One of my cats has suddenly started to poop in the other's litter box

[hersheys mom]

Background: Minja - Adopted 3 yrs ago. Current Age: 5. Had behavioral issues. Food monger. Retrained her, she now knows she gets 3 squares at same time every day, no more problems EXCEPT when she finishes her food she immediately runs to the other room to eat Hershey Rose's food.

Background - Hershey Rose - Adopted 2 yrs 10 months ago. Current Age: 3 yr 2 mo. Feral, was in foster home 3 weeks in Denver. Flew to Denver to adopt her. She was around people and other cats in foster home. However, she was traumatized for 45 minutes by TSA at the airport. She literally hung by her nails from the ceiling. Got her home, kept her in separate room until I could untraumatize and tame her.. She put me in the ER half a dozen times but I would not give up. She is now a lap cat but will not let you near her nails and will not tolerate being picked up.

HR was not yet socialized to the extent I wanted to let her and Minja come face to face. Cats were slowly introduced after 4 months of smelling each other through the door. The have never been buddies, but they tolerate each other. Sometimes they play whack-a-mole on each others head. They hiss and chase each other around the house but no nasty swats with claws out and no fur flying. Minja has always tried to grab HR's food due to her disorder, so I continued to feed HR in the room she was kept in when I brought her home. I also kept her potty in there as there was no room in the master bedroom for 2 potties (Minja's has been in the same place since I got her).

About 6 months ago I totally re-did the bedroom. I catified it and brought in HRs potty. Everything was fine until 4 weeks ago when Minja decided to poop in HRs potty. She urinates in her own potty, but poops in HRs. I do not understand why. They have the same type potty, and the same litter. HR'sbox has been in the same room (on the opposite side) with Minja's for 5 months. Why the sudden change? HR is really getting pissy about it and if she catches Minja in her box a fight ensues. Has anyone experienced this or know why Minja has suddenly taken to this behavior? Both cats get equal attention, equal brushing time, equal play time, etc. Both sleep in the bedroom with me. Minja has taken to sleeping in one of the high beds in the giant cat tree when HR is on the bed with me. Sometimes they will both sleep with me, one on each side, but I hear the growling and hissing during the night over my body. I have tried calming scents and diffusers and nothing helps. I just ordered 2 calming collars hoping that will help. I love them both and wish they would get along better. Minja was just over 2 yrs old when I brought Hershey Rose home. She was 10 months old at that time. I was hoping Minja would "adopt" her, but it did not turn out that way. Any suggestions?

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Some cats (including one of mine) prefer one box to pee and another for poo.  I have watched my cat go directly from one box to the other.  Do you have anywhere you could add a third box?  Preferably next to Minja's current box?

 

[hersheys mom]

Unfortunately not. That was why I redid the rooms. Did not like HR's box where I worked. Minja has been using her box for both for 3 years. Two boxes have been in same room for 6 months, and she just started to poop in HRs box. Strikes me as more of an "I own this room" or jealousy thing which I don't understand because both cats are loved equally.

 

[mservant]

Sounds to me like there has been some other stuff going on with their relationship and HR has taken on a more controlled / dominant role between them recently - from the poop behaviour you describe together with who is sleeping where.   For my previous pair of litter sisters I eventually figured out it was who ever was ruling the roost that slept at the head end of my bed and the other cat was at my feet or on the floor.

I'd go for adding a litter box if you can, and offering as much height and increasing their space as you can within the walls of your home, and watch carefully but calmly for any other behaviours which indicate something going on.   It could also be around health changes which is what tended to trigger shifts with my females.

 

[sabycat]

I recently adopted a new kitty.  While we have two boxes, the male (had him previously) will go into the her box and she will go in his box.  Also, he will go in when she is done and make sure her poop is covered up.  He's a good house keeper.  ha!  

Photo on 7-15-15 at 5.43 PM #3.jpg

• sabycat
• Jul 16, 2015

 

[hersheys mom]

When I catified the room, I gave them a 72" cat tree. It has 2 beds on the very top. Minja sleeps in the lower bed. Hershey Rose stays off the tree. At first I didn't know why, then I started watching. Minja would chase her away every time she tried to get on the tree. To get to the carpeted top of the hutch I made for them which sits on my dresser and is equal in height to the big window, they have to go from the tree, walk across a wide 22" shelf and step onto the carpet. Hershey Rose jumps on the bed, walks over the night stand, onto the dresser and hops up on it to avoid the tree. Minja rules the tree. Hershey Rose then took to ruling the bed, but only when I am in it. Then she will chase Minja off. Sometimes Minja waits until she is asleep and sneaks on the bed. But the pooping thing started 3 or 4 weeks ago, and the boxes have been in the same room for 6 months. Lately they chase each other more and there is more whack-a-mole going on. I walked in from the store 3 days ago and they were both on their hind legs, front paws flailing at each other. After carefully watching them for the last few months, I would say they bulling is about 50-50. Half the time Minja starts it, the other half HR starts it. I can handle the pooping thing, but I don't like the bullying and I don't like Minja running to HR's bowl and eating her food when she is done with her own. Minja is getting fat and I have to cut down her portions, which makes her want the food even more. The problem with the food thing is this: HR is a purebred Burmese. I am sure many of you have pure bred Burmese cats, so maybe you can tell me if this is specific to the bred or if I just got 2 Burmeses at different times with the same trait. The cat in the picture above is my late Hershey. She passed away 2 months shy of her 18th birthday, which was 3+ years ago. She was pure bred, and weighed 7.5 lbs. HR is also pure bred and weighs 9 lbs. Both cats had the same eating trait. They eat 3 bites and leave the food. They come back 15 or 20 minutes later and eat another 3 bites, and so it goes. If I fed HR in a separate room so Minja could not eat her food, she would be in the room for 3 hours by herself and may think she is being punished. Same goes for Minja. Confining her until HR is done eating would be cruel. I would love to know if anyone has a solution to this, and any ideas about why the sudden pooping. Thank you to all those that replied. Your answers are great, but do not quite fit my cat's personalities or their current living situations.