Cat middening problem

[bschmerl]

Hi,

We have a cat that has started pooping outside the litter box. We have two female cats, 9 and 10 yo. The 10yo we have had for a about 9 years, the 9yo about 8. They have never really gotten along, the 10yo being dominant, the 9yo being mellow about it. They are both very social, but the 10yo is the one that follows us around the house the most. The 10yo has recently started pooping outside the litter box about once a week. Other times, she poops inside the litter box. We have two litter boxes, cleaned every night. They are on a diet, and are fed twice a day in two separate bowls.

After we determined that it was the 10yo that was pooping, and taking her to the vet to ensure that there's nothing obviously medical, we have tried the following:

1. One week isolation, fencing off a portion of the (finished) basement
2. A feliway collar after isolation to try to keep her calm

This worked for about two weeks, and then it started again. So, we tried isolation for an extended weekend. This didn't have any change. The poop is very smelly, and she does not try burying it. Because the middening happens at night, we have taken to putting her in the pen at night.

We spend the winters in another part of the country. The last couple of years we have driven with the cats across the US, and this is probably what has precipitated the sense of insecurity she has (she really did not like the drive). This year, we are going to fly with them, to reduce the stress time.

In general, she's always been a high-strung cat, easily startled, and we're not sure if we should continue with this regime, giving it time to work, or whether we're just making the situation worse. And, we're not sure what else to try.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Bradley.

 

[darlili]

Has there been any change in food at all? Has her poo always been smelly and she never covered, or are those new symptoms? Is the consistency the same as usual? I'm assuming you made the vet aware of the smell, etc. No change in type or brand of litter?

My boy had some poop issues after being treated for struvite crystals...looking back, I think his tummy couldn't tolerate the wet fish Hills CD food and he either couldn't make it to the box in time, or he was trying to tell me something was wrong. In his case, the vet prescribed a course of Tylan powder - apparently an antibiotic often prescribed if there's a touch of irritable bowel or diarrhea happening. I also stopped the fishy food. Also, my boy is the one sensitive to change or tension - I also think the several vet visits and trying to get urine samples was upsetting his digestion and thus bowels. And I was of course worried about him, and, naturally, not crazy about the accidents - I wouldn't be at all surprised if he picked up on that and it just upset his GI tract even more. In his case, I tried isolation based on the vet's suggestion (it is a standard protocol) - my boy so missed interacting with the family, that things got worse, not better.

Other thought - you might try Cat Attract litter - it's a litter designed for cats who've have box issues - and I'd get a couple of brand new boxes, and maybe add a box in a new location (the rule of thumb is one more box than number of cats - some cats decide they hate to pee and poo in the same one). Often cats start thinking the box itself is hurting them, so they don't want to pee/poo there. I'd also clean the boxes at least twice a day. Also, I'd use an enzyme cleaner on the accident areas, so she's not attracted by scent back to that area.

Hmm, as she's hitting her older years, are the boxes ones with high sides...if she's developing a little arthritis, might be hard for her to hop in at times. I'd try a lower sided box, just to see.

I know from experience it's not fun - and bless you for hanging in there til you find a resolution.

 

[bschmerl]

Thanks for the reply, and the various suggestions. Litter and food hasn't changed recently, and she has her own litter box in her pen. We might try the cat attract litter - we've been pretty consistent with getting fragrance free litter for many years now because the other cat doesn't like fragrance.

We did not tell the vet about the smell, but this is something we will definitely do. We just thought that the smelliness was due to territorialism, but I guess that's not necessarily correct. We haven't seen any trouble getting into the box. It's a covered box with a low lip for easy entry.

Anyway, this gives us some things to try. Thanks!

Bradley.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by bschmerl

Thanks for the reply, and the various suggestions. Litter and food hasn't changed recently, and she has her own litter box in her pen. We might try the cat attract litter - we've been pretty consistent with getting fragrance free litter for many years now because the other cat doesn't like fragrance.

