Cat pooping on floor every other day

[morewel]

I hope someone can help.  I recently adopted two cats, both female, around 3 years old.  Both came from the same foster home and were fostered together for a couple months before I adopted them.  

Both are very friendly and adjusted to my apartment and me very quickly.  They both purr instantly when I pet them, and will crawl into my lap to demand attention.  They are sweet girls.

The problem is, after she was with me a week or so, one of my girls (Flossy) started pooping outside her litter box occasionally.  At first, I just woke up one morning to a poop on the bath mat in the bathroom next to the litter box.  I washed and took up the bath mat, and didn't think anything of it.  The next night, I woke up, and there was poop on the other bath mat, also right next to the litter box.  I washed it and didn't put it back.  After I took up all the bath mats, she went faithfully in her litter box for the next few days, and then started occasionally pooping on the bare bathroom floor!

Ever since then, over the last 7 weeks or so, Flossy has been pooping outside her litter box 4-5 times per week or so.  At first, it was always in the bathroom next to the litter box, only at night, but it has gradually expanded to different areas of the house and times of the day (although still within a couple yards of a litter box, usually within inches of the box).  I have tried everything I can think of, and nothing has worked:

1.  Bought a second litter box.  Initially put it in the bathroom next to the first one.  After that didn't seem to help, moved it to the bedroom (I only have a one bedroom apartment).

2.  Scoop 1-2 times per day.  Scrub box with baking soda and change the litter every week or so.

3.  Separated the cats at night (one in the bedroom with us, one in the rest of the house)

4.  Used enzyme cleaner on the spots she went before on the carpet, re-arranged objects and put tin foil over the spots (she hasn't repeated any spot on the carpet - she finds a new place each time)

5.  Bought a 3rd litter box.  Filled it with a different kind of litter.  She doesn't use it.  

6.  Scheduled vet appointment.  She appears to be healthy overall.

7.  Gradually changed to a wheat-free food.  

8.  Made the litter more shallow.  Made the litter deeper.  Made one litter box shallow, the other litter box deep.  

9.  Put her in the bathroom with food, water, and the litter box at night.  This seemed to work, but then she just started pooping on the floor during the day.  Also, she scratches at the door and meows all night to be let out, and I get no sleep.  

The frustrating part is, she uses the litter box just fine about half the time!  She knows what she is supposed to do, she just chooses not to do it most of the time!  

Any other advice about what I can do to break her of this habit?  I have heard that locking her in the bathroom with food, water, and the litter for a while can re-program her, but my bathroom has no windows and it seems cruel to confine her in the dark for an extended period of time.  Plus, I don't think I could stand her meows to be let out for very long.  

 

[deborahlee]

 Have you contacted the person who fostered them to find out if they had the same problem?

And to find out what kind of litter they used?  Possibly using what she is used to might help.

Are the cats declawed?  If so, it might be irritating her paws when she steps in the litter.

Do you feed them a mainly dry food diet?  Maybe she's a bit constipated?

What kind of litter boxes?  Are they big, high, wide enough?  Maybe changing the type of boxes might help.  Again, maybe what she is used to before you adopted her might be more comfortable.

Is it a covered litter box?  Some cats don't like them.

If the bathroom isn't working you may have to consider crate training.  Less space for her to get away from the poop might get her using the litter box.

Do you feed them at scheduled times or do you free-feed?   By feeding her at scheduled times you might be able to control a little bit when she has to go, and time it so you can possibly have some control over where she is around that time, and maybe catch her in the act which might (or might not) give you a hint, but it's a possibility.

She's not choosing to do this.  She's communicating something.  The tricky part is figuring out what it is.

 

[morewel]

Thanks for the response!  I've been in touch with the person who fostered them and tried to keep everything the same.  The foster owner said that Flossy had "a couple accidents" but nothing like this.  They used unscented plain clay litter, and I have done the same.  The other litter I tested out was corn litter.  

Neither of the cats are declawed.  

They are on a completely dry food diet - apparently wet food didn't agree with the other cat, so the foster owner transitioned both of them over to dry food for convenience.  I will definitely try this.  Right now I am free feeding (same as the foster) so I'll see if I can get her on some sort of schedule.  

The boxes are an assortment of sizes (two big and high, one smaller).  None of them are covered.  

 

[deborahlee]

You might want to give scooping litter a try.  With clay litter, the urine and smell stays in there, and when they dig, they're digging through litter wet with urine that smells.  It's really easy to scoop out the clumps, and also, when they dig, the clumps get pushed away and their paws aren't in urine-soaked litter.  Might be worth a try, I'd try it and give it a week or two to see what happens.

First thing I'd do is try the bathroom thing again (put a nightlight in there) and give it a week to see if that is more pleasing to her.  Keep a couple of poops and put them in the scoop litter to give them the hint.

If she doesn't get the idea, then try the crate.