- Joined
- Nov 26, 2012
- Messages
- 13
- Purraise
- 11
Hello all, first time poster, and also the first time adopting a cat.
The post is a bit long, but please bear with me- I am new to this issue and wanted to give you guys all of the facts.
My wife and I adopted a 5-year old longhaired cat a couple weeks ago, pumpkin. We have gotten him the same type of food, and a bigger litter box (the foster place had so many cats using the same one). The fine litter used is an arm and hammer brand.
Now here is the issue- starting from day 2-3 from when he came, every 2 to 3 days, he always poops right outside his litter box.
At first, we thought it was the litter box not being clean, and therefore we made sure we cleaned the litter out twice a day. He is also very comfortable with us- compared to the few days when he stayed in a corner closet room for the entire day, he greets us by rubbing against us to be petted (I don't know if that is a word haha), and eats well and drinks water well.. (water by the way is sometimes tap and sometimes brita filtered water, cold- would this cause issues?) Therefore, we had to rule out the cleanliness of the box as the main issue.
After several days of anxious research, I found out that it might be a case of "middening" that occurs for cats if they are stressed out about something. However, our litter box has been not next to anything that produces harsh noises, and we also have no other pets. In addition, I would suspect that if Pumpkin indeed would have been doing the act of middening, he would do it it different places around the house all the time. However, he only does it every 2-3 days, once. Also when I scoop the litter out, there is plenty of litter that gets scooped out as well, so it seems that he does this just sometimes.
Also, when I see him pooping outside the box, he then furiously tries to scoop some of the fine litter outside the box and tries to cover up the poop- I would think that if middening, cats would leave it out smelling on purpose.
Then I also noticed that the poop outside the box was very soft and fluidic, like (sorry for the reference) softish nutella. Now I am thinking that maybe every few days, pumpkin suffers from diarhhea and cannot hold enough to go in the box so he might just rush it? There are also times when the poop stain is left on the rims of the box as well. Again, this only happens once every few days.
I am in need of some advice. Should I somehow incorporate to pumpkin that we like it when he poops inside and hate it when he poops outside?
We are going to ask about his situation to the vet tomorrow as well.
As I mentioned before, I am sorry for writing in such incoherent and discorded style- I am just worried for our pumpkin who just came into the family and am going through such behaviors! And reading from research shows that this act is something I shouldn't punish but should act quickly.
Thanks to all in advance for your helpful advice.
The post is a bit long, but please bear with me- I am new to this issue and wanted to give you guys all of the facts.
My wife and I adopted a 5-year old longhaired cat a couple weeks ago, pumpkin. We have gotten him the same type of food, and a bigger litter box (the foster place had so many cats using the same one). The fine litter used is an arm and hammer brand.
Now here is the issue- starting from day 2-3 from when he came, every 2 to 3 days, he always poops right outside his litter box.
At first, we thought it was the litter box not being clean, and therefore we made sure we cleaned the litter out twice a day. He is also very comfortable with us- compared to the few days when he stayed in a corner closet room for the entire day, he greets us by rubbing against us to be petted (I don't know if that is a word haha), and eats well and drinks water well.. (water by the way is sometimes tap and sometimes brita filtered water, cold- would this cause issues?) Therefore, we had to rule out the cleanliness of the box as the main issue.
After several days of anxious research, I found out that it might be a case of "middening" that occurs for cats if they are stressed out about something. However, our litter box has been not next to anything that produces harsh noises, and we also have no other pets. In addition, I would suspect that if Pumpkin indeed would have been doing the act of middening, he would do it it different places around the house all the time. However, he only does it every 2-3 days, once. Also when I scoop the litter out, there is plenty of litter that gets scooped out as well, so it seems that he does this just sometimes.
Also, when I see him pooping outside the box, he then furiously tries to scoop some of the fine litter outside the box and tries to cover up the poop- I would think that if middening, cats would leave it out smelling on purpose.
Then I also noticed that the poop outside the box was very soft and fluidic, like (sorry for the reference) softish nutella. Now I am thinking that maybe every few days, pumpkin suffers from diarhhea and cannot hold enough to go in the box so he might just rush it? There are also times when the poop stain is left on the rims of the box as well. Again, this only happens once every few days.
I am in need of some advice. Should I somehow incorporate to pumpkin that we like it when he poops inside and hate it when he poops outside?
We are going to ask about his situation to the vet tomorrow as well.
As I mentioned before, I am sorry for writing in such incoherent and discorded style- I am just worried for our pumpkin who just came into the family and am going through such behaviors! And reading from research shows that this act is something I shouldn't punish but should act quickly.
Thanks to all in advance for your helpful advice.