Cat defecating outside the box (sometimes)

[dkperez]

Sorry for the length.  I'll condense as much as I can.......

We have 2 female cats, approximately 6 years old, spayed.  They are normal, friendly, wonderful, happy cats....  With ONE exception.  Brownie, the larger of the two, approximately 2 years ago, started defecating outside the box.  We thought she might be constipated because the droppings were quite hard and dry.  Did wet food, added broth, put her on stool softener, all the normal, vet recommended stuff.  No better.  Added litter boxes, changed litters, tested EIGHT different litters, tried different foods, and on and on.  Again, all vet recommended stuff.  Had BOTH cats into the vet for checkups, tests for Brownie, workups, x-rays, colonoscopy, and so on.  Everything apparently good.

We travel in a 5th wheel with the cats.  Finally SAW Brownie trying to defecate and not succeeding.  She was in pain, shaking, desperately pushing.  It had to take at LEAST 60 seconds of pushing to go.  Back to the vet with our findings.  More tests.  He finally agreed that although he didn't SEE large amounts of impacted fecal matter, she had to have mega-colon.  Put her on Cisapride, 2.5mg, twice a day, and Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Fiber dry food, and a small amount of i/d wet food twice daily with an ounce of chicken broth with 1/4 tsp of Myralax.

Her stool is now solid but soft, and there are no more problems with straining or pain.  Everybody's happy................

EXCEPT, she appears to have a MENTAL problem.  If left loose in the house at night, she'll go down to the laundry room where we have TWO litter boxes, and defecate NEXT to one of the boxes.  If we put papers around the box, she'll defecate just outside the papers.  We currently have two rubber mats under/around the box so if she does defecate, it's easy to clean up.  This does NOT happen all the time.  She's at times, gone a week or longer using one of the MANY litter boxes, then she'll go next to the box in the laundry room. 

Finally, we started confining her to a bathroom at night - it has a linoleum floor, food, water, cat bed, toys, comfy pillows, and so on.  TYPICALLY, she'll use the litter box in there at night, although periodically she'll go on the floor NEXT to the litter box.  BUT, if she DOESN'T go overnight, if left loose, she WILL go next to a litter box in the laundry room during the day...

When we travel, we have ONE litter box in the trailer, and we've traveled for up to 3 weeks, and SHE'S PERFECT...  ABSOLUTELY uses the litter box all the time.

We don't like this current system.  We'd like to leave her loose at night 'cause she loves to sleep on the bed, and frankly, my wife LIKES having her squished up against the back of her knees.  And the other cat doesn't like having her confined 'cause (I know I'm anthropomorphizing here) they're friends and she doesn't like being separated.  And, of course, Brownie doesn't like being confined 'cause she's CONFINED!

So, it's been two years, we've got a system that we can live with, but it's not optimal.  So, HOW do we fix whatever's going on in her head that causes Brownie to sometimes not use one of the litter boxes?

 

[mservant]

One of my previous girl cats started doing this when she was 4 years old. Over the years I tried just about everything like you and was quite exasperated, though much relieved she'd always pee in the right place (all be it spraying at the sides of a covered tray). I felt awful leaving anyone else looking after my babies as they'd have to clear up her mess. My old  vet never had  any ideas but, like your little cat she had had a history of health issues. In her case she developed chronic cystitis. It was only after years of tolerating her behaviour with confidence it was something bothering her and not her 'being bad', and me feeling guilty I couldn't work it out I read a book called 'Cat Confidential'. There was a cat-history just like hers! No matter what her litter or tray was like I think she associated it with the pain of peeing - even when her cystitis was clear. Occasionally she'd poo in the tray but it was really rare and definitely not when she was sore.  I'm sure other site users will have more advice and ideas for things you can try. It is such a relief to understand why something's happening even if you can't prevent it. Good luck, I hate to think of her all lonely at night.

 

[dkperez]

The good news for us is that it's MOSTLY just annoying when she goes outside the litter box.  Fortunately, she ALWAYS urinates in the box, although BOTH of them persist is going next to the sides instead of in the middle!  And our old vet had NOTHING for us even after repeated visits.  We changed vets and at least the new one TRIED different things and gave us lots of ideas.  And, when we came back with the story of her struggling, he agreed that no matter what their tests showed, she had some degree of mega colon and started her on Cisapride.

So, we're managing, and the biggest problem is having to isolate her at night when we'd all prefer to have the bed clogged with multiple cats pushing my wife into the corner so they have plenty of room to sprawl out!  That's why I'd like to find a real solution, so she can rejoin us all the time. 

BTW:  Last night, Brownie didn't use the litter box in the bathroom.  When she does that, she's usually confined to the office with me until she goes.  And no, it's NOT a terrible fate - there's wet food, water, dry food, TWO kitty beds so they EACH have their own - both on the desk right next to me, a BIG litter box, a 6 foot-tall, custom-made cat tree to play on that sits in front of the window so they can watch the birds at the feeder, toys, a warm place behind the computer in which to curl up, and so on...  Today, after lunch, I left the office, and of course they wandered off with me...  Brownie, instead of using the litter box in the office, walked ALL the way upstairs into the bathroom where she spends the night, and went in the litter box up there!  I think the cat is NUTS! 

SO, I know there's gotta be a huge amount of knowledge out there amongst y'all, probably more than most vets.  How do I get into her head and get her back to being comfortable with ALL the litter boxes?