My cat poops on the floor even when the litter box is clean!!

by Patricia
(Seneca Falls, New York USA)

My boyfriend and I have a 3-year-old female cat that uses the litter box, but at least 2-3 times a day she poops on the floor. We have two other males. One is 8 months, and the other is 7 months old.

We pay attention to her as much as we can. The other males tend to get in her way when she's getting attention so they can, too.

They are constantly trying to play with her. Sometimes she will. Other times, she will growl and hiss at them.

Please give us some advice to figure out this problem. We love her and do not want to give her away, but this happens every day and is very frustrating.

My Thoughts: Assuming there are no physical problems that your vet can find, my guess would be that she might be stressed out by something, possibly the other cats. The stress that results from aggression between house mates can certainly cause litter box problems.

I see in the picture that she's caring for her kitten. If this is recent, and the problem is recent, then it may be related as mother cats have a lot of stress.

When you have an older female in the house, there may come a time when she shows aggression toward the younger males. This happens as part of the natural course of events as normally it would be time for the males to go out on their own.

So, Queenie may be trying to the let the boys know they're getting older. She also may be getting pushed down in the hierarchy as the male cats get older and look to dominate.

Any of the above may be causing some stress. The good news there is that eventually, one of the males will likely emerge as the dominant cat, and things will settle down.

In addition, cats can be moody just like people, and some cats just do better as the only cat in the house.

Also, adult cats sometimes get annoyed when younger cats pester them to play too much. The hissing may be due to that, or it may be due to her trying to hold on to her authority, or trying to kick the boys out of the nest.

Try to exercise the boys, show them attention, and keep them occupied as much as possible so they don't bother her as much.

Without separating her from the boys, it may be hard to reduce the stress and retrain her to use the box 100% of the time. If you try to retrain her without reducing the stress, it's probably pointless.

Sometimes separating cats that have gotten into a routine can cause even more stress, which adds to the variables.

So, if possible, I would start by reducing the stress level as much as possible. Feliway Spray is synthetic cat cheek pheromone and has been known to reduce or eliminate both aggression and litter box problems.

Spray it on all the common areas, and spray it on your clothes when you play with the cats. You can get the diffuser also which fills the room with the pheromones.

I would also try to give her as much attention as possible, and keep things interesting by providing plenty of toys for everyone. Leaving treats around the house for the cats to find can help too to distract them and bring out some hunting behavior.

If full isolation is not possible, you can try separating her from the boys for periods of time. If you can be alone with her in a room and give her lots of attention without interference from the other cats, that may help her feel more secure.

Full isolation retraining would involve placing her in a well lit room with food, water, toys, a cat bed, and a litter box. This sometimes works in extreme cases where nothing else does.

You have to control access and also control the reintegration process once the retraining is done. If things go back to the way they were, you have to start again with isolation.

If nothing else works, then working with a pet psychologist is your next option. Something worth noting is that if you're following the one plus one rule, you should have four litter boxes in the house for three cats.

Some cats often don't like to go in a box that was recently used by another cat. Others like one for pee and one for poop. Ideally the boxes should be strategically placed for easy access.

So, to summarize a bit... First make sure there are no physical problems, and then...

1) Make sure you have enough litter boxes.

2) Reduce stress as much as possible.

3) Try Feliway.

4) Distract everybody with toys and treats and try to exercise the boys to burn off excess energy.

5) Give plenty of attention to everybody.

6) Try isolation, either partial or full.

The golden rule, of course, is never punish, always praise. And, the usual, is keep everything squeaky clean and make sure you clean any areas that she's soiled with an enzymatic type cleanser that removes the odor.

I hope those ideas help to get you going in the right direction. Best of luck with her and let us know how it goes.
-Kurt

P.S. If anyone else has any ideas, let's hear them. These problems are not easy!

My cat pees in his box(es) but poops on the floor

by Amanda
(Portland, OR)

My husband and I have an 8 year old cat that we've had since he was a kitten. A couple of years ago he decided he no longer wanted to poop in his litter box and would rather poop in the main hallway, by the sliding glass door, in our guest room or in my husband's office.

We bought two huge litter boxes that are uncovered to try and help the problem, but he seems to only like to pee in the boxes and not poop in them.

In the summer he decided to start pooping out in our yard, but once the weather got rainy he has gone back to his old ways of pooping indoors.