We did not tell the vet about the smell, but this is something we will definitely do. We just thought that the smelliness was due to territorialism, but I guess that's not necessarily correct. We haven't seen any trouble getting into the box. It's a covered box with a low lip for easy entry.

Anyway, this gives us some things to try. Thanks!

Bradley.

Hi... A couple of things: Remove the cover, that is something that is usually trouble... Add extra boxes (all uncovered), and definitely try cat attract litter...
Make sure the boxes are on quiet, and proper places. Not inside of closets, not inside of laundry rooms, etc.

Good luck!

 

[bschmerl]

Originally Posted by Carolina

Hi... A couple of things: Remove the cover, that is something that is usually trouble... Add extra boxes (all uncovered), and definitely try cat attract litter...
Make sure the boxes are on quiet, and proper places. Not inside of closets, not inside of laundry rooms, etc.

Good luck!

Hi Carolina:

Interesting suggestions. The type of litter boxes that we used haven't changed in quite some time, probably over 5 years, and their position hasn't changed (except now, one is in the penned off area in the basement). Any ideas why she all of a sudden would protest against these?

Thanks,
Bradley.

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by bschmerl

Hi Carolina:

Interesting suggestions. The type of litter boxes that we used haven't changed in quite some time, probably over 5 years, and their position hasn't changed (except now, one is in the penned off area in the basement). Any ideas why she all of a sudden would protest against these?

Thanks,
Bradley.

Cats feel free to change their preferences without warning.

Seriously though, this sounds like a constipation issue to me. And chronic constipation can lead to megacolon. It's difficult for her to poop sometimes, or it hurts, so she blames the box, and goes elsewhere.

What do her stools look like? Are they larger than normal? Do you see any straining when she poops?

I agree with the uncovered boxes idea also. But that's mainly because I am not a fan of covered boxes.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by otto

Cats feel free to change their preferences without warning.

Aside from health issues, the most common reason for pooping outside of the box, is aversion to the box itself or to the litter.
Aversion to the box can be - to being closed, to the size, to the odor, location and being pestered by other cats...

Litter issues can be scent, texture, dust...

Try solving these issues and you will be well on your way to solving your problem.

I believe in trying everything, seeing if she has a health related issue, solving all litterboxes and litter issues, and working or keeping her happy and stress free...

 

[sunnybelle76]

Hi

came across your post, I have a similiar problem with my one cat. I have 2 as well, male and female around 11 years old. Health wise she is awesome, but the male has allergies and IBD. On top of that he is a very "emotional cat" and sensitve to many things (yelling, stress, changes in schedules, people leaving or arriving)

Once I have ruled out health issues (we are currently battling his middening problem as we speak) I am currently also changing his food.

However, he is pooping in this one area under wires (computers), we are trying hard to figure out the cause of it. It could be the change of food, or a missing house person that he hangs out with on occasion or outside visitors.

Our house tends to have alot of racoon visitors roaming around outside and also cats visiting (mine are indoor cats), he seems to be a little sensitive to it. We are not sure why but it does cause him some stress, if your cats are indoor cats perhaps their are outside visitors roaming around outside that you don't know about. Keep in mind cats sense of smell and their hearing is 5-6 times stronger than a humans.

For instance: I was cleaning the kitchen with a broom and sort of played with him and pretended to brush him out of the way. he didn't like that, later that evening their was poop in front of the fridge. A few months ago, I had a vet come to the house and he had some blood taken (very scary for the cat) he proceeded to poop in my room for 2 months after, or by the door to my room. My family was in town and they all left the house in one big rush (I on the other hand, go slowly and feed him so he distracted when I leave the house) I found poop by the front door.

Cats are creatures of habit, any change no matter how sublte or small, can rock their world. So maybe go over those days that it poops outside of litter and think if anything unusual happened that day, even a minor thing can freak them out.

I am currently battling this myself, it usually is once a day (but has been quiet for 3 days) I am hoping that this is a phase. But I thought maybe putting out some of my examples would help you dive into your cats emotional state.