Cat pooping on floor almost 1 year straight - HELP!!!!

[Kj465]

I have a one year old neutered BSH who refuses to poop in his boxes. I have taken him to the vet numerous times, and they cant find any health reason and think its behavioral. He pees 100% of the time in the box, using all the different types of litters i have tried out (crystal, many diff types and brands of clay, corn, pellets).I have 3 litterboxes set up for him throughout the living room, all open litter pans with low sides, and i scoop them all 2-3x a day. Every month, i thoroughly wash all the boxes out.

His behavior: he starts out in a litterbox, digging furiously, then tries to poop. If he doesnt poop in 2-3 seconds, he runs out to the floor, usually 1-5 feet away from the litterbox, digs on the floor, then poops. If i am home, i just need to LOOK at him (eye contact) and shift in that direction and he frantically runs back into a litterbox. Sometimes he goes box 1- floor, sometimes box 1 - floor- box 2 - floor, sometimes box 1 - box 2, floor. Once in a while, he’ll poop directly in the bathtub. He always "starts" in a box - i can tell based on the way the litter is moved around - but for whatever reason is impatient and runs to go on the floor.
His behavior: he starts out in a litterbox, digging furiously, then tries to poop. If he doesnt poop in 2-3 seconds, he runs out to the floor, usually 1-5 feet away from the litterbox, digs on the floor, then poops. If i am home, i just need to LOOK at him (eye contact) and shift in that direction and he frantically runs back into a litterbox. Sometimes he goes box 1- floor, sometimes box 1 - floor- box 2 - floor, sometimes box 1 - box 2, floor. He always "starts" in a box - i can tell based on the way the litter is moved around - but for whatever reason is impatient and runs to go on the floor.

As of a week ago, i started diligently now putting his poop back in the box, which appears to freak him out. Hes been weirdly staring at it, pawing at it, generally pawing around the box now. Now hes getting worse. The WORST INCIDENT- he pooped on the floor next to the box, then kicked / pawed litter all over it. I think he thinks he is burying it. No, this is not him pooping over the edge. He deliberately poops on the floor, then leans over the box and throws litter on top of the poop.

Other relevant details:
- he is on a dry food only diet (he refuses to eat wet food) and gets a daily probiotic
- he has a sensitive stomach - we finally found a dry food that works, and his poops look healthy. That said, he without fail gets diarrhea if i give him a new treat, try to introduce a new wet food, or forget to give the full dose of his probiotic
-at one point earlier on, his vet put him on metronizadole, which made him poop perfectly in the box. That said, he was on metronizadole with the WRONG diet, so as soon as we took him off, he went back to his bad behavior / diarrhea. He is off the meds now, bc again i think we found a dry food that suits him
- for one month only, maybe 3 weeks after he was neutered, he was perfect in using the litterbox when i sprayed them all everyday with a mist of enzymatic pet cleaner. Then one day- he just stopped, and this trick doesnt work anymore.

- he DOES behave perfectly at any home other than our own. I take him with me when i go somewhere for a week - i use the same litter box, same litter- and he poops perfectly.


I'm at my wits end, and im starting to seriously consider rehoming him. I cant deal with this - i wake up every morning to the smell of poop, and i start everyday off with cleaning his poop off the hardwood floor. I cant ask any friends to help catsit for me when i leave town, and pet sitters are costing me a LOT. Im also paying for pet fees on flights, trains, constantly buying litter boxes / litter, throwing it away when i leave, etc. Its all too much and too stressful.

HELP!!!!!

 

[Alldara]

Have you tried a puppy pee pad where he poos? If that works, you can put a puppy pee pad in an empty box and let him poo there.

At some point it sounds like pooing in the box hurt him somehow. So now if it doesn't happen right away he's afraid it will hurt him again.

1- have you tried a covered box? My cats prefer to poo in a covered box.

2- did they test for arthritis and if so how? (Doesn't matter how young he is. Cats as young as 1 year old can have arthritis)

3- how much litter are you putting in the box approximately?

 

[di and bob]

I agree with the above, put some pee pads around and perhaps an empty box and see what he does. I agree he associates the box with hurt and is avoiding it. Fill one box with clay based clumping litter, cats seem to prefer that. You might try a newspaper laid down, etc. too to see if you can direct him there. I feel for you.....I went through the same problem when we moved, but with pee, a lot harder to clean up completely. It lasted a year but he DID quit and used the box. Do NOT change his diet, no matter what anyone says, use what works. I give my cats grain free dry from Tractor Supply. Offer plenty of water. it's something he behaves well at other people's houses. His mind is elsewhere!

 

[Kj465]

Have you tried a puppy pee pad where he poos? If that works, you can put a puppy pee pad in an empty box and let him poo there.

At some point it sounds like pooing in the box hurt him somehow. So now if it doesn't happen right away he's afraid it will hurt him again.

1- have you tried a covered box? My cats prefer to poo in a covered box.

2- did they test for arthritis and if so how? (Doesn't matter how young he is. Cats as young as 1 year old can have arthritis)

3- how much litter are you putting in the box approximately?

1- yes,i have tried a covered box, though he doesnt seem to prefer it. He’ll almost always go pee in the open pans, and he never pooped in it.

