Cat Pooping While Running

[dustydiamond1]

Ah forgot to answer, he mostly eats kibble, and gets treats for furball treatment near daily. We've tried wet food but he never touches the stuff :/

Our dog more or less leaves him alone. They've got a largely peaceful arrangement going on.

Great that they get along. We went through and wasted a lot of wet food until I tried Fancy Feast gravy lovers. It is the only wet she will eat, even prefers.it to her Purina One which is all she would eat for a long time. Does Snoopy drink enough water? Hang in there, we're all with you.

 

[maggie101]

My vet warned me that anxiety medication can make your cat aggressive. Last resort for sure.

 

[maggie101]

Ah forgot to answer, he mostly eats kibble, and gets treats for furball treatment near daily. We've tried wet food but he never touches the stuff :/

Our dog more or less leaves him alone. They've got a largely peaceful arrangement going on.

Maybe not related but a few years ago I went on a vacation and left out dry food. Soon after I come back I had to take her to the vet. She had a stool stuck in her and was dehydrated. She was on meds for 2 weeks
My cats only eat canned except for that one time

 

[hsuuperman]

Great that they get along. We went through and wasted a lot of wet food until I tried Fancy Feast gravy lovers. It is the only wet she will eat, even prefers.it to her Purina One which is all she would eat for a long time. Does Snoopy drink enough water? Hang in there, we're all with you.

Snoops drinks pretty consistently I think. Got him a water fountain a little while back and he just goes at it. Loves the moving water.

Also, thanks for the notice about the anxiety meds. Yeah, I'm trying to hold off on anything drug related until the last resort. I had him confined again over the weekend, visiting him regularly in his room. He was pretty pissed, but I think we're seeing some improvement. He wasn't burying his turds while he was confined, now he's slowly turning around and burying them. I think he's on the upswing? I hope... Thanks for all the input from everyone.

 

[maggie101]

Good choice. My cat is afraid of my other cats. It's been over a year. I don't want to change her personality. Sweetest cat ever. Very lovable and playful

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yeah, I'm trying to hold off on anything drug related until the last resort.

This is why I suggest chamomile tea. If the anxiety is severe, it probably won't do more than take the edge off, but if it is fairly mild, it can do the trick without the side-effects of strong drugs.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Snoops drinks pretty consistently I think. Got him a water fountain a little while back and he just goes at it. Loves the moving water.

Also, thanks for the notice about the anxiety meds. Yeah, I'm trying to hold off on anything drug related until the last resort. I had him confined again over the weekend, visiting him regularly in his room. He was pretty pissed, but I think we're seeing some improvement. He wasn't burying his turds while he was confined, now he's slowly turning around and burying them. I think he's on the upswing? I hope... Thanks for all the input from everyone.

 

[foxxycat]

is your cat short or long haired? I had a long haired cat where she pooped on carpet because the litter hung on her butt and it caused her to run and poop. We changed to nonclumping litter then-she started pooping in the box again AND cut the hairs very carefully on her bum around the butthole area and the long hairs on back of legs where clingons tend to get stuck.

I would try the tea too. Maybe your kitty is nervous around the dog but animals try to hide fear-it's a survival technique.

 

[hsuuperman]

is your cat short or long haired? I had a long haired cat where she pooped on carpet because the litter hung on her butt and it caused her to run and poop. We changed to nonclumping litter then-she started pooping in the box again AND cut the hairs very carefully on her bum around the butthole area and the long hairs on back of legs where clingons tend to get stuck.

I would try the tea too. Maybe your kitty is nervous around the dog but animals try to hide fear-it's a survival technique.

He's a domestic shorthair tuxedo. Unfortunately, it seems like every time he gets better after 2 days of confinement he loses it again after a few more days. Just had it happen again, thankfully Thanksgiving dinner hasn't started yet

Confinement seems to work-ish. Thinking maybe for longer periods of time and slowly letting him out in supervised conditions would probably be better. Relatives coming in and out probably isn't helping his mood a lot if this is an anxiety related issue.

 

[lbonelli]

Hi all,

Not sure if this goes under health or behavior, so please let me know if I've posted in the wrong area. My 6 year old shorthair Snoopy (indoor only) practically developed litter box issues overnight. I was out for a few days last week, while my wife was with him at home to take care of him. While I was gone, he all of a sudden stopped using the litter box and instead began to run around wildly while dropping feces wherever he would run. We figured at first it was him unhappy about me being gone, but even after I've come home (since last Thursday) he's still doing this.

We took him to the vet and the vet found nothing physically wrong with him (no blockages, bladder felt fine), and his feces tested negative for anything. So we figured we'd just confine him for a while in the room where his litter box is, leave food and water for him and let him be for a bit one afternoon. Came home to find one turd in the box with 3 others outside. So it almost seemed like he was trying to poop there but then decided not to?

