Cat poops on the couch. I have tried EVERYTHING.

jkim

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My cat, a 1 1/2 year old orange tabby named Hank, is a great, happy cat.

I adopted him in september, and when I brought him home, he started pooping on the couch. Then he started pooping on another couch. Then he started pooping in my bed when I wasn't home. It had happened everyday for a span of a few weeks, and everyday I cleaned up the poop, sprayed the spot well with nature's miracle, and tried to put things on the couch to deter him (foil, sticky tape, orange peels, etc etc). I took him to the vet and they put him on special RX food and probiotics to eliminate any possibility of worms, illness, etc. The vet also suggested I put something else on the couch; this time I put plastic carpet runners on the couch (the plastic sheets with spikey nubs on the buttom) face up so the nubs would be unappealing on his paws. He walked all over them, and even picked them up and pooped under them somehow a few times. He is a determined little bugger. After the vet trip, I got him yet a NEW kind of litter (the third or fourth attempt to see what he likes) and went back to the unscented clay stuff I first used when I brought him home. I got a rubbermaid tub, cut a lower opening at the side, and he loved it. He happily pooped in the giant open tub, threw litter around like a nut, etc.

The vet trip was in february. He pooped on the plastic (and under it...?) a few times, but after I changed his box and litter, he was fine for weeks. It was amazing! The couches and bed (I keep the door closed unless I'm in there) were poop free! Woohoo, right?

Well, this morning I came home from picking up coffee (I was gone 30 minutes) and there were some turds on the couch. Healthy turds, but turds nonetheless.

I'm pretty sure this is why his last owners gave him up. He's such a good boy, except for this pooping thing.

I'm at a total loss for what to do. He's well fed with the best stuff out there, has great litter that I thought he was happy with, has TWO litter boxes, gets attention everyday, lots of cat toys and treats -- what more does this boy want?

HELP!
 

clucas976

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Have you tried Cat attract?

Or debabtable as this may be, try letting him outside every now and again. I was dead set against letting my Maybelle (or any kitty) outside, and we've had poop from her on just about everything, healthy wonderful poops.

I found out her last owner bragged of never having to change the litter box, because she always went outside.

I let her out randomly, its not daily, its not for more than 2 hours, and (its really cute) when I call her she comes running up to the door ready to go in.

but the pooping has stopped. She's even pooped in her litter box since she's started going outside.

I'm not saying this is a 100% solution, or good for every cat, my other cat is completely indoor, but I figured maybe it'd help.
 

otto

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I am sorry to hear about your problem with Hank. Have you tried installing Feliway plug in diffusers? I recommend you give these a try.

PS Got any pictures of Hank? Red Boys are my favorite
 
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jkim

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Thanks for the advice folks. I'm a little nervous to let him out, because of our street. It's not very busy, but cars come whipping around the blind corner really quickly. If we lived somewhere a little more open and quieter, I'd definitely let him out.

I've heard about feliway, but it's also a little out of my budget.

I'm also nervous about The Return of the Poop because I'm moving in a month and am nervous about living with people and having a poopy kitty.

 

otto

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Moving, and into a household with more people, is going to cause a lot of stress for your cat, which may make the problem even worse.

I urge you to use the feliway now, and during the move. It can be got on amazon.com quite reasonably. I realize "reasonable" is all relative, but your kitty needs help, and feliway may help. There is another thread here with a very similar problem, and they have had good results with feliway. I will try to find the link for you.
 
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jkim

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Thanks for the tip. I'll try to find to find a deal online - I'll definitely try it out now.

Any other thoughts?

The strange thing about his stress interaction is that I've taken him to a friend's house when I went away, and she would catsit for a few days to a week with no problem. She has a cat (which Hank doesn't like) and a dog (which Hank is neutral about), and he was totally fine. I thought the cat and dog would stress him out, but lo and behold, he didn't poo on her couch. I'm hoping the move might actually be a good thing? Maybe he hates the house? Oy vey!
 

otto

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Maybe he does hate the house. Or the couch. It is quite possible that there were pets in the house before, and the smells may linger and make him feel territorial.

Feliway can help with that. I am looking for the link to the other thread for you but having problems with this site this morning, it keeps bumping me out.