His litter boxes are in a quiet and private part of the house. We do have a dog and another cat, but Oliver is the boss of them both. The other animals actually are fearful of him.

Our other cat was a stray cat and lives indoor/outdoor so he does not use a box at all. So Oliver doesn't have to share his litter boxes.

He also is in good health so it's not a health issue causing him to poop where he pleases.

My husband and I are having a baby in February and Oliver's pooping out of the box has got to stop. We cannot have a baby around this.

I don't want him to be an outside cat, as he's only been indoors his whole life other than our small fenced yard.

My husband is ready to get rid of him and I really don't want this to happen. We have also tried the Cat Attract litter and additive with no success.

If anyone has any advice or has had a similar situation PLEASE let me know how you were able to fix this serious issue. THANK YOU!!
Amanda

My thoughts: I'm sorry to hear that Oliver is having problems, Amanda. Did anything happen in Oliver's life right around the time that this started? I assume he was OK up until the age of about 6 (2 years ago).

What changed? Did you add or remove another pet/family member? Did you move or change the house or furniture in any way?

Was his routine interrupted by scheduling or feeding changes? Was there some stress?

You've tried Cat Attract with no success. Have you tried Feliway?

Some cats that are good with an outdoor bathroom will take to a litter box if it resembles the garden. Have you tried adding some grass and/or dirt to his litter box?

His litter boxes are in a private part of the house. That's good, but does he normally frequent those areas?

If he has an undiagnosed bowel issue, maybe he can't get to the litter box because he's not nearby. Cats are considered senior at age 7, so maybe he started having age related bowel problems at 6 and the litter boxes just aren't convenient.

Are his stools dry? He may be experiencing chronic or intermittent constipation, which has caused an association of pain to the act of pooping in the litter box.

If Oliver is the boss and the other pets are fearful, he may be pooping to assert his dominance. Some cats will refuse to bury their feces in the box, others will use the floor to show that they're top cat.

Another thought is that an indoor cat and an indoor/outdoor cat can be a complex dynamic. If one cat goes out and comes back smelling like a threat, it can create tension.

The next thing is... are all the surfaces hard floors? If so, he may prefer that surface, so try to give him that in his box.

Take a big litter box or plastic container and put a small amount of litter in it to one side, exposing a nice hard surface for him to use.

Have you tried placing a box right on top of one of the spots he likes to use? See what he does.

I hope that helps. Please let us know how his situation progresses.
-Kurt

P.S. Congratulations on your baby!

8 year old female cat poops on bedroom floor

by Stacey
(Illinois)

My eight year old female poops on the bedroom floor while we are in bed! We have three kitties. Two females and a male. We rescued the one female when she was about five weeks old and raised her.

She was impregnated quite young by my daughter's male cat. She only had two kittens and we kept both. One male, one female.

Sadly, my daughter's cat died about a year later after emergency surgery for mega colon. He'd been diagnosed for six months and had been receiving treatment.

We've had other cats in the household as well, but currently just the three. Mom, brother, and sister.

The sister has always been a bit hinky. She gets so nervous when you put her in a carrier she instantly soils herself and then mews like she's dying all the car trip. Needless to say we don't take her anywhere much.

She also doesn't do well with changes. We have four litter boxes in the basement bathroom. They are kept clean and this is where they've always been.

For some reason, she's recently started acting strange. She hisses and smacks at her brother, is on top of me constantly, even though she used to prefer my husband.

She still snuggles and grooms her mother, but sometimes hisses and slaps her randomly. Sometimes when she's on my lap and I pet her, she bites me. I'm used to love nips or her chewing my fingertips, but these are hard bites and she'll growl.

She's not eating as much as usual either. She seems to be urinating in the box, but has pooped on our bedroom floor 3 times in the last two weeks despite us being in the bed at the time!!

It is one spot, right in the doorway from the bedroom to the ensuite bathroom. She meows piteously when we go to bed at night and sometimes refuses to sleep on our bed as is their habit.

I clean the spot very well and spray Lysol on it. I've also tried the pheromones, both the plug in and spray types. Nothing is working.

The poop is not overly large or hard as though she were constipated or developing mega colon. She's got a nice, soft, shiny coat, no fever, and is fed Science diet canned food (1/2 can total in 3 feedings daily) along with Science diet hairball relief and sensitive stomach dry food. She's not overweight or under loved. Any ideas?

