Erratic Pooping.

[clucas976]

It's been a while since I've been on this site, and I will warn you this may be a bit long since I have to explain the situation.

In January, I rescued a cat from a home where she was being attacked by 4-5 other cats and kept from food and water by them. We kept her in the bedroom for about a month, away from our other cat Madison.

Well Madison kept finding his way into the bedroom and prying the door open (the latch is weak) and after quite a few run ins my husband came home (within an hour of me leaving) to find our rescue had pooped 3 times on the bed, someone peed on it, and then the dog decided to join in as well. I got my husband through it, we figured it was fear, and I soaked the mattress in natures miracle and flipped it. Time passed, and she expressed her anal glands on a vintage army coat of mine, pooped on another coat, and then, when by herself, pooped on our mattress again. two of the times we figured it was from Madison sneaking in there, and the third time, she was secluded and by herself.

we moved her to another room, the office, with a door that cannot be jimmied open by a cat, and started having supervised interactions between the two, everything has been fine for the past month. Saturday Me, rescue kitty, and Madison were in here together, he seemed to be annoying her a little, so I sent him out (he knows the command go somehow) within the half hour I smelled rescue kittys aweful poop stench (we've done smears and everything she just has a stinky butt) and looked over to see that she had pooped on my other chair and was staring happily at me. I figured maybe madison nerved her up a bit and she was afraid of her litter box. a night later, we heard her yell at madison and I walked in to find her anal glads expressed all over the same chair.

This morning I came home to her outside. While my husband was home and before he went to bed (between 11pm and 1am) she decided to poop all over the chair again.

Now I'm in a time crunch, I have to solve this problem before she needs to be rehomed.

I thought it was fear, the anal gland expression would technically be a fear reaction, but regular pooping on random items with a litter box 2 feet away from a litter trained cat (she's 9) makes no sense. She lived with cats her whole life and only spent 4-6 months in the other house hold so her whole life hasn't been bad experiences with cats. and Madison despite his persistence doesn't bother her nearly to the amount he'd need to to cause severe reactions. she's eating, fluffy, soft, alert, playful, and at a healthy weight, she shows no signs of stress or fear at all, so I'm left to think its a behavioral problem.

I need ideas and answers. We do love her, she adores my husband, and she is a part of our family, but I can't ask him to live like that, and as understanding as he is, its not fair to him, and its not fair to her either.

I plan on getting either rescue remedy or feliway plug in today or next week and letting her outside more often. But any ideas would be nice because i need to do/figure something to help my and her stress.

 

[pat traufield]

When she was kept isolated (away from Madison) the 1st month did she use the litter box regularly and not express her anal glands? Has she had a full exam to rule out physical causes of incontience?

It does sound like fear to me - severe fear to be losing control of her bowels and bladder.

It does not matter so much that Madison is not bothering her to the degree you would think would cause a severe reaction. What matters is her perception. What we cannot ask kitty is "how traumatized where you in your last home on a scale from 1 to 10?". If she was traumatized to a 9 then any little reminder sends her back into a bad mental state.

I have had very good luck using Composure Liquid with fearful animals. It is also important to prevent any more surprise exposure to Madison and stick with a good cat to cat introduction protocol. Make sure you find a great treat for new kitty to use in counter-conditioning her to Madison.

 

[hissy]

I would make her a one room kitty and the only interaction she has is with the human family not the animals in the home. Once they have been attacked repeatedly, it is hard to break through that barrier that they place up. It also could be that you have a pariah kitty- I have one here and she gets this reaction often when she sees the other kitties. I have just had to put her in the library and made her a library kitty as I am still searching for a home for her where she will be an only cat.

 

[clucas976]

Thanks for the responses.

She's been a one room kitty for the past 3 months, and has slowly worked her way back into the house.

Somehow, since the day I made the post, we have been fine.

I took her outside that day and we sat together on the porch, she soaked in the sun, and we would have stayed out longer but the neighbors child came home, walked right to his house, ignored us completely and she layed down as low as possibly, backed up tucked her ears back and started prying at the door to get in. (she never seen him before so its not like he's even done anything to her)

So I'm guessing we have a kitty with a fear problem....of everything.

