My cat keeps pooping outside of his litter box but urinating in it

[BluOnyx]

My ragdoll recently started this, pooping outside the box. He is about a year and a half old. He gets constipation from hair and has gone on a few rugs. I caught him today going from one litter box to the next. He doesn't always get backed up though.

It can be a mix of food intolerance and too much hair causing issues where it can be painful for him to go and the more he stresses, the more he would associate the box as the problem.

Does he like coconut oil? That is said to help hair pass easier so he isn't struggling so much. I never fed Friskies, I use Fancy Feast which tends to have less ingredients. It might be easier for him to digest. This is wet food though. I only give a small amount of dry with the last meal for the day. It seems dry food causes issues for cats when they don't drink enough water.

 

[mrpepper]

It can be a mix of food intolerance and too much hair causing issues where it can be painful for him to go and the more he stresses, the more he would associate the box as the problem.

Do cats produce more hair in the cold winter months than they do in the summer? Seems like this problem started in November when it started getting cold.

 

[Furballsmom]

Do cats produce more hair in the cold winter months than they do in the summer?

I think so, my Poppycat even had more fur on his paws. Can you groom/brush your cat more?

 

[mrpepper]

I think so, my Poppycat even had more fur on his paws. Can you groom/brush your cat more?

I can.

He just pooped again, this time in his box, but I didn't see him scoot this time. When I first brought him from my dads apartment to mine over a year ago, I found a few pieces on the carpet one morning and figured he was getting used to his new box and he dragged it out. Now I think he scooted and this just happens from time to time?

Any reason to think I need to take him to the vet for this?

 

[BluOnyx]

Cats typically shed more two times a year, in the fall and in the spring/late winter so it could very well be tied to him getting too much hair into his belly. The only remedy for this is extra brushing.

Cats scoot for two reasons, they have poop stuck or they have worms/parasites. I am guessing he feels a bit back there and was scooting to clean it off. I had one of my boys scoot when there was a whole poo stuck, nothing mushy or anything it just got stuck on the fur. If they squat lower during a poo there is a higher chance of things getting stuck.

 

[Furballsmom]

Along with squatting low, does your cat have long-ish fur on his behind that might contribute to things getting stuck there?

 

[Mighty Orange]

Try to keep up on the brushing, it helps control the amount of hair they injest. I use a furminator.

 

[mrpepper]

Along with squatting low, does your cat have long-ish fur on his behind that might contribute to things getting stuck there?

It longer than his brothers but on the shorter side in general compared to most cats. I'll attach a picture so you can tell me your opinion of it.

 

[mrpepper]

Try to keep up on the brushing, it helps control the amount of hair they injest. I use a furminator.

I will try out this furminator.

 

[BluOnyx]

If you want a brush recommendation other than the furminator, this is a really good one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DK4MZRC/?tag=thecatsite

I tried that style brush and it did not do much for my ragdoll's hair, this one works really well though even on short hair. You just do small strokes instead of full brushes. It helps to clean off the cat tree too. I have to brush mine before I vacuum them because the hair sticks like it has glue in it.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'll attach a picture

What a handsome boy! The fur that's under his tail could be the culprit, the rest of his fur on the upper backs of his legs is probably short enough that dingleberries aren't getting stuck there, but you're right, it depends on how sticky it is. You might try giving him a hygiene trim.

 

[mrpepper]

This morning I saw Nico try to poop in his box and noticed he was having a hard time getting it all out. He pooped two little pieces and then came out of the box with some stuck in his butt about the size of a jawbreaker. I knew he was going to scoot so I grabbed a paper towel and tried to help him wipe his butt - he screamed in pain, ran away, and threw up right in front of the litter box. Eventually after chasing him around the room he decided to try and get the rest out in his box which he eventually did. He even tried a third time but nothing came out.

At that point I figured he might be constipated like his brother was so I called a vet but she said they were booked for 2 weeks. She also said that if he pooped then he isn't constipated which I'm not sure if thats true in all cases or not since I saw him strain with my own eyes. I decided to take him back to the vet that saw Pepper (even though she was kind of rude I had no choice). She did an examination on him but concluded he was not constipated. She said we can take an x ray if you want but she said just from the examination she could tell he wasn't. She recommended I start feeding him new dry food that was high in fiber. Its the Hills prescription diet Multi-benefit w/d. She said increasing the fiber should help his stools.

At this point I'm so confused what to believe as I thought it was the contaminated Friskies wet food but I stopped feeding that to him last Thursday and surely he already pooped all that out of him by now. I told her about what I read online and she said it was all hearsay - Friskies was perfectly fine to feed to cats. She said he may have been constipated but he isn't anymore. This is such a nightmare - now both of my cats have problems - maybe it was the dry food all along?

 

[Furballsmom]

He even tried a third time but nothing came out.

More fiber but mostly more moisture. In case this is helpful:

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake - TheCatSite Articles

If he continues to have troubles you may want to consider adding miralax to his diet.

 

[mrpepper]

More fiber but mostly more moisture. In case this is helpful:

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake - TheCatSite Articles

If he continues to have troubles you may want to consider adding miralax to his diet.

Kind of sick of taking these cats to the vet to treat their constipation and then they just say hes not constipated if he pooped. It makes it impossible to solve the problem when nobody can agree on what the problem is. For some reason she never suggested adding more moisture or Miralax - just the dry food change. I just don't know what to believe anymore.

 

[Furballsmom]

just the dry food change.

It's frequently their go-to statement.

You're going to have to find out what works for your cats, you know them best and you're right there with them. "Listen" to them, watch them, and determine what will work best for them.

 

[mrpepper]

It's frequently their go-to statement.

You're going to have to find out what works for your cats, you know them best and you're right there with them. "Listen" to them, watch them, and determine what will work best for them.

The other part that confuses me is I've asked people at work if their cats have had a problem like this and they tell me not only do they never throw up or poop out of the box - they dont even feed their cat wet food. I read the article you provided but if all of that is true then why do their cats not get constipated on pure dry food and mine get that despite being given wet food daily. My mother said the same thing- her new cat wont eat wet food only dry food and she never has any issues.

I'm torn between what I see with my own eyes and taking the advice of a professional. I get that vets can be wrong as well but most people are probably going to side with her over my own observations. She did say he could have been constipated but he certainly isnt now. It just a waste of time and money and send me in a different direction that may or may not even be the real issue.

As I was typing this my other cat Pepper threw up all over the carpet. Maybe its because he ate some of the new dry food or maybe its because he saw the kennel come out and it scared him silly even though he didn't go to the vet himself. Maybe hes upset for his brother?

I'm going to mix 25% of the new dry food with 75% of the old dry food to introduce it slowly. As for the wet food maybe I should go back to the old Friskies so I can rule out the new wet food causing them to throw up/ have constipation.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm torn between what I see with my own eyes and taking the advice of a professional

Every cat is different and in my opinion there are too many variables involved to try and compare, even with your mom's cat.