Owned by Cats

My thoughts: I'm sorry to hear your cat is having problems. From what you describe, she's in a stable home and is well cared for.

Yet, your cat has undergone some behavioral changes, is eating less than normal, is pooping outside the litter box, and is agitated or aggressive at seemingly random times.

It sounds like she's exhibiting signs of either stress or illness. Any change in the household can produce stress, and if she's a nervous cat to begin with, it might not take much to throw her off.

If she's not under additional stress, though, then she may be ill.

If she were my cat, I'd do whatever I could to reduce her stress levels, and I'd place a call to my veterinarian so she can be health checked.

I hope that helps and please let us know how she makes out.
-Kurt

P.S. One thing to note, and this is so others reading this can see it, is that I would be careful with Lysol.

According to an article by Dr. Alexandre Ellis published at UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, some formulations of Lysol contain phenol.

"...phenol-containing cleaners can be toxic to cats and their use is not recommended."

Cat uses bathroom tile as litter box

by B C
(Texas, US)

My kitty is about a year old. Nothing new has happened, and we have three cats and three cat boxes. Her's was in the kitchen, but she also shared one in the little one's room with one of the other cats.

About 4 days ago, she decided she was moving into my room permanently, and is using my bathroom floor to poop on. I have not seen pee. (I'm afraid she might be doing that in my closet.)

I just put her litter box in my bathroom now and hope this will fix it. Has anyone else experienced something like this?

My thoughts: I'm sorry to hear your cat is having issues. Assuming she doesn't have a medical problem, I would lean towards some kind of stress as a possible cause.

Finding the stress is key. Stress factors can include cats hanging around outside the house, a dispute with another cat in the house, or even a change in the schedules of the humans.

Hopefully, placing the litter box in the bathroom will do the trick. Normally, I'd say bathrooms aren't the best spot for a box, but if that's the room your cat has chosen, that might work.

Please let us know how it goes.
-Kurt

2Cats, one pooper on the floor; mystery

by Bonnie

We have a brother and sister team, almost 8 years old, and all of a sudden we've noticed that one of them has decided to poop outside the box.

We haven't caught the culprit... yet, because it's only happened three times in the past month-and-a-half; it's been in different places (the stairs, the downstairs bathroom and last but not least in our studio upstairs).

So needless to say, that cat has picked every level we have... so far. I scoop out the box everyday, have a liner and clean it once a week and replace the litter twice a week.

I am dreading taking both cats to the vet as the male has had a urine problem off and on for 3 years, but not sure if it's him this time. The female has been meowing off and on like crazy.

I have 'chased' them both down and rubbed a drop of pepto-bismal a couple of times on their mouth and that seemed to take care of the problem but I need to get this problem taken care of once and for all.

Is it me ('clean enough cat box')? Or is it one of them (behavioral/medical)? And which one???

'Ma-Shugie mommy'

My thoughts: Well, that's a tough one. I'll give my usual caveat in that you should always rule out medical problems first.

Of course, if one of them is having intermittent constipation, that could be difficult to determine. I would certainly call the vet and get an opinion.

I would say that the only real way to catch the culprit (other than by accident) is to separate the cats, but if it's only happened a few times a few weeks apart, that doesn't seem feasible. So, keeping a close eye on both cats is about all you can do.

I would suspect constipation in the female (or some issue) since she's meowing a lot and that may indicate a problem, but that's a wild guess. I wish I spoke cat.

Obviously if she yells while in the box then that's a big indicator. Also look for multiple visits to the box in a short period of time with no results.

Since it has happened in different locations and I assume on different surfaces, it doesn't sound like a preference for texture and location, which again, leads me to think constipation or some other physical issue.

I've written on this site before about Frankie and her "presents" that she has left on the floor in different areas of the house. What happens with her is that her longish hair gets tangled up in her poop and this leaves her with a cling-on that leaves the box with her.

That cling-on drops off at some point (either from her activity or she works at getting it off) and you can find it just about anywhere in the house.

It's not a case of inappropriate elimination (although it looks that way). The only remedy for that is to help her with diet and/or hair ball treatments to push that hair through, and more frequent grooming.

Some cats will use poop as a marking behavior, so if one of them feels threatened (ill, weakened condition, neighborhood cats on turf, unwanted guest in the house, etc.), then that is a possibility.

