Going to the bathroom outside of litter box

[hbeaudoin]

I have 2 cats and 2 litter boxes throughout the house. I've been noticing 1 poop outside of both boxes -- it happens probably every couple of days. I'm not sure which cat is doing it, but I'm concerned. I know it could be that it's painful for them and thus, are associating pain with the litter box. Or maybe it's behavioral and something as simple as the litter box isn't clean enough. How do I help them, though? Is there something I can give them to help their bowel movements? I do have laxatone for hairballs...not sure if that would help for constipation. Do I need to take both to the vet? I will be doing that later this month anyway for a checkup.. but would love some advice. Thanks!

 

[catspaw66]

OK, here is some advice. Scoop the boxes at least once a day, if you are using scoopable litter. Then I would try a different litter in one of the boxes. Don't use all new litter in that one, mix some of the new with some of the old type. If you find the cat (Names, please) uses that one more, then gradually increase the new type of litter until the cat is the most comfortable.

The vet visit is definitely a must. In the meantime, do some snooping to see if one of them is straining to poop. (Pooper Snooper?) You really want to find out which one is pooping outside the box. That way the vet can give him/her extra attention.

What type of food are you feeding - dry, wet, raw? If dry, increase the amount of wet food they are getting. The wet food helps regulate the texture of the poop and could make it more comfortable for the cat to go.

As always, clean the spots where the cat poops with a good enzyme cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle. Get the bottle that says Urine Destroyer. I use it and it works for me every time.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

Yes, its important to find out who is missing the box. It could be that one of the cats is squatting too close to the lip of the box resulting in some poop falling outside, or the cat leaves the box prematurely and drops some on the way. This might explain the intermittent missing. Our Thomas (Tuxedo) has a tendency to back up and poop with his back pressing against the box. When I see him doing this I give him a gentle nudge away from the edge and he continues doing his business. Not sure why this is as I work out of my home and scoop regularly through the day.

It's always a good idea to have your cat examined to rule out possible health issues.