Cat keeps pooping outside the litter box. WHY?

[Sariedelo]

Hi there! So I have two cats adopted two years ago, neither had issues with the littler box. We have a large litter box that's kept in our bathroom closet. Always accessible and always CLEAN (I scoop and vacuum 2x a day). Recently my female cat started pooping on our bathroom mat. So we started hanging it over the tub when we weren't showering, obviously you forget from time to time, and low and behold whenever it was on the floor poop! Along with the mat, she started pooping right outside the litter box, inside the closet just right next to the box. Box i ALWAYS clean for my kitties! Also, this is only poop and only in these same two spots. I cleaned with enzyme cleaners and switched the litterbox to the opposite wall. and after a week or two free of poop, she did it again. Her poop looks healthy and she's a healthy cat. Why is she doing this? Note: she does sometime poop in the litterbox. I'm not sure why this keeps happening but it's causing a lot of frustration in the house hold. ANY information will help. Thanks in advance!

Sarah

 

[abyeb]

Has anything changed in your cats’ environment lately? New food, new litter, anything like that? Is there anything different in your home? Cats are very sensitive to change, and stress can lead to litterbox issues, which is why I’m asking.

I’ll attach a link to a helpful article: How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide

 

[GreyLady]

Honestly the first thought this gave me was possible medical issue. It could be uncomfortable for her to poo or to poo in the litterbox. Or maybe she is just stressed out- has there been any changes in your household?

 

[rubysmama]

Have you tried putting out another litter box in a different location? It's possible something startled her when she was in the litter box, and now doesn't feel as comfortable using it.

Does she and your other cat get along ok?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Sometimes pooping in the litter box and sometimes not would suggest that the litter box isn't as clean as she would like it. Or, maybe it is when the other cat has just used it, and she doesn't like 'following' the second cat? Going outside the litter box in the same locations suggests that those locations still have her smell and that entices her to go there again.

For one, get rid of the mat and buy a new one. For two, make sure it is not both cats doing this. For three, try other enzymatic cleaners on the area outside the box. What type of flooring is it? That makes a difference on what type of cleaners to try. For four, get a second box and see if that helps any.

You also need to chart/log what is going on at the time before/after you find poop outside the box. That goes a long way in determining what is causing the inappropriate pooping.

 

[Sariedelo]

Has anything changed in your cats’ environment lately? New food, new litter, anything like that? Is there anything different in your home? Cats are very sensitive to change, and stress can lead to litterbox issues, which is why I’m asking.

I’ll attach a link to a helpful article: How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide

I can't say anything is different at all. food is the same, litter brand is the same, no changes in the household.

 

[Sariedelo]

Honestly the first thought this gave me was possible medical issue. It could be uncomfortable for her to poo or to poo in the litterbox. Or maybe she is just stressed out- has there been any changes in your household?

nothing has changed. and she sometimes does go in the litterbox.

 

[Sariedelo]

Sometimes pooping in the litter box and sometimes not would suggest that the litter box isn't as clean as she would like it. Or, maybe it is when the other cat has just used it, and she doesn't like 'following' the second cat? Going outside the litter box in the same locations suggests that those locations still have her smell and that entices her to go there again.

For one, get rid of the mat and buy a new one. For two, make sure it is not both cats doing this. For three, try other enzymatic cleaners on the area outside the box. What type of flooring is it? That makes a difference on what type of cleaners to try. For four, get a second box and see if that helps any.

You also need to chart/log what is going on at the time before/after you find poop outside the box. That goes a long way in determining what is causing the inappropriate pooping.

Thank so much! yes I think getting another box will be helpful and the flooring is tile. I will look into different cleaners. I'm pretty positive it is just my female cat doing this.

 

[Sariedelo]

Have you tried putting out another litter box in a different location? It's possible something startled her when she was in the litter box, and now doesn't feel as comfortable using it.

Does she and your other cat get along ok?

They are like two peas in a pod. I adopted them together and they are bonded.

 

[FeebysOwner]

the flooring is tile. I will look into different cleaners.

I haven't personally tried them, but have heard that Fizzion and SCOE10x are both good products for hard surfaces, up to and including wood. I think they probably have to be purchased on line though.

 

[Sariedelo]

I haven't personally tried them, but have heard that Fizzion and SCOE10x are both good products for hard surfaces, up to and including wood. I think they probably have to be purchased on line though.

Awesome!!! Thank you!

