Cat pooping on beds and in the litter box!

by Tasha
(Canada)

We recently adopted a stray tabby into our home, she looks to be around 27 weeks. She must have been litter box trained before because she immediately used it.

However sometimes we will find she has gone on my parents beds... quite a lot and with an unbelievably atrocious smell! She still uses her litter box but still sometimes goes on our beds. Why is she doing this?

My Thoughts: Thanks for adopting her! I'm sorry to hear she's having problems, though, Tasha.

Is she having loose stools or constipation? She may not be able to make it to the litter box.

Did you start her out confined to one room while she got used to the new home and got her litter box habits in order? Cats take time to adjust to a new home.

Is there anything special or different about the times when she uses the box versus the bed? Is there anything you can see that is common to the times when she uses the bed?

Is her diet consistent? Do you always use the same type of cat litter?

Are there, or were there, other pets in the house? What about nearby or just outside the house?

Some cats prefer one box to poop in and one to pee in. If she uses the bed when the box is dirty, that may be why. Or, the box may be just dirty enough that she doesn't want to use it.

Make sure the box is cleaned twice a day, and have two boxes for her.

I hope that helps a bit and please update us on her situation.
-Kurt