If it is constipation then you probably need a combination of a hair ball treatment (like lactulose) and maybe some anti-hair ball food.

You might want to do this with both cats for a while and see if that solves the problem. You still won't know which one it is, but perhaps the problem won't return.

You shouldn't give lactulose to your cat over a long period of time, though, since it inhibits absorption of nutrients. I'm sure your vet will tell you that, but I thought I'd mention it.

Lastly, if it is behavioral, there's something to note. You really should have three litter boxes for two cats if you go by the "one plus one rule." You also should have a box on each level of the house.

If there are no issues, then you can get away with fewer boxes, but if issues persist you might want to add a box. I know, why would they all-of-a-sudden have a problem after all this time? All I can say is... they're cats and sometimes it happens.

Good luck with this and I hope that helps some.
-Kurt

Cat pooping on floor near door where outside cat is

by Martha
(Tennessee)

My cousin's 9-month-old cat uses the litter box regularly.

She is an indoor cat. There are feral cats that come to the porch to be fed.

Lately when my cousin goes out the door to feed the ferals, the kitten poops right by the door.

Is this territorial behavior? The kitten has been spayed.

My Thoughts: I think it's highly possible it's marking, Martha, or it could be a fear response. Some cats do mark territory by defecating, and a response to outside cats is not uncommon.

The reaction is often worse if your cat can see the offenders, but sensing them may be enough as well.

Can the ferals be fed farther away from the house? Is there a place where they can be fed where she can't see them? That may help.

Also, you might try Feliway as this may reduce the need to mark territory. As always, we're assuming she's 100 percent healthy.

I hope that helps. Please tell us how things turn out.
-Kurt

Cat pooping on the floor

by Anonymous

Ok I am cat-sitting for a friend. The cat is a super nice male. There is one problem - he started pooping on the carpet in the corner of my dining room.

I tried moving the box there but he would just poop along the side of the box. So I moved his stuff to my bedroom and kept him in there.

There were no problems, except whenever he is let out he goes to that spot and poops on the carpet.

This whole time however he has been peeing in the box, so for some reason he doesn't want to poop in there.

He has been an outdoor cat, but during the winter he is use to being an indoor cat. I have currently moved the box where he likes to poop on the carpet.

I did this because while in the bedroom he either would sneak out when the door was open or not poop (which over the long term it can't be good for him not to poop).

I am also removing the lid from the box since I think he might like that better, plus I clean it daily in the morning since he usually pees ( and hopefully poops too) at night.

I am thinking that if he keeps this up I might change the litter (which is what the owner gave me, I think it's clay). I am stumped on what is going on and would appreciate any help.

My Thoughts: Cat sitting is tough if the cat is not in his usual environment because cats are extremely territorial. When their routine is disrupted it can be stressful, and changing houses is very stressful.

A cat needs to establish themselves in their new territory before they are truly comfortable.

If it's not a physical problem (like he was constipated and now associates painful bowel movements with the litter box), then stress, in it's various forms, is often at the root of a litter box problem. The stress can be as simple as another cat that's outside the house.

So, anything you can do to reduce stress would be good.

Changing the litter may work, but I would normally stick with whatever litter he was using before. Some cats are very picky about the litter type and sometimes changing cat litter type or brand can actually cause problems. I'm not saying it won't work, just that it wouldn't be my first choice.

I'm wondering if, in addition to the stress of being in a new environment, he's used to having two litter boxes. Some cats like one box for pee and one for poop, and have a hard time adjusting to just one box. I would hope that you would have been told that before hand though!

Is it the same box he's used to? If he's used to an uncovered box then removing the cover might help.

Sometimes the covers contain the smells inside the box and that can turn a cat off. Also, if this started happening at night, the cover may be reducing the light into the box too much for his taste. So, either more light or no cover may help.

He'll probably have a strong urge to return to the carpeted area and you'll need to clean that thoroughly. I'd consider blocking off the area to him as well if that's possible. He may choose a new area, and you'll have to work with that.

Outdoor cats are sometimes more comfortable on grass than sandy surfaces, and a carpet is the next best thing.

One recommendation for stimulating things is to put some grass inside the box with the litter. Or, you can buy Cat Attract to add to the litter, which has been known to work with some cats.