I also tried four times to edit my last post to add that I definitely do not recommend trying to train him to outside right before you are about to move.
 
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jkim

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i know that there was a dog that lived in this house for a few months before we moved in. there are two couches in particular that he loves pooping on, both of which have come from friends but none of which had pets. what strange is that he used to do this on a couch, then we moved the furniture around, and he started doing it on the new couch that was in the first one's place. it's something about that spot, i guess. he also poops on the original couch, too, which is on the opposite side of the room. never on the third couch - that one i guess is saved for scratching.

so, i've tried moving the furniture but it doesn't seem to help the problem. also, i don't think it's just the couches that are appealing or smelly to him, because he does it in the bed, too.

he's a very attention-demanding cat. perhaps he did it because he was mad that i left this morning without spending time with him? i usually leave the house around 9 but i left at 8. is that enough to piss him off? do cats act out like such?
 

northernglow

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Has he been checked for UTI (urine sample tested)? Sometimes cats with urinary tract infections poop in 'wrong' places, and it can even be the only symptom they are showing which makes diagnosing it a bit harder when it's not even suspected.

You could try putting his food on the couch, i.e. sprinkle some dry food kibbles on it. They usually don't use feeding places as their toilet.
 

iambic

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My girl did this too when I first adopted her. Like your Hank, I'm pretty sure this is why her previous owners surrendered her to Animal Control. *shudder*

Anyway, I did some research and found a fascinating feline topic called "middening." (http://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-poo.html, among other sites.) It explained her behavior perfectly, and there's a good chance it's what your boy is doing. I haven't gotten Imogen to be 100% perfect yet, but the improvement is very, very significant. I can live with 95% or so. Here's how I did it.

1. Two litterboxes, both filled with Cat Attract. Top off the litter with a light sprinkle of Herbal Litter Attractant (made by the same guy/company as Cat Attract) after EVERY time you scoop anything out of the litterboxes. Do not stir it into the litter; let it sit on top.

2. Feliway plug-in diffuser. Enough said.

3. This is the hard part, but you're going to have to confine your cat. Wherever his litterboxes are, that is now his safety room. Hopefully it's a bathroom, small bedroom, something of the sort. Plug the Feliway in there, leave his food and water and some toys in a corner away from the litter, close the door, and leave him there when you're not at home. This is hard. I hated it. Be sure to give him lots of play and love and attention whenever you are at home. When he starts using his litter boxes consistently, gradually increase the areas of the house where he is allowed to roam freely without supervision. Add a hallway (blocked off at one end.) Maybe a second bedroom if he's being good. Be sure to go sllooooooowly. Add a new space maybe every week, and only if he hasn't had any accidents. Eventually, he should be able to roam the house and know to always come back to his litter boxes when he needs to, instead of being tempted to stake his claim on the couch. It will take a lot of time and frustration on your part, but it worked on my cat, so I'm hopeful it can help yours.

Good luck!
 
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jkim

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Thank you all SO much for the advice!

I'm looking into feliway and cat attract. I'll order some tonight.

Here is something else that I thought of: the couch spot where he's been pooping is near a window. Outside the window are lots of birds, squirrels, etc. Maybe a few cats walk by? Is it possible he is middening by the window to mark territory?
 

denali

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I adopted him in september,
Thank you for taking him into your home and having a chance at a normal life


I took him to the vet
When you took him to the vet what tests did the vet do on your cat? What did the vet look for....example: constipation, UTI, enlarged anal glands, etc. Can you please describe your kitties stools ie: size, color, hard, soft, dry, etc. How frequent does he pass a stool? Does he strain when passing a stool? Does he vocalize pain? How is his peeing habits? How often does he pee? Does he make frequent trips to the litterbox? Does he produce normal size pees?

and they put him on special RX food and probiotics to eliminate any possibility of worms, illness, etc.
I am kind of lost here...what can an RX food and probiotic do for worms? What can they do for an illness if you don't know what the illness is? Probiotics can help balance out the good baceria in his tummy and usually really helps with diarrhea or if the cat is taking antibiotics. Did the vet check for worms or parasites, etc.? What food did he prescribe? A second opinion may be required if the Cat attract and feliway diffusers do not work.