This morning we confined him to our bedroom and the room where his litter box is (short hallway distance) and he just got angry with us. Ran around the bedroom leaving turds everywhere. I'm really at a loss for words since he's never exhibited any of this kind of behavior before in all the years I've had him. Even with the introduction of a puppy a few years ago, or two big moves, he's always used his litter box consistently. Any thoughts? Is it worthwhile to go back to the vet again?

Sorry for the giant block of text, just wanted to get out all the info.

Thanks

Hi. I was researching help on this very same issue for my 3 year old cat who is doing the same thing. She also doesn't eat anything but hard food and starting running and pooping around the house like she's spooked. Just wondering if you ever resolved this and what worked. Thanks!

 

[maggiedemi]

I would try decreasing the dry food and adding some canned food to her diet.

 

[lbonelli]

I would try decreasing the dry food and adding some canned food to her diet.

she will only eat dry. I tried.

 

[maggiedemi]

Which canned foods have you tried? My cats are really picky too.

 

[tarasgirl06]

she will only eat dry. I tried.

Experts suggest transitioning from one food to another -- of any type -- by mixing in a small amount of the new with a larger amount of the familiar, and then increasing the new/decreasing the familiar over a period of a couple of weeks. A cat I cat-sat always had his wet and dry mixed up together. Just a suggestion.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Of course the vet tested for tapeworm?

 

[arichey]

she will only eat dry. I tried.

My 15 year old male has just started doing this very same thing. Did anything ever work for you? I am so worried!

 

[lbonelli]

We had a similar problem that took a long time to figure it out what it was and an even longer time to figure out how to treat it. My cat’s poop was hard, that’s why she was pooping outside of the box, as well as running and pooping. The vet prescribed lactulose, but it was hard to figure out the exact right amount (too much and it would be diarrhea, too little and it would still be hard). After reading what was online, I bought high fiber treats (8% fiber), give her 5 a day, and she’s pooping like a champ in the litter box! Also giving her a small amount of laculose on her food. That is the combination that is working for us. It might take some trial and error to figure it out.

Hi. Can you tell me what the name of these treats are? I have a similar problem

 

[arichey]

I would love the name of the treats. I am so perplexed! Why does my cat feel the need to run in order to poop?

 

[Honeibee]

Hi all,

Not sure if this goes under health or behavior, so please let me know if I've posted in the wrong area. My 6 year old shorthair Snoopy (indoor only) practically developed litter box issues overnight. I was out for a few days last week, while my wife was with him at home to take care of him. While I was gone, he all of a sudden stopped using the litter box and instead began to run around wildly while dropping feces wherever he would run. We figured at first it was him unhappy about me being gone, but even after I've come home (since last Thursday) he's still doing this.

We took him to the vet and the vet found nothing physically wrong with him (no blockages, bladder felt fine), and his feces tested negative for anything. So we figured we'd just confine him for a while in the room where his litter box is, leave food and water for him and let him be for a bit one afternoon. Came home to find one turd in the box with 3 others outside. So it almost seemed like he was trying to poop there but then decided not to?

This morning we confined him to our bedroom and the room where his litter box is (short hallway distance) and he just got angry with us. Ran around the bedroom leaving turds everywhere. I'm really at a loss for words since he's never exhibited any of this kind of behavior before in all the years I've had him. Even with the introduction of a puppy a few years ago, or two big moves, he's always used his litter box consistently. Any thoughts? Is it worthwhile to go back to the vet again?

Sorry for the giant block of text, just wanted to get out all the info.

Thanks

 

[Honeibee]

Hello everyone!

I've been dealing with this issue for several months now. My cat is a neutered male, 6 1/2 years old, with, until a few months ago, impeccable litter box habits. He started doing the poop and run thing, and no unless I pick him up and put him in the box, he's peeing wherever he happens to be. This morning it was on the bed.

Besides several visits to his regular vet, I went for a second opinion and both recommended a neurologist and an MRI. We did that last week and $3,300 later, we still don't know. (His MRI was perfect.)

I suspect Feline Hyperesthesia because he has the classic behaviors of it, but it's such an elusive thing to diagnose. Both vets disagreed.

I'm very frustrated and upset that there must be something wrong with my little man, but we can't figure out what it is. He eats Merrick and Wellness canned food, and maybe 10-12 pieces of dry a day. He is being weaned off dry because he needs to lose 3-4 pounds. He's currently 28 pounds, but he is a BIG cat, probably NFC or MC.

I don't know what to do next. We have a follow-up visit next Friday with his be regular vet. I appreciate everyone's suggestions. And I too would like to know about the treats!

Many thanks everyone. This is so hard...