In addition, I would try a fresh batch of litter (same type), and cleaning the box both morning and night for a couple of days and see if things change (keeping him away from his new favorite spot). Also, you can get Feliway spray and see if spraying that around reduces his stress level.

I hope that helps and please let us know if you figure it out. If anyone else has ideas, we'd love to hear them.
-Kurt

Cat holds a grudge, poops on floor

by Travis
(State College, PA, USA)

My wife and I have had our cat Magnolia for 7 years. The first year, she (the cat, not the wife) used her litter box like a champ. No problems whatsoever.

Then, my wife gave birth and, due to complications, we ended up away from home for five weeks for a hospital stay. During that time, Magnolia was cared for in the homes of two families (one family is a cat foster home).

Ever since that month, Magnolia has refused to use the litter box for bowel movements while consistently using it for urine.

This has remained true for six years. I've tried a variety of boxes (large, small, covered, uncovered), a variety of litters, and have had her checked by the vet, but all signs point to a behavioral issue.

I've just sort of grudgingly dealt with the fact that I have to pick up poop every day when I get home, spray down the floor, and clean it thoroughly, but I'm really getting tired of this after such a long time.

Obviously, I love Magnolia - it takes love to pick up poop for over half a decade - but is there anything I haven't tried yet that could get her to park her poop in the proper place?

My thoughts: That's a long time! I'd say you're a very patient cat parent. It may be very difficult to retrain her at this point. You might want to consult an animal behaviorist.

It's commonly accepted that cats are incapable of holding grudges, although I see posts all over the Internet from cat owners who claim they do. Cats will react to certain circumstances, and we attribute this to things like "my cat doesn't like me because I took her to the vet" but it doesn't work that way.

But they do get off kilter due to stress and it's hard to get them back on track. When a cat doesn't use the box, it's typically stress, some medical issue, or something not quite right with the box from your cat's point of view.

Have you tried confinement and retraining? With difficult cases, confinement is sometimes the way.

See the house soiling section on this site for some insight on the nature these types of issues.

I'm assuming that you've tried offering two boxes at the same time placed in various areas of the house as well (after thoroughly cleaning the soiled area and either blocking it off or using aluminum foil or double sided tape)?

Some cats get to the point where they won't pee and poop in the same box. Having the two boxes, and keeping them both extremely clean and well-placed is sometimes the answer.

I've also described in other answers a couple of times the method of using aluminum foil or double sided tape to keep the cat out of the area. You need to clean the area thoroughly, then put down the foil or tape so your cat won't go there. Also, citrus smells are usually a good cat repellent.

Again, in extreme cases, and I would say this qualifies, confinement may be the way to go. Either that or call in a pet psychologist and get an evaluation. You might also try Feliway (a synthetic cat cheek pheromone), which has been shown to reduce the effects of stress on some cats and help with behavior problems.

I hope that helps and good luck!
-Kurt

My 11 year old cat has started pooping on the floor!

For the last couple of months, my 11 year old female cat has started making a mess on the floor. She's an indoor cat and has never had a problem using her litter box before.

For the last few months, she seems to be using her box to both urinate and poop. When she's finished she runs away, as cats do, but there's always a small amount of poop that seems to be on the floor when she runs.

Sometimes the poop is not far from her box, but sometimes it's as far away as my bedroom. Sometimes it's quite wet, and then the next time it can be quite normal. She's eating and drinking as normal, too.

I've also noticed lately there is always some poop left matted into the hair around her bottom. When she cleans herself she seems to struggle to reach this area, so on a few occasions we've had to trim around her bottom or cut the poop out her fur.

It seems to be everyday now I come home from work and there's some poop on the floor to greet me! Any help or advice much appreciated. :)

My thoughts: I'm sorry to hear she's having problems. In reading your description of the problem, a few things that stand out:

She seems to be having trouble cleaning her rear end. Is she in pain? Is she experiencing mobility problems due to arthritis or some other ailment? I would look to answer those questions with a vet visit.

Poop is getting stuck in the hair around her butt, and she's dropping poop on the floor after she exits the box. Is it possible she has too much hair in the gut and that is creating "cling ons" which drop off (or not) as she moves?

She sometimes has soft stools. If her diet is consistent, and that's a new problem, then perhaps she's got some intestinal issue going on? Whether that's too much hair in the gut or something else, again, I think a vet visit is a good idea.

I hope that helps and please let us know what happens with her,
-Kurt