Here are some websites to look at for cheaper feliway http://search.store.yahoo.net/cgi-bi...s.yahoo.net%2F, http://entirelypets.ecomm-search.com...?query=feliway, http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=i...feliway&page=1

He walked all over them, and even picked them up and pooped under them somehow a few times. He is a determined little bugger.
Determined little bugger is right
and definately a smart kitty


After the vet trip, I got him yet a NEW kind of litter (the third or fourth attempt to see what he likes) and went back to the unscented clay stuff I first used when I brought him home. I got a rubbermaid tub, cut a lower opening at the side, and he loved it.
Where is the litterbox located? Is it located in a quiet, private area away from the hustle and bustle. Away from loud noises?

I'm pretty sure this is why his last owners gave him up. He's such a good boy, except for this pooping thing.
Thank you again for being patient with him


He's well fed with the best stuff out there,
What is it that you are feeding him? Dry or canned? Grainfree?

has great litter that I thought he was happy with
What types of litters have you tried? Have you tried placing a different kind of litter in each box?
 

iambic

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jthe couch spot where he's been pooping is near a window. Outside the window are lots of birds said:
I think that's certainly likely. Is there any way you could block off the view to that window? Blinds, curtains, etc.? I know cats loooove windows, so maybe trade off with another one that you leave accessible to him in a less poop-marked/poop-inducing spot?
 

fifi1puss

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This may be a stupid questions but How often do you clean his boxes? Some cats are more clean than others. Poops should be emptied every day and if you have a clumping litter all the clumps should be removed daily. Non-clumping should be emptied weekly or more depending on how much urine builds. Where you have said you change the litter and he is fine but the probelm then returns I thought I should ask......

BTW: He is adorable!


I am from MA also.
 
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jkim

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i scoop the clumps every night, and i clean the boxes in the tub every few weeks. his boxes are super clean and not stinky in the least. i have one covered one and one open one (the open one is a giant rubbermaid tub that he likes).
 

shiraz21

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i actually just posted about a similar problem... my cat will poop right outside her box though, not on furniture... but it's been since i got her and, like you, i'm pretty sure it's why she was given up by her first owner. and i also had a period of time where she was fine, and then started up again. tried what i thought to be everything. luckily we're moving soon into a house and her box will be in the basement instead of the bathroom, so my dh doesnt have to worry about stepping in it (we have brown rugs in the bathroom, and he stepped in it a couple times, which was not pleasant)... but still, i worry that it's a problem that she's sick or uncomfortable but when the vet take a urinalysis, it is fine... it just seems to be no rhyme or reason sometimes which makes it SOOOOOO hard to try to figure out!

one suggestion i have is to use bleach when cleaning the litterboxes in the tub.. a vet told me that and it helped a bit... takes all that smell out that you may not be able to smell, and they like the smell of bleach (i think). i never tried feliway, so i'm not sure...

hope your situation gets better... they cab be so wonderful
, but i know how it is to have that one problem... but i dont know what i'd do if it was on my furniture. well wishes for you , keep us updated... he is quite a handsome guy
 

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It is really a simple fix. your cat is telling you that you are not my master. he still loves you but he thinks he is in charge. take possession of the couch. do not allow him on the couch with you or without you. let him know the couch is yours. he will actually appreciate you taking charge. once you have taken possession of the couch and he understands that it belongs to you, you can allow him back on the couch. but let him know he does not go there without your permission. your the boss. you don't have to be mean just be his loving master. 
 

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The strange thing about his stress interaction is that I've taken him to a friend's house when I went away, and she would catsit for a few days to a week with no problem. She has a cat (which Hank doesn't like) and a dog (which Hank is neutral about), and he was totally fine. I thought the cat and dog would stress him out, but lo and behold, he didn't poo on her couch. I'm hoping the move might actually be a good thing? Maybe he hates the house? Oy vey!
No one can say for sure if he did or did not leave a turd on the couch.  Dogs love to eat cat turds.  It's exceptionally common.  Dogs have been know to wait until a cat is done and then rush to their box for a treat:(
 
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