Pooping Into His Food Bowl

[Melorin]

Hello,
i've already posted about a similiar problem, but it got worse. We've got cca. 8 months old kitten and he doesn't seem to get better. He's completely healthy, yet he still pees and now even poops outside the litterbox. Yesterday and today he pooped into his own food bowl as well. I'll crudely draw the setup of his safe space to explain it better. The litterbox's there because he literally never leaves his box. If he does it's to jump on our piano, we have folded clothes there and he already peed on four pieces. If he peed on the piano which he would it would be much worse since the piano's an old piece. When he stayed at the vet they told us that he's playful, which he isn't at home. We've got three other cats but they rarely bother him. We thought the problem might be with our dog but I usually don't let him go to my room. When we play with him invididually he doesn't move much. He even ate at the vet far more than he does here. We put many litterboxes around the room with a different types of litter but that didn't do much since he doesn't move. We can't completely seperate them, they react very bad to stress and the last thing we want is for them to be ill. On the other hand the kitten's very cuddly, always shows us his belly, we have to come to him though. My entire room smells like the mix of poop and piss, I find both my bed and clothes soaked and the amount of water we have to use for washing all of it is huge. And the most important thing is that he's unhappy. We don't know what other to do than to give him back to the shelter. He'll be much happier there. We can't explain his behavior any other way other than that he's just unhappy here. When we got him he was 7-8m old and he weighed under 2kg's, and I certainly don't want to put him back but if he's this unhappy there might be no other choice. We've tried pretty much everything we could to adapt him but to no avail. He has no reason to be this scared. Our boys don't attack him, we do our best to cuddle him and we just don't get it. The pooping into the bowl was kind of a breaking point for us. Any advice's welcome.
( i'll add the setup later i'm on a phone right now)

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
There was a somewhat similar situation, if I remember correctly, not too long ago and literally nothing the family tried was of any help. The only thing that did was when that cat was provided a different home.
I wouldn't ordinarily compare things but your kitty pooping in the food bowl, not eating as much, etc as you commented, is an indication that your boy is not happy/comfortable.

Bless your hearts for trying so hard, but I think he needs a different home, --(I don't know, but maybe mention to the shelter to try a dogless home although I'm not sure since the vet's probably had dogs )...

 

[Melorin]

Yeah, we still want to give him some time but in the end he'll most likely have to go back. It's breaking my heart but if in the end he'll be happy it might be for the best. We'll call the vet and try to ask him what to do and untill then we'll think it over once more. We're kinda hesitant to give him back because the shelters conditions are really bad , there are over 140 cats there, he would stay in a room with over 40 cats and since we've gotten him in such a bad state we're scared that he might go back to that. We'll think it over, maybe giving him only 1 month was not enough, his poop was also very watery so maybe he just didn't make it but i doubt that. This sure is hard...

 

[Melorin]

Also the photos, just for reference ( he's the smaller one)

and the setup

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you try rehoming him through Nextdoor . Com? It is somewhat safer than Craigslist and of course ask a rehoming fee --maybe your vet knows of someone?

"kittens To Good Homes" - How To Find A Good Forever Home For Your Kittens

 

[Melorin]

We have a contract that doesn't allow us to give him away... We can put him only back to the shelter.. If we could just find him a better home everything would be far easier.. Is it possible for a cat to have anxiety? I myself have it diagnosed and mom thinks it might be something similar.. He does seem happier after the month, he's very trusting towards me and we want to eliminate every possible reason he might have to do this before we give him back to the shelter.. We wouldn't be so hesitant but the shelter's really bad..

 

[Furballsmom]

Ah, I understand.
It is very possible that a cat has anxiety, let me get my list of calming products. I'm going to change from my phone to the desktop...

 

[FeebysOwner]

I know you said he is healthy...But, watery stool is a sign of illness, or perhaps a food allergy - which if true could be making him feel bad and partially explain his behavior. If he is uncomfortable and/or having stomach issues, he won't feel like playing - and it might even help to explain some of his litterbox behavior.

His accommodations are too close together and even though I realize you did this to help with his inappropriate peeing/pooping - it obviously isn't helping. So, it might be more helpful to spread them out a little. Many cats do not like their food/water that close to the litter box either.

The very fact that he would eat better at the vet's means that he is likely not relaxed in your home. I don't know what kind of introduction process you used when you brought him into your home with 3 cats and a dog, but perhaps it wasn't long enough to allow him to be comfortable with the rest of the animals.
Many cats take a lot longer than month to acclimate to a new home, especially one with multiple pets. He needs more attention and time and loving from you right now than the other cats. That will help build confidence and raise his level of comfort.

The above pictures shows two cats - is this in your new guy's bed or he is actually sleeping in one of the other cat's beds? I only ask this because I am trying to determine if he seeks out the company of any of the other cats, or is one or more of the other cat's coming into his 'territory'. If he views another cat coming into his area as an intrusion, this will also affect his confidence/demeanor/behavior.

Here are a couple of articles on introducing a new cat to a home - maybe there are some things in them that you haven't already tried that might help.

How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

 

[Furballsmom]

back again..
Here's an article that could be of help, and a couple other articles are linked at the bottom of this one;
You, Your Cat And Stress

Here's a list of other things to try;
You could try low volume classical harp music, there is an app called Relax My Cat, there is MusicForCats.com and also George Handel compositions are known to help a cat to relax.