My husband liked the idea of the calming liquid, and actually before I mentioned it he asked me if there was anything we could do to help her nerves.

Yesterday I had her office door open (the room she lives in) and she wandered out and into the bedroom where my other cat was to take a nap.

So now I don't know whats going on between the two of them, but they spent the night together in the office and they're both happy as can be this morning.

I'm almost thinking maybe the third poop (not the anal expression) in here was a protest to being shut in the office, but who knows, she's a weird one.

I think its helping her to get to go outside again, she's always gone outside her whole life so even if she only stays on or around my porch it seems to be making her happy.

Either way, I've gotten my husband off the idea of rehoming her, so she has more time to grow and recover. (I figured it'd only take time, he adores her and visa versa.. she's a daddys girl

)

 

[strange_wings]

My thoughts: She was probably bullied away from the litter box in her former home and just needs time to relearn that it's safe and ok for her to use it. I have one, though she doesn't do what yours is doing, that does not like anyone (cat or human) watching her use the litter box - she'll stop midway and run.

I guess she just feels insecure as that's a time when cats are a little defenseless. Maybe yours has that issue a little.

Things that can help - make sure there are plenty of litter boxes in different rooms. This way she shouldn't feel like Madison is ever blocking her from a litter box.
There are also litter additives like Cat Attract, and a litter with the additive already in it by the same name.
Try different litters if you think she may have a preference, and different box types. Some cats prefer open and some are more comfortable in closed boxes (guess they know another cat isn't sneaking up behind them?). If you do this with multiple boxes you can keep at least a couple of the boxes as is to compare (litter wise) what's preferred.

She may still go outside the box now and then for a while as she had a while of living with those other cats to get over. Just give her time and have patience, cats only do things on their own schedules.

Also, how is her body language itself? Does she seem confident in all of her actions? or does she ever seem a little unsure and hesitant?

 

[clucas976]

That was actually part of my reasoning for letting her outside.

I know her original owner, which is why I was able to save her, she knew the condition the cat was in and had no alternative homes for the cat (she had to rehome her due to unforseen circumstances)

So I did some digging, and one of our friends mentioned that the previous owner used to boast about how the cat always used the bathroom outside and she rarely had to clean out the litter box.

I'm guessing Madison startled her monday when she expressed her anal glands, she is a very nervous cat, but I haven't heard any more growling and right now they're both in here with me and she's even been eating her food with him in close plain sight (which is a huge new[like today new] feat, normally if he's in sight she runs from her food dish)

I've got the window open for them to sit in and get fresh air too and she loves it.

I also have two litter boxes, one is covered and one is open, the open one I bought as "Hers" and its in here, in "her" room, and the covered one is in the kitchen which is adjacent to the office. (typically about as far as she'll venture on her own without coaxing)

at least since I got her from the same person she's fine with the dog, I'd have no hair left if she had issues with her too!

 

[strange_wings]

^

Considering adding one or two more boxes. The accepted rule is 2 per cat - though in smaller homes/appartments and after so many cats that gets ridiculous (I have 7 with 5 boxes, they only use 4 of them

).

It does sound like she's very insecure. Make sure to give her plenty of praise to make this as positive as possible. When she wanders out further, greet her in a happy voice and talk to her - if she doesn't get startled from that. She just has to learn that this is all OK.

It sounds like the two cats are getting used to each other. As always, it just takes time.

 

[clucas976]

yeah, the time thing is fine, it'd just be nice if it wasn't a constant poopy party to explain to my husband

I'd have to plan out where to put another box, I honestly don't have a place to put one, our apartment is small, and open corners don't exist. (the bathroom could be confused for a closet if there wasn't a toilette in it!)

the fresh air seems to be helping the both of them, I think I'm probably more stressed than they are since my one cat is FLUTD so every time he seems upset my heart skips a beat (oh no, its going to happen again!)

but at least I can see the small steps forward we've made, now if we could stop making backwards steps with the backend we'd be all set!