Cat Pooping Outside of Litterbox

[acrampton15]

One of my cats has been having issues with pooping. She tries to go in the litter box but then gets startled or seems like she is experiencing pain and will sprint off, start aggressively licking herself and later poop somewhere on the floor. I have taken her to the vet a few times for this and they can’t figure out anything wrong, they did a fecal sample and even cleaned out her anal glands but that didn’t fix the problem. She has no other health concerns and is overall a very healthy cat. I just don’t know how to go about solving this issue. Thank you in advance for any help! P.s. I have another cat (they are littermates) and he has not had any issues like this.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - Welcome!

Is she getting canned food?

 

[acrampton15]

Yes! She has dry food available throughout the day and gets a can of wet food for dinner. I primarily use the brand SimplyNourish

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you move the litterbox to a different location, or try putting out a second box, maybe with different litter in it?

 

[acrampton15]

I currently use two litter boxes and have tried moving them to different locations/using different litter and nothing has changed

 

[shesgonestella]

Has anything in their environment changed recently? The skittish running and licking sound like she could be feeling anxious.

 

[Furballsmom]

The only other thing I can think of is to talk to a different vet, from a different clinic.

Find a Veterinarian and Practice | The Cat Community

 

[acrampton15]

I would describe her as a somewhat anxious (more cautious rather than anxious) cat already but nothing has changed in her environment, she has a daily routine that she sticks too and the house is usually very quiet. The only time she is skittish is when she tries to poop

 

[acrampton15]

The only other thing I can think of is to talk to a different vet, from a different clinic.

Find a Veterinarian and Practice | The Cat Community

Thank you for your help! I will try this out and get a second opinion

 

[Furballsmom]

Hopefully a different vet can determine what's going on, because as you're commenting, it isn't normal, poor baby

Let us know how things turn out

 

[BellaBlue82]

Hi there! I'm just curious, how old is your kitty? I only ask as I found out my older cat Casper (16) started having problems with constipation - he would dig around in the litter box, try to poop, run away after trying, and then I would find hard poop in the dining room. After changing up his food a little and adding in some Miralax every few days (at the suggestion of his vet), we were able to curtail the pooping outside the litter box.

 

[acrampton15]

That does sound like a very real possibility! She is 1 and a half years old right now so still very young. Her poop seems to be a normal consistency but so far your situation seems the most similar to mine out of everyone I have asked. Maybe I will bring that up to her vet. Did your vet run a fecal sample or did they land on constipation based off the symptoms?

 

[BellaBlue82]

That does sound like a very real possibility! She is 1 and a half years old right now so still very young. Her poop seems to be a normal consistency but so far your situation seems the most similar to mine out of everyone I have asked. Maybe I will bring that up to her vet. Did your vet run a fecal sample or did they land on constipation based off the symptoms?

Yeah, our vet did take a fecal sample to be sure there wasn't anything else going on, along with a blood work up. She mentioned some of the sample was very hard and dry (she said it crumbled like dirt?! Ew lol) and there were some red blood deposits which indicated he was really straining. He's always been a picky eater too, so we couldn't fully transition him to wet food either, ugh. We just had to find a dry food he would eat with more nutrition and an additive like pumpkin which helps him go #2.
I hope my experience helps, and that your vet has some recommendations for your kitty!

 

[LTS3]

Can you feed more canned food and less dry food? Dry food can contribute to dry poop and constipation.