Cat pooing in litter box, but then leaves a mess on the carpet

[shesmylight]

Hi everyone,
I'm having an interesting issue with Hikari. please note this is not to ask for actuaal medical advice, just a question.
Hikari will poo in her litter box, it gets cleaned daily to every couple days. But here's the weird thing. This usually only happens overnight. She will go in her box, but then scoot across the carpet afterwords. My boyfriend and I are both blind, so sometimes we have to depend on eyes to tell us what's wrong. The info we have gotten is that it looks like poo all over the carpet when she scoots on it.
I've wondered if the issue could be her anal glands. Probably nasty but I want to take a look, but not sure what to feel for. My boyfriend's mum doesn't think it's her anal glands, but she knows most about dogs so probably not aware that it can also happen to cats in some cases.
She doesn't vocalize when using the box as faar as I can tell, although I'll have to observe next time she uses it.
What do you think? I am concerned and thinking of getting her into a vet to be seen if this continues.

 

[Elphaba09]

I would have to agree that it sounds like her anal glands, but have someone take a look at her butt and see if she has a lot of dried poop on it. She may just be cleaning herself off if that is the case. Even if she does, I would take her to the vet for a quick check as anal gland issues could be as simple as a mild irritation (hopefully that is the case!) to cancer. If it is a mild irritation or a small infection, it will be an easy fix. Many cats hide pain pretty easily, so if she does have an issue, she may not vocalize.

What kind of mat do you have in front of her box?

 

[shesmylight]

Thanks for the quick reply!
We do not have a mat in front of her box. should we make this a thing?
Her box is located in the laundrey room in a discrete corner very away from clothing.
We live in a basement so not very many ajacent rooms to put a box in that are private and quiet.

 

[Elphaba09]

Thanks for the quick reply!
We do not have a mat in front of her box. should we make this a thing?
Her box is located in the laundrey room in a discrete corner very away from clothing.
We live in a basement so not very many ajacent rooms to put a box in that are private and quiet.

You are welcome! I would see if a mat helps. Not only to catch stray litter, but a big enough one might save the carpet if she is having any more "butt issues," whatever they may be. The make ones that not only catch the litter but saves it so you can pour it back into the box. We have twelve cats and three Litter-Robots with mats under them. While the robots certainly save us a lot in litter, we still catch a lot that the cats drag out and save about a bag a year using the mat.

One of our cats is prone to anal gland issues and is a scooter when it is bothering her. She scoots on the mat rather than the hardwood floors.

Good luck! I hope whatever is bothering Hikari is an easy fix.