 

[WagnLK]

i came to this forum intending to ask for advice on nearly an identical problem to the OP, so i thought i'd just add on here. My kitten,Ethyl,is not quite 6 months old and she is consistently pooping outside the litter box. I have had her since she was 8 weeks old and until about 2 weeks ago, she always used the boxes appropriately. She does at least poop in the same room as the litter boxes. They're in the laundry room/mudroom where I enter the house from the garage. She was just pooping in a corner near a box, but this week she started pooping right in front of my door coming in from the garage so that i conveniently step in it every time i come home. She was spayed on 10/3/19 and seemed to recover quickly. I do have 1 other adult male cat who, as far as i can tell, they get along fine. When i first got her I thought "wow' this cat poops a lot more than my other cat and it smells horrible. I figured it was her immature GI tract. Her stool has always been pretty soft and occasionally diarrhea. I clean the litter boxes daily and there are 2 regular boxes and one litter robot that she seemed to love using. First i moved the Litter Robot out because it was hard to keep smelling fresh all the time. Then i tried adding a 3rd brand new litter box. Then i replaced the other two litter boxes. None of that helped she still wants to poop and let me step in it! I cannot help but think it has something to do with her getting spayed but I also wonder if she had some other problem. She acts healthy, eats well, drinks plenty of water. I am going to scoop up a turd and take it in for testing , but I wanted to see what ideas the experts around here thought, too. Ideas?

 

[rubysmama]

I'm probably going to jinx myself, but my Ruby was having some outside the litter box poop issues recently. Most of the time she'd use the litter box, but then every few days she'd also go on the floor or carpet. I got her a 2nd litter box, but it didn't really help.

Ruby's had digestive issues since I adopted her, and would often have softer than normal stool. Years ago we switched her to a duck canned food, which agreed with her system. But she missed her kibble, so I would give her some each day as treats. It was a gastro-intestional food recommended by her vet, and it mostly agreed with her. But recently her issues got worse, so I decided to try a different kibble (Hills Duck and Pea) and that seems to have solved the problem.

So as FeebysOwner suggested, keep track of what your cat eats, and when the poop issue occurs. She may have a sensitivity to an ingredient in her food. In Ruby's case, it's chicken.

 

[Sariedelo]

i came to this forum intending to ask for advice on nearly an identical problem to the OP, so i thought i'd just add on here. My kitten,Ethyl,is not quite 6 months old and she is consistently pooping outside the litter box. I have had her since she was 8 weeks old and until about 2 weeks ago, she always used the boxes appropriately. She does at least poop in the same room as the litter boxes. They're in the laundry room/mudroom where I enter the house from the garage. She was just pooping in a corner near a box, but this week she started pooping right in front of my door coming in from the garage so that i conveniently step in it every time i come home. She was spayed on 10/3/19 and seemed to recover quickly. I do have 1 other adult male cat who, as far as i can tell, they get along fine. When i first got her I thought "wow' this cat poops a lot more than my other cat and it smells horrible. I figured it was her immature GI tract. Her stool has always been pretty soft and occasionally diarrhea. I clean the litter boxes daily and there are 2 regular boxes and one litter robot that she seemed to love using. First i moved the Litter Robot out because it was hard to keep smelling fresh all the time. Then i tried adding a 3rd brand new litter box. Then i replaced the other two litter boxes. None of that helped she still wants to poop and let me step in it! I cannot help but think it has something to do with her getting spayed but I also wonder if she had some other problem. She acts healthy, eats well, drinks plenty of water. I am going to scoop up a turd and take it in for testing , but I wanted to see what ideas the experts around here thought, too. Ideas?

Interesting. Nova's poop also smells quite terrible, very sulfur-y. but her poops are VERY healthy looking and no diarrhea.

 

[Sariedelo]

I'm probably going to jinx myself, but my Ruby was having some outside the litter box poop issues recently. Most of the time she'd use the litter box, but then every few days she'd also go on the floor or carpet. I got her a 2nd litter box, but it didn't really help.

Ruby's had digestive issues since I adopted her, and would often have softer than normal stool. Years ago we switched her to a duck canned food, which agreed with her system. But she missed her kibble, so I would give her some each day as treats. It was a gastro-intestional food recommended by her vet, and it mostly agreed with her. But recently her issues got worse, so I decided to try a different kibble (Hills Duck and Pea) and that seems to have solved the problem.

So as FeebysOwner suggested, keep track of what your cat eats, and when the poop issue occurs. She may have a sensitivity to an ingredient in her food. In Ruby's case, it's chicken.

My cat is allergic to chicken and gets cabs on her neck from it. I switched her to duck and pea kibble and she and my over cats LOVE it. and their coats are healthier than ever.

 

[Sariedelo]

My cat is allergic to chicken and gets cabs on her neck from it. I switched her to duck and pea kibble and she and my over cats LOVE it. and their coats are healthier than ever.

*scabs!

 

[rubysmama]

My cat is allergic to chicken and gets cabs on her neck from it. I switched her to duck and pea kibble and she and my over cats LOVE it. and their coats are healthier than ever.

Did the food change by any chance coincide with the litter box problem?