
Her poo does look normal, we don't have a water fountain, but we keep water in the kitchen and bedroom for her, so she knows water is always there. Will try Feliway today and hopefully her special needs litter will arrive soon. I'll keep you posted!

 

[Furballsmom]

Keeping our fingers crossed for you!!

 

[Willowy]

Someone once said---and by my observations it's true---that cats will pee anywhere and everywhere for any sort of reason, but when they poop outside the litterbox they're really trying to tell you something! Now just try to figure out what that something is. . .

Are her litterboxes in a room with a furnace or washing machine? She may not like the noise.

 

[susanm9006]

What kind of litter boxes do you have? If they aren’t extra large open topped boxes you might want to try getting one since most boxes are too small for cats. And how often do you wash the box itself. Even with clumping litter they can retain odors at the bottom. So you might want to try washing it and then lining it with a puppy pad which protects the bottom from urine soaking in.

And last question, is this a full poop on the carpet, like a pile of it, or just a piece or two?

 

[maggiedemi]

Hi. My female cat does this when she's constipated. Have you tried increasing canned food, decreasing dry food. And also maybe hairball treats or paste every other day? That can help with constipation.

 

[fleur4]

Thank you everyone for the responses. To be honest, I didn't see them, but in answer to some questions, I have two litter boxes, both large and open and was keeping them both spotless, using Fresh Step litter and changing both twice a week. This didn't help, my cat used the living room rug despite the fact that she had two litter boxes with brand new, untouched, fresh litter! My vet had suggested trying Dr. Elsey's Cat Attraction Litter and I'm thrilled to say it worked!!!
I hate it, it's clumping litter and rather pricey but it worked!!!!! I don't know what's in it, probably some kind of cat cocaine, but dang! I was SOOO depressed because there was no way I could give her up and I was afraid that after she got tired of ruining my carpets she'd start using our furniture. Now I have hope that things will go back to normal. Thanks to all the cat lovers for your advice!

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm thrilled to say it worked!!!

 

[susanm9006]

Clumping litter really isn’t so bad. If you hate it because of scooping, you can buy a litterbox sized sifter that you just pour the litterbox through to remove poop and clumps. It just takes a few seconds to thoroughly clean a box that way.

 

[fleur4]

Thanks, Susan, at this point I'm so grateful that she's using the litter instead of my rug, that I'm not going to complain about it. I'll get used to it.