Cat pooping outside of Litterbox

[sadiesmom]

HELP! My kitty Sadie isn't pooping in her litterbox, she is going by our front door! She did this behavior a few months ago when she shared 2 litter boxes with a 1 yr old female kitty. The first situation was solved by a 3rd litterbox. We have since moved and she is the only cat. She has done this twice in the last 2 days.
Her litter box is in the laundry room which when I asked my vet he said that can make the cat not want to use the litterbox, but we only do laundry 1 day a week!?
Any suggestions? I have cleaned the spot thoroughly with carpet cleaner. I am going to put foil over the spot to see if that helps at all.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!
Thank you!
~Sadiesmom~

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by sadiesmom

HELP! My kitty Sadie isn't pooping in her litterbox, she is going by our front door! She did this behavior a few months ago when she shared 2 litter boxes with a 1 yr old female kitty. The first situation was solved by a 3rd litterbox. We have since moved and she is the only cat. She has done this twice in the last 2 days.
Her litter box is in the laundry room which when I asked my vet he said that can make the cat not want to use the litterbox, but we only do laundry 1 day a week!?
Any suggestions? I have cleaned the spot thoroughly with carpet cleaner. I am going to put foil over the spot to see if that helps at all.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!
Thank you!
~Sadiesmom~

Remove the litterbox from the laundry room...
If its covered, uncover it... Used Cat Attract Litter, Clean the spots with a good enzyme cleaner (carpet cleaner will not do it)... Use Feliway on the wall.
Add another Litterbox in an open, quiet room... Make sure the box is cleaned at least once a day. Spray Feliway by the spots, close to the front door. Give her treats and praise her every time she uses her litter box...

These are the things that comes to mind...

 

[luvmy10]

I agree, move the litterbox out of the laundry room. We have 1 in every bathroom and ours seem to do really well. Make sure it is clean, some cats don't like putting their paws on their own poo poo! (mine don't anyways! Lol)

Best of luck! <3

 

[white cat lover]

Hello & Welcome to TCS!

The first two things I would do are:
1) If you only have one litterbox, get a second (make sure you set it up away from the first box)
2) Remove the litterbox from the laundry room - even if you aren't doing laundry, it's possible the smells in the room deter her or that she's generally speaking afraid of the washer/dryer

Cats can be very sensitive creatures, by pooping in the doorway she's trying to tell you something isn't right in her world.

 

[darlili]

Agree with everything above - and, how is her poo? Same consistency as always? If not, time to visit the vet, sample in hand (well, in baggie!). If the poo does seem normal, I'd try all of the above suggestions (and I always suggest an additional, new box filled with Cat Attract as an option as well).

My boy has had box issues and, looking back, in every case he was trying to tell me something. And some only cats really do want two boxes in general - one for pee and one for poo. And, cleaning twice a day is a great habit to get into, both cat and person.

Good luck - believe me, I know is frustrating and stressful for everyone involved.

 

[sadiesmom]

Thank you all! I do clean it every day, I am religious about that!
I have taken the lid off. I am going to wait to see what she does today before I move it. I really have nowhere else to put it...may have to go under my desk in the office if her behavior doesn't change.
Luckily, I am home all day today so I can keep an eye on her and see what she does.
Thank you!!!

 

[darlili]

Oh, I've been there - thankfully, I'm single and really only have myself to please, but I've got boxes in places I wouldn't have imagined a few years back.

Good luck to you - I know it's not fun for either of you.

 

[jasonsol]

If you would like to keep your litter box in the laundry room just try to keep an eye on your cat. While your cat is peeing or defecating move them immediately into the litter box. This will teach them that is the right place to go. Persistence is key.

Good Luck!
- Jasonsol

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by Jasonsol

If you would like to keep your litter box in the laundry room just try to keep an eye on your cat. While your cat is peeing or defecating move them immediately into the litter box. This will teach them that is the right place to go. Persistence is key.

Good Luck!
- Jasonsol

Sorry, I disagree... Removing the litterbox from the laundry room is pretty essential... Cats can really have a problem with laundry rooms. Something else that is essential is a second litter box in a different location.
There is got to be another place - not ideal as far as decoration goes... But IMO certainly better than poop on the floor...
I live in a small one bedroom apartment, and have 3 litterboxes for my 3 cats... And I don't have a Laundry room, so...

 

[iambic]

My cat's been doing the same thing ever since I brought her home. While I agree that it could be the noise/stress of the laundry room, I also think it may have something to do with the fact that she may be uncertain in her new home (you did say you just moved, correct?)

There is a phenomenon called middening, where cats will defecate outside the litter box, in prominent areas sure to be seen by humans and other cats, as a way to mark their territory and infuse their new home with their scent. Basically, they're trying to reassure themselves that this place is in fact theirs.

I had to get a second litterbox for my girl, switch to Cat Attract, add a Feliway diffuser (I may add another) and sequester her in the bathroom with the diffuser and the litterboxes for a week before the problem stopped. We still have the occasional setback, but so far every instance could be directly traced to a new stress-causing event (a new person coming to visit, etc.).

Good luck to you, and I definitely agree with what everyone else has already suggested. And patience! It may be painful to keep her tucked away in one room for a week, but it's worth it. She needs to gradually come to terms with her territory, and slowly be introduced to other parts of the house, so that she can realize that the place belongs to her, too, and that it is safe.