New Cat Pooping On Couch

Hello! I recently adopted a cat from a shelter. She is between 8-10 years old and despite her cranky face, she is an extremely sweet and loving cat. She has not shown any signs of being scared in her new home. When I brought her home on the first day she looked around the house and ate from her food bowl then cuddled with me and my girlfriend the rest of the day. At this time she had one litterbox, she would use with no problem and would be cleaned multiple times a day, as often as waste was seen in the box. However, overnight we would notice poop on the couch. She continued this trend which we tried getting another box for her. Even with two boxes she continues to go on the couch. After blocking off the living room she never went anywhere other than her litterbox. So far I have tried:

2 litterboxes

Spray the couch with a lemon citrus spray to repel her

Made sure to clean litterboxes after every use

Put more litter in boxes

So far I have had no luck as she continues to use the couch. Any input would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi. Can't say why she pooped on the couch to begin with, but given that she uses the litterboxes appropriately when she can't get to the couch - I would say the smell has not been removed from the couch, which is an invitation to her to use it again and again.

If the couch is made of fabric, you can try getting "The Equalizer" which can be used on carpeting and other non-washable materials. It is sold on many on line web sites. It doesn't require complete saturation of the material, hence less drying time. Or, you might want to consider having the couch professionally cleaned.

In the meantime, and perhaps even after you get the couch cleaned, you can cover it with plastic. Many cats don't like plastic and therefore will avoid furniture covered with it. And, if for some reason, she would still try to poop on the couch, it would certainly be much easier to clean up.

If cleaning the couch and covering it with plastic doesn't work, I would suggest you block access to the couch at night when you go to bed - over time it should break the habit. It could also be that she is still reacting to being in a new home, and doesn't like being left alone at night? You might even consider making her a little bed in your bedroom to see if she would use it.

And, of course, if not already done, a vet check up would be appropriate - just to make sure there is no health reason for her behavior, and to ensure she is healthy overall. The check up will give you a baseline for a vet to use as a guide as she ages.

FeebysOwner said:

Hi. Can't say why she pooped on the couch to begin with, but given that she uses the litterboxes appropriately when she can't get to the couch - I would say the smell has not been removed from the couch, which is an invitation to her to use it again and again.

If the couch is made of fabric, you can try getting "The Equalizer" which can be used on carpeting and other non-washable materials. It is sold on many on line web sites. It doesn't require complete saturation of the material, hence less drying time. Or, you might want to consider having the couch professionally cleaned.

In the meantime, and perhaps even after you get the couch cleaned, you can cover it with plastic. Many cats don't like plastic and therefore will avoid furniture covered with it. And, if for some reason, she would still try to poop on the couch, it would certainly be much easier to clean up.

If cleaning the couch and covering it with plastic doesn't work, I would suggest you block access to the couch at night when you go to bed - over time it should break the habit. It could also be that she is still reacting to being in a new home, and doesn't like being left alone at night? You might even consider making her a little bed in your bedroom to see if she would use it.

And, of course, if not already done, a vet check up would be appropriate - just to make sure there is no health reason for her behavior, and to ensure she is healthy overall. The check up will give you a baseline for a vet to use as a guide as she ages.

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Thank you very much! I had tried covering the couch with garbage bags and laid them out to form a cover for it. It helps because when she does poop I can just throw the bag away. I have been blocking off the living room at night and she keeps her waste in the litterbox. At night she is allowed in the bedroom and even on my bed and has no issues. However sometimes even not at night when the living room isnt blocked she will walk in and go on the couch. I suspect it may be an attention issue at this point as she craves it. Just a guess. Vet said she was in good health and feces sample came back no issues. Next step I will clean the couch!

jakepawl said:

Next step I will clean the couch!

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I hope this is the issue and once you clean the couch, she will stop!!

If not, let us know and we will keep digging for additional ideas!

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer!

Btw, she is very pretty! Did I miss her name?

Aw, she is beautiful! Have you tried leaving just a tiiiiny bit of dirty litter or a little lump of poop in her box? The rest of it will be clean so she should still be happy to use it, but leaving a bit of the smell there might prompt her to go there rather than elsewhere in your house. Worked for our kitten when he had a couple of accidents!

Make sure the litter boxes are in an area she feel safe. Not near a humming water heater or dryer, and not a littler box with a lid, they make some cats uncomfortable. Also try pine litter, its all natural and isnt harmful like clay is.
She might not like the litter scent. Get unscented. Clean the litterbox after EVERY use. Scoop after every poop and pee.

Something about the littlebox she isnt liking....