Is This Cause For Euthanasia?

Help! I have a 17+ year old cat who does not poop in the litter box anymore. It started as one here or there right outside the litter box but has gotten worse. We bought two low sided storage bins and each have a different type of litter hoping it would help.. It helped for a couple days but then she was back to pooping on the floor. She normally poops on the basement floor (that is where the litter boxes are) last weekend she pooped on the floor twice... once right in front of my husband on the bathmat while he was in the bathroom getting ready for work. She had blood work done and everything was fine... but this is getting ridiculous. I can't let her in the bedroom anymore because she smeared poop on our bed. She pooped on my dog's bed. Everyone is telling me it is time to euthanize her... but she seems fine other than the poop issue and vomiting a few times a week. I don't know what to do...

Hi Rhody - The pooping and vomiting themselves aren't cause for euthanasia. They do indicate that your cat has some kind of health problem that needs to be looked into. Have you spoken with your vet about them? S/he can run additional tests to figure out what is going on.

Last time I talked to the vet she told me there was nothing more she could really do...

Sorry you're dealing with litter box issues, and vomiting, but unless it is being caused by a terminal illness, or your cat is in pain, it is not a reason for euthanasia.

How is her overall health? And behaviour? Anything change before all this started?

Does she ever poop in the litter box? And when she doesn't, is it hard like she's constipated? Or more like diarrhea. Either can cause litter box avoidance, especially if it hurts her to go.

My Ruby has a sensitive digestive system, and I have to be careful not to feed her too much of the wrong food, or she'll have outside the litter box accidents.

And the vomiting... is it hairballs? Undigested food? Has she had a history of vomiting?

Is there a cat only vet in your area? If so, maybe try getting her into to see someone who specializes in cats. Or at least another vet, for a second opinion.

I totally understand the dilemma ... our kitty Trin has always been bad with litter boxes ... he tends to start pooping inside them and then walk forward leaving poopy breadcrumbs. Obviously inconvenient and annoying, but we just pick it up and throw it out.

Well now he’s sick and has liquid diarrhea. We are going through paper towels and cleaners like there’s no tomorrow, we don’t invite people over and we are constantly late for work because of cleaning. This on top of knowing he’s not feeling well and must be in tremendous discomfort. Our vet is progressing through treatments, but so far nothing is really helping.

The way we are trying to evaluate is based on his behavior. Is he hiding more, less energetic, playing less or vocalizing? Since cats hide pain it’s hard to say. That’s how I would evaluate the situation - and am evaluating Trin - to know if it’s time. Unfortunately since we are human, convenience and cost come into play more than we would like it to.

There may be ways to help the symptom. Calming products like Feliway or a calming collar, more litter boxes if he tends to favor a specific new spot, or even confining him to one area where cleanup is easier but he can still be somewhat comfortable. Can you consult a different vet for a second opinion? Another pair of eyes may spot something new.

I understand the dilemma, and he has had many wonderful years with you - whatever the decision is, you have given this kitty an amazing life.

I second the questions about overall health and behavior. Does she pee in the box without issue? How many boxes does she have?

Also I've heard some people recommend trying to use puppy pee pads for cats who won't use the litterbox. Maybe see if she'll go on one of those? You can spread them around in the areas she's gone, in case she's just having trouble getting to the box in time. At least the cleanup will be easier until you can figure out a better solution for the box.

One last thing to try: clean the areas where she's pooped with an enzymatic cleaner. If she can still smell the spots where she's gone before she's more likely to do it again.

We had a similar issue with Yoshi who is 12. We tried every litter, pine pellets, and torn newspaper with no success. After 2 weeks leaving a puppy pad in a low sided box he finally got the idea after we put a poop on it. He never liked the feel of litter and perched on the side of the box until he couldn't anymore.

Do you have a box on each level of your home? At 17 she might need it closer whether for pain, urgency, or just a reminder of where to go potty.

Thanks for the replies everyone. She is peeing in the litter box just fine... just will not poop in them. She has two litter boxes, with a different type of litter in each. Sunday I picked her up and put her in the litter box when I saw her wandering around the basement... she sniffed and immediately squatted and pooped and I told her what a good girl she was... but then yesterday she pooped on the floor 3 different times in three different spots. Of course once was upstairs right in front of my husband...who is not a fan of cat poop all over the house. I'm not sure if she is in pain. She was on cosequin for her arthritis but it gave her diarrhea so the vet had me stop. I'm wondering if she is going senile in her old age or if she is starting to go incontinent.

Hi!
Have you tried a litter additive that's an attractant for cats, or there's a litter that's a Cat Attract...

Three poops in a day? Is that normal frequency for her?

Is she straining hard? Is the poop really dry or smelly?