2-they didnt do any formal arthritis tests. The vet said they could with an xray, but based on how he was jumping all over the vets office, my description of him, his age, they said he was probably fine. i can ask them again at my next wellness check scheduled a month from now.

3- i put about 2-3 inches. I dont see any discernible pref from him on litter amount… ive tried pushing a bunch to the side to make it as low as 0.5 inches but nothing.

 

[Alldara]

Ah I see. I know my one cat will dig to the bottom of the litter to poop directly on the plastic which is why I ask re:litter amount.

Since he's pooing normally when you go somewhere else, I think that can also be a sign that he associated the litter at home with pain. But it's also a good sign because it means he can be trained again.

Can you think of what ARE the differences between where you put the litter at home and where you put it when you're away?
Location?
Amount of traffic (people walking past) in the area?
Litter amount?
Any other difference you can think of?

 

[Alldara]

Oh and I just thought, how is your routine with him different when you're in other homes?

Do you spend more time with him when traveling? (I'm thinking because you have less to do you might be spending more time when away or that there's other people also spending time with him)

How's his play routine? (Lowers stress and you mentioned before when he was on medication he pooed in the box)

 

[Kj465]

Ah I see. I know my one cat will dig to the bottom of the litter to poop directly on the plastic which is why I ask re:litter amount.

Since he's pooing normally when you go somewhere else, I think that can also be a sign that he associated the litter at home with pain. But it's also a good sign because it means he can be trained again.

Can you think of what ARE the differences between where you put the litter at home and where you put it when you're away?
Location?
Amount of traffic (people walking past) in the area?
Litter amount?
Any other difference you can think of?

i use the same litter (dr elseys classic) and open box (its one of the 3 boxes available for him at home) when i travel

ive thought about this a LOT actually. In all the other places, he is in a tiled bathroom with either no window, a skylight, or a window that he can only see through if he jumps on the counter. At my apt (i live on the second floor), i have 3 floor to ceiling windows where there is a decent amount of foot traffic, ppl walking dogs, birds, etc. i dont know if he can see far enough, but he does enjoy sitting on the base of the window and looking outside.

i wondered if it freaked him out regardless, so i put up a window cover on the bottoms of the window closest to his box. I also angled all of his boxes behind a corner, so he cant actually see the windows at all. I also for a month tried giving up on the living room, and moved his box to the bathroom where there are no windows. He then started pooping in the tub instead, or the hardwood floor right outside the bathroom door. Its worth noting that on the first 3 days i got him, he pooped in the bathtub. It seems to be a special place for him

i attached some photos of his current set up in case its helpful. I just replaced his litter pan with a covered litter box this morning bc i was getting tired of cleaning up litter off the floor… guessing he’ll just move to doing it in his other spots. He usually poops directly to the right or left of it, doesnt seem to care at all if its right next to his feeders.

 

[Alldara]

You've done so much work I feel for you, I really do!

Your set up looks great.

I wonder perhaps if this is an attention thing?

Do you spend more time with him when traveling? (I'm thinking because you have less to do you might be spending more time when away or that there's other people also spending time with him)



How's his play routine? (Lowers stress and you mentioned before when he was on medication he pooed in the box)

Would your vet consider anxiety medication if that's what helped before?

 

[Hellenww]

-at one point earlier on, his vet put him on metronizadole, which made him poop perfectly in the box. That said, he was on metronizadole with the WRONG diet, so as soon as we took him off, he went back to his bad behavior / diarrhea. He is off the meds now, bc again i think we found a dry food that suits him

Would your vet be willing to put him on another round of the meds? If it brings him back to the box then it very well could be a health issue.

From his face he looks like a large cat. Have you tried the largest box you could find. I like that box but it doesn't look that wide if he's a big boy to get his hips spread enough. Maybe he can't get positioned properly to poop.

Have you tried an empty litter box? Maybe he wants a solid floor to feel safe.

It really sounds like he wants to use the box but can't make it happen in the box. He even got close and tried covering it for you after you put the poop in the box.

If all else fails get the x-ray. He could have minor arthritis or another hip/bone issue that only bothers him when squating to poop.

I can't think of anything else you haven't already tried.

 

[Kj465]

You've done so much work I feel for you, I really do!

Your set up looks great.

I wonder perhaps if this is an attention thing?

Do you spend more time with him when traveling? (I'm thinking because you have less to do you might be spending more time when away or that there's other people also spending time with him)



How's his play routine? (Lowers stress and you mentioned before when he was on medication he pooed in the box)

Would your vet consider anxiety medication if that's what helped before?

i spend less time with him when i travel, and arguably he has less to explore / less toys then too. I dont let him roam, so hes just in the bathroom with box and food. Theres no one else interacting with him when im out and about.

His temperament is like a normal british shorthair… he likes to play here and there but i wouldnt say hes particularly big on engaging. I’ll catch him wrestling with his toys, chasing balls around, engaging with a wand. But he rarely comes to me for play, just really to say hello.

ive never asked for anxiety medicine but i do always have a feliway plugged in. Ill ask if he might need more…. but arent most cats MORE stressed when theyre away from their home env?

