I have been feeding a stray cat or 2 for over year. One of them has just now started defecating near the food dish almost every night. About a foot away from the dish. They never did this before. The only changes I have made is a started putting 4 each of Meow Mix treats and teeth cleaning treat in with their food. I don't over it with the treats or anything. And it's good food I give them, dry Purina Gentle. I put about 2 cup of food out there and put the treats in the corner of the dish. Something also new is a got one of those heated mats (non-electric) for the box I have out there for them to sleep in. I hardly ever see them, not even sure if they (or one of them) sleeps in the box. I think they might sleep out there for a little while, kind of looks like they do. Anyway, I hate to just stop putting food out there due to this pooping issue. What should I do? It is an upstairs protected porch.
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Stray Cat Defecating Near It's Food Dish
- Thread starter CarolC
- Start Date
Hello and welcome to The Cat Site. 
It's very unusual for a cat to poop near his food dishes, so I wonder if maybe one of the new foods is bothering his digestive system. I'm not really sure what to suggest, other than maybe change back to the original food only for a while and see if that make a difference.
Thanks for feeding these 2 cats for the past year. Since they depend on you, please do not stop putting food out for them.
Do you know if they've been neutered/spayed?
It's very unusual for a cat to poop near his food dishes, so I wonder if maybe one of the new foods is bothering his digestive system. I'm not really sure what to suggest, other than maybe change back to the original food only for a while and see if that make a difference.
Thanks for feeding these 2 cats for the past year. Since they depend on you, please do not stop putting food out for them.
Do you know if they've been neutered/spayed?
Are you certain it is the cats pooping and not a raccoon or possum? Do you leave food out overnight?
Are you certain that its a kitty that is pooping near the food? That behavior sounds a bit like a possum to me. They eat, sh.it and sleep in the same place..nasty.
Re; heating pads...I recently bought two heating pads and placed them inside boxes for the outside kitties that reside in my feral community which I host in my backyard. To my surprise the kitties won't go near them. Its been down in the low 30s lately, so I've been working to keep the little skunkrats warm at night. They are all black kitties, all nine of them, all fixed. I recently experimented with different box/tent arrangements and I have found a strategy that the kitties embrace. Basically its a wooden box 1 1/2 ft x 2 ft long. Each box has three six inch sides and one foot & half ft side, to which I staple a dark blue towel to the top, sloping down over the box to the adjacent opposite side, and stapled to the six inch side, making a little tent which is open on each end, ingress & egress. The box bottom is 1 1/2 ft by 2 ft long. I lined the bottom of the box-tents with soft hand towels, the kitties really love sleeping in them. Now I gotta figure out how to make the tents rain-proof. I'll post the plans eventually when I have things worked out. So far the cost is around $10 + couple of old towels.
AlphKitty
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Yeah, racoons are famous for pooping near where they eat. If you have a lot of poo you have a lot of racoons. They use a “latrine method”;where several go in the same place. Unburied poo with a kind of unformed material, lots of nuts, berries, etc. If you don’t see the cats pooping and leave food out at night, the poo is there in the morning I’m betting on racoons!
Yep, you correct, I forgot to mention racoons too. But its mostly possums that I've seen that do that. In any case, I have a remedy for those critters, but unfortunately, its a strategy that's out of reach for most folks who care for the little outdoor kitties...I employ non-harmful, non-lethal HIGH-Voltage to teach them to eat and dump elsewhere.
AlphaKitty
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The joys of trapping. Last nights results: One VERY large racoon and a little opossum. Both went for their first truck ride to the conservation area about 8 miles from my house. Either set more traps or worse food...these guys will eat anything! Had really hoped for that feral I saw but maybe tonight.
I fully expect to see a scientific paper from the state conservation people on “the racoon and opossum explosion at ........conservation area” since I’ve been doing relocations there for the last 8 years....ha!