I'm wondering about not only a cat-only vet but also, what about a food change, for instance, would you consider commercial raw like Radcat, or Primal? It can make a big difference because the cats system processes it better and there's less poop.

Has your vet mentioned probiotics?

Also, there's an enzymatic cleaner that doesn't require soaking called The Equalizer.

I agree with all of the above. Especially, a second opinion and puppy pee pads. In most cases - I am sure not all - peeing outside the litter box and pooping inside is much more common. This leads me to believe there is something going on with her intestinal tract - which also may tie in with the occasional vomiting. A fecal test, if not already done, might be one option.

If you give her different sorts of foods, you might try just giving her one of them only for a few days and see if the pooping/vomiting issues improves, stops, or gets worse. If not, move onto solely feeding one of the other foods she typically gets. Continue until you get through to the one that might be causing the problem. There is a possibility that she has become somewhat allergic to one or more of her foods.

Years ago, I had a cat dying of, don't remember for sure, but probably multi-organ failure related to kidney disease. He didn't really move much, and was incontinent, but he would still purr like mad when petted. That was such a hard choice. We set him up in the basement with pads and dealt with it. In retrospect, I'm not sure it was the right choice since cats are such troopers and don't really show pain. He probably felt it though, and had no real quality of life despite being happy about being petted due to the total immobility and laying in his own pee for hours when we were working. Anyway, the difference between the two scenarios was that my cat was obviously in the process of actively dying, whereas yours doesn't seem to be. That is how I see it anyway?

Are both litter boxes in the basement or do you have one on each level? Having more available will help remind her where to go.

When she goes outside the box has it always been where there are strong family scents (your bed, fresh washed Papa, Dog bed)? If it has been I'm not sure what it would indicate. Maybe some insecurity/senility.

What is the vomit? Hair, food, liquid? My 12 yr old is short haired, and gets hairballs easily. I brush him daily and cover places he likes to sleep with baby blankets that I can change so he has less access to hair he can swallow. He rarely vomits now but wasn't the solution to the poop on the floor.

Cosequin helps arthritis from getting worse not the pain that goes with it. Did the inappropriate pooping start after stopping the cosequin? Have you asked your vet about a mild anti-inflammatory or pain reliever? If the vet restates that they can't do anything I'd get a second opinion.

Is she getting enough fluids? Offering her broth could boost her intake. Is she getting mostly dry food? If so transferring her to wet might help.

Since she used the box when you noticed her wandering around how about taking her to the box regularly? 15 - 30 min after a meal, every 2 hrs when home at least until you get an idea on when she needs to go.

The Honest Kitchen has a broth, --you're looking for one with no seasonings, salt etc, or you could make your own

our cat is 20, and for almost a year, he's been pooping on the floor several times a day - and cosequin also acted as a laxative for him, but he had been very constipated before, so it worked out rather well.

we gave HK an extra large kennel tray to poop on rather than a box, so he wouldn't have to climb in. it's much wider across than a litter box - i think it's 48"x36" - and when we're lucky he uses it. but for months, he went several times, and the third time was usually diarrhea. luckily we have hardwood floors rather than carpet, and over time we developed a cleanup routine that includes alcohol at the finish after the floor is thoroughly cleaned.

as far as the vomiting, did the vet offer to prescribe either a steroid or an anti-nausea medication? and does the cat vomit at random times or perhaps right after pooping? HK's got IBS, and it sometimes kicks into high gear so he vomits just after he poops, poor little thing. cerenia helped a lot with that, not entirely, but it lessened and was less powerful.

We have a cat that did something similar, peeing in the box, crapping outside of it (at first, usually right next to it.) We tried new boxes, new litter (that helped somewhat) but this went on for years before we got a second opinions and the diagnosis of IBD came up. He associated the box with pain/straining/diarrhea/constipation, as well as undiagnosed asthma (99% dust free litter is NOT 99% dust free to an asthmatic) and avoided it like crazy and would go wherever he could.
Litter training a cat to a box or litter when they're already very aversive (avoiding like the bubonic plague) to these things are hit and miss. Sometimes he hits the box, sometimes not. Our best bet is confining him to a room or a smaller area of the place and keeping the box big, keeping it spotless, and keeping it full of fresh litter helps.
If you're able to, an idea is to keep the cat in a room or two (bedroom/bathroom combo works nicely) with a few boxes with different litter. See which they prefer and what boxes have been walked in/not used and what boxes have been used. Some cats are weird and have really strong preferences.
Also, if you're able to, I'd seek a second opinion from another vet.

your cat could associate the box or litter with painful elimination and avoids it when going to the bathroom.

I would second the idea for another pain medication for arthritis, and to put down some puppy pads for her. Have you added some litter boxes to floors besides the basement?

Is she having loose stools?

Is she declawed by any chance?