 

[Kj465]

Would your vet be willing to put him on another round of the meds? If it brings him back to the box then it very well could be a health issue.

From his face he looks like a large cat. Have you tried the largest box you could find. I like that box but it doesn't look that wide if he's a big boy to get his hips spread enough. Maybe he can't get positioned properly to poop.

Have you tried an empty litter box? Maybe he wants a solid floor to feel safe.

It really sounds like he wants to use the box but can't make it happen in the box. He even got close and tried covering it for you after you put the poop in the box.

If all else fails get the x-ray. He could have minor arthritis or another hip/bone issue that only bothers him when squating to poop.

I can't think of anything else you haven't already tried.

Thank you for calling him a big boy he is just a year old, about 9.5 lbs now. hes a big floof! His largest box now is 24x16. Its stainless steel... its not the one i travel with though. Travel is 20x15, so a little smaller. Ive tried pee pads and an empty box, but he'll just go on the floor adjacent to it. I had tried at once point to cover ALL of his favorite poop spots with cardboard, and he just ends up finding the next piece of floor closest to it. i have wondered what would happen if i put carpets everywhere... but i shuddered at the thought of clean up and quickly scrapped that idea!

Ill ask the vet about anxiety meds, ask about any ideas they have on putting him back on other meds like metronizadole, and other ideas they have!

 

[Kj465]

i havent formally hired a cat behaviorist yet, because i was a bit skeptical "what could they suggest i havent already done" and felt like the money might be better used on buying more litter types, more boxes, maybe more vet tests / vet visits. am i being too hard on behaviorists? should i give them a go?

 

[FeebysOwner]

I saw someone earlier suggested puppy pee pads - with and without a litter box, or even a cardboard box lid and realize you have tried some variations of those. What about one with flooring inside that is similar to the flooring he goes on constantly? I would also take some of his poop and place it inside that box arrangement as well, so his smell is on that flooring, and have one beside each of the boxes he pees in.

Then, I would use an enzymatic cleaner to clean all of the places he has already gone on your flooring. It seems from previous posts that both Fizzion and SCOE10X are excellent to use on hard surfaces, including wood, to clear urine/feces smells.

 

[Alldara]

ive never asked for anxiety medicine but i do always have a feliway plugged in. Ill ask if he might need more…. but arent most cats MORE stressed when theyre away from their home env?

Depends on the cat doesn't it? Some cats like exploring new places. Magnus loves to go places, even the vet's office.

I agree most cats won't come bother you to play. But scheduling that play time is really important. Especially if he's doing it for attention, giving him some positive attention will help.

He might not play at first, but add 10 or 15 minutes of wand play to your routine. Even if it looks like he's not playing for the first few weeks, keep waving it around.

Try different movements like under a blanket or up and around his scratch post. Try fast, slow pausing, hopping, mixing it up! That way you'll see when he begins to tense and he gets those "kitten eyes". That's when you know he's interested.

The added bonus of the playtime is that it will help keep his bowels moving too, which means easier poos that are more likely to end up in the box.

 

[Alldara]

i havent formally hired a cat behaviorist yet, because i was a bit skeptical "what could they suggest i havent already done" and felt like the money might be better used on buying more litter types, more boxes, maybe more vet tests / vet visits. am i being too hard on behaviorists? should i give them a go?

I would 100% give them a try. Especially if you can get one on recommendation from your vet.

They have the experience to come in and read body language very well. They can see what's happening with him.

 

[Shagop]

Hey, your cat could be constipated and associates difficulty with the box, hence pooping outside. what does his poop look like, normal, or smallish and hard looking? my cat gets a 1/4 teaspoon of miralax in his food daily, and i have a small bowl of chicken or beef broth (reduced salt) for him to lap up, which he loves. moisture helps with poop. good luck.

 

[Kj465]

Hey, your cat could be constipated and associates difficulty with the box, hence pooping outside. what does his poop look like, normal, or smallish and hard looking? my cat gets a 1/4 teaspoon of miralax in his food daily, and i have a small bowl of chicken or beef broth (reduced salt) for him to lap up, which he loves. moisture helps with poop. good luck.

His poop looks (and unfortunately as i'm picking it up everyday, feels) pretty healthy. I've wondered if hes still constipated though so i give him a bit of pumpkin everyday, along with his daily probiotic. I have noticed if i skip the probiotic, he'll deteriorate. I guess it doesnt hurt to add miralax to the mix though! im willing to try anything

 

[Furballsmom]

I thought this might be helpful information;
Miralax For Cats With Constipation | Dosage Of Miralax To Give Your Cat

 

[SeventhHeaven]

Not an expert but from reading it may help to offer home cooked meats, shredded chicken {no bones} they can get constipated on dry. Fish with rice, few times a week. Pumpkin is great as you say. Holistic dry food helps with tummy issues or allergies. Sterilizing boxes thoroughly once a week works, some cats are more sensitive than others. They like routine changing litters or locations ads stress. You can clean him out with diatomaceous earth food grade will not remove good flora. Probiotic isn't necessary with good quality food. System may need a clean out, a rest to get normal again he's still a baby.