Alpha Cat Pooping outside of litter box for years

[stopthepoop99]

I live with a family member and there are three cats in the house. My mom has two male cats (One small, one clearly alpha) and I have one female cat. I know the Alpha cat is alpha because it will bite the other male to tell it to get out of his spot, eat the other cats food, howl at my female cat to try and have sex, and it poops outside of the litter box. The pooping outside of the litter box has been occuring before I moved in (For the past three years.) My mom has accepted this as a way of life and is a dedicated picker upper of the poop and wants me to join in on the activity. I do not think this makes any type of sense. Since I have moved in, I have been adament about finding a solution to this problem. We have taken the cat to the vet where they say he is constipated and they have given him laxative to try and clear the problem. There has been no change in the pooping behavior. We have three separate litter boxes on different floors of the house that are cleaned twice daily. We have tried changing food and types of litter with no luck. This has occured when there are just the two males and when the female is introduced so we know that the female is not the reason he is pooping. She is a firm believer in not physically disciplining the cat and I am thinking that this is a dominance issue. She agrees this is a dominance issue. In my eyes, this 20 lb cat thinks it is more dominant that us humans and is saying I am the alpha and I will poop where I want to and you humans will be submissive to me and pick up my poop. I do not feel that humans are below cats on the dominance spectrum and think action should be taken. I understand that people think it is useless to discipline cats but hear me out.. If we were to step down in inteligence and dominance to the level of a different alpha cat.. What would that alpha cat do to stop this problem?? It would attack the cat that is pooping outside of the litter box until it quit this behavior. I think it makes sense to discipline the cat until it understands that it cannot participate in this behavior. Again, we have changed litter, food, and other solutions people offer with no luck. I am confident that this is a dominance issue and I'm not sure of any other way to convince this cat that it is no dominant. This has occured 14 times in the past two months so it is getting old picking up poop before I can cook my breakfast. I am not trying to offend anyone but I feel this is a logical solution and would love to hear any professional opinions.

 

[sunny578]

I don't think the alpha model is appropriate in this situation. It's even been debunked in the dog world, although I know some dog owners still hold tight to it!!

This behavior that you are calling dominant is actually most likely a sign of stress. Mounting and biting the other cats also could be a stress response.

I would instead try thinking about cats as being territorial. Yes, he very well might be marking his territory, but the way to get this to stop is not to assert any kind of dominance or try to make him submit and show him who's boss. Instead, you want to give him other ways to mark his territory and feel comfortable in his space.

Another way for a cat to mark his territory is to scratch, so providing scratching posts, chin scratchers, etc. in his preferred illegal pooping locations could help remedy this situation.

Pheromones and spreading his scent (perhaps by putting his favorite cat beds or blankets in his preferred illegal pooping location) can also help a cat feel more calm in his territory.

Generally, you want to have 1 more litter box than you have cats, so 4 or more would be a good number in this space. You also want to make sure that they are optimally placed (ie not shoved in the corner) and that at least some of them are hoodless. You want a cat to feel comfortable while pooping in the box, and you want to make sure that he can see out so that he knows he won't be ambushed by any other cats. You want each box to have multiple points of exit and entry (ie not in a dark closet.)

I would also focus on other ways to reduce the cat's stress. Offering lots of playtime and affection are of course key. Most cats need high up places to jump to in order to feel secure in their territory, so adding in some cat trees and cat shelves can really help promote a stress free environment.

That said, habits that have had years to take hold do take time to change, and generally everyone in the household has to be on board with the plan.

If the cat is older or overweight, he might have trouble getting into pooping position inside a box. Litter boxes can be slippery, so a larger or arthritic cat may have trouble with some litter box set ups. If you think this is the case, let us know and we can help trouble shoot!

Cat attract litter has a special herb that attracts cats to it, so that might be an option if you haven't tried it.

Punishment is only going to work against you. It will just add stress to an already stressed out cat, and stress is generally what causes a cat to stop using the litter box in the first place.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I wholeheartedly agree with all of the above! Another thing to seriously consider is getting the flooring (especially if it is carpet) thoroughly cleaned with enzymatic cleaners. Perhaps, check around for a professional that deals with cleaning pet odors. You may or may not be able to smell it but, if there is even a hint of odor left, this cat can most certainly smell it. It is just re-enforcing him to go in those places again and again.

To expound on some of the above, you might even think about giving him his own space, with all of the amenities (toys/cat trees/windows/food/water/litter box), and see if his real issue is wanting to have a place away from the other cats.

Anything you do will take diligence AND patience on the parts of humans around him. Try all of the above, and if that doesn't help, then the next step is to watch this cat like a hawk, and if you catch him in the act, pick up him, either hiss at him or tell him a firm 'No' (pick one), and place him inside a litter box, preferably inside something like a bathroom and close the door for a couple of minutes - EACH AND EVERY TIME. You want 'dominance' - this is the type of 'dominance' that is the only kind that works. The problem is most people aren't disciplined enough to make it work.

 

[GoldyCat]

S stopthepoop99 I agree with all of the above. Physical discipline does not work well in cats. The tendency is for the cat to become scared of the person, or to become aggressive toward the person doing the disciplining.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that some cats do not like to pee and poop in the same litter. If you have room you might put an extra litter box next to one that he uses regularly to give him more options.

After such a long time his pooping outside the box could be habit as much as anything. However you manage making a change it's likely to be a long process that requires patience and consistency.

 

[mani]

I was going to add what GoldyCat mentioned.. many cats won't poo where they pee and vice versa. I have had cats that absolutely fitted that bill. With two cats I had four litter boxes.
Also reinforcing the scent aspect that feebysowner mentioned, along with everything else that's been offered.

 

[japam]

The first to to do is to rule out health issues and that the litter box is clean, there is enough to go round, as has been suggested one for poo the other for pee.

Cats use various methods to scent mark, rubbing against objects and scratching are everyday norms.

Urine marking is usually triggered either by illness, or their basic needs not being met, changes to their environment, i.e. strangers, new furniture, missing a friend or foreign smells.

Poo marking is more of a territorial message, saying 'this is mine', and is usually carried out if the cat thinks their territory is been challenged, i.e. confined to a room, guest staying over, new cats been introduced and over powering smells.

The behavior, will be repeated until the challenge has been eliminated in the cats eyes.

In the wild it plays out one of two ways, the cats agree to share the territory, or they duke it out.

Note that the cat will only agree to share the territory if their basic needs is being met and there are enough resources to go round.


The only way i can think of the solve the problem is to over power the said cats smell all over the house, i mean really go overboard with it, so when they
take a whiff they can smell nothing but them-self.

As the other cats temperaments are more laid back, they are not as territorial, chances are they will not be fussed and do what cats do, scent mark, etc.

Also speak to your mum, about when the behavior began there my be certain triggers lingering around the house, smell or piece furniture.

Indoor cats basic needs:
food
clean litter box
opportunities to stalk, hunt and kill
opened end spaces - always a 2 or more route to escape
i am sure there's a few more

Something else that just popped in my mind, have you tried removing the other male for a few days [the one without the problem], let him stay with relatives and observe if there is any changes in behavior.