Also, you could try one of these, only a small selection of a fast-growing section of pet products;
Bachs Rescue Remedy, Richard's Organics Pet Calm-this one is drops that you put on the tip of the tongue. Also, Quiet Moments Cat treats, there is Calming Care, Calm-o-mile, Sentry, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has a calming product, Pet Naturals also has one I believe.

Also Thunderease has diffusers as does Sentry, and feliway although diffusers are expensive and not always the answer.
You might want to check with your vet, but some people have good results with CBD oil, plus there are vet-prescribed calming products too.
Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course chewy, also there's Petwishpros, drsfostersmith, animaleo, Petco and PetSmart, and other pet stores.

There is also product called a lickimat which could be helpful, as cats can be calmed by the process of licking. The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats

This discussion's post talks about some other products;
Calming Treats For A Very Picky Cat

 

[Furballsmom]

And here's one more, just in case;
How To Safely Introduce A Cat And A Dog

 

[Melorin]

I know you said he is healthy...But, watery stool is a sign of illness, or perhaps a food allergy - which if true could be making him feel bad and partially explain his behavior. If he is uncomfortable and/or having stomach issues, he won't feel like playing - and it might even help to explain some of his litterbox behavior.

His accommodations are too close together and even though I realize you did this to help with his inappropriate peeing/pooping - it obviously isn't helping. So, it might be more helpful to spread them out a little. Many cats do not like their food/water that close to the litter box either.

The very fact that he would eat better at the vet's means that he is likely not relaxed in your home. I don't know what kind of introduction process you used when you brought him into your home with 3 cats and a dog, but perhaps it wasn't long enough to allow him to be comfortable with the rest of the animals.
Many cats take a lot longer than month to acclimate to a new home, especially one with multiple pets. He needs more attention and time and loving from you right now than the other cats. That will help build confidence and raise his level of comfort.

The above pictures shows two cats - is this in your new guy's bed or he is actually sleeping in one of the other cat's beds? I only ask this because I am trying to determine if he seeks out the company of any of the other cats, or is one or more of the other cat's coming into his 'territory'. If he views another cat coming into his area as an intrusion, this will also affect his confidence/demeanor/behavior.

Here are a couple of articles on introducing a new cat to a home - maybe there are some things in them that you haven't already tried that might help.

https://thttps://thecatsite.com/ams...o-fix-an-unsuccessful-cat-introduction.33882/

We gave him milk so we think the watery poop happened because of that.. We won't give him milk and hopefully it'll be fine. He usually lays in his own bed and no one comes in, but when the photo was taken the one who came afterward was Merlin (the big one), but his relationship with Merlin's probably the best out of all of them and even he himself approached Merlin first, the youngest one, Tristan on the other hand really doesn't help the situation. His play is very rough and when he tries to play with him we have to step in to stop them, lately Tristan calmed down though and bothers him less. The introduction basically didn't happen which is totally our fault, none of our boys needed it and so we thought he wouldn't either, which was obviously a mistake. He doesn't really seek the company of other cats, he pretty much only seeks human contact. I'll read the article to mom and if there will be something we didn't try we'll try it..

 

[Melorin]

And here's one more, just in case;
How To Safely Introduce A Cat And A Dog

Thank you, mom will call the vet on the Monday and ask him about the products, I'll also send her the recommendations so she knows what's up. We haven't tried calming music so might as well do that. We use feliway but don't think it does much.. Just a moment ago I took him to my bed and he's really enjoying the attention. I'm getting some mixed signals here.. We'll try what we can..

 

[Furballsmom]

Try goat milk, or no-lactose cow milk, those will be easier on his tummy

 

[FeebysOwner]

Just a moment ago I took him to my bed and he's really enjoying the attention. I'm getting some mixed signals here.. We'll try what we can..

He likes it when he has you nearby WITHOUT the other animals around - it helps his confidence to start to believe that he has a place in the home, and enables him to be better relaxed because you are 'protecting' him by being with him. The more time you spend with him, the better his confidence/comfort level will become.

Since he does feel somewhat comfortable with Merlin, that is a good sign that in time - perhaps a lot of time - he will eventually start to either like or at least tolerate the other pets and become better integrated with them.

I just think he needs time and for you to try any of the tips in the above 3 articles that you haven't already tried.

 

[Melorin]

He likes it when he has you nearby WITHOUT the other animals around - it helps his confidence to start to believe that he has a place in the home, and enables him to be better relaxed because you are 'protecting' him by being with him. The more time you spend with him, the better his confidence/comfort level will become.

Since he does feel somewhat comfortable with Merlin, that is a good sign that in time - perhaps a lot of time - he will eventually start to either like or at least tolerate the other pets and become better integrated with them.

I just think he needs time and for you to try any of the tips in the above 3 articles that you haven't already tried.

Yeah, we also think that his litterbox problems exist because he's really just scared and not confident in himself, so from now on I'll take him next to me and pet him every day, i'm doing that right now and he seems really relaxed. We can't really separate them but we'll pay more attention to him and bring him around the house so he can get used to everything. We won't rush it, mom's just really kind of done with all the peeing but we really don't want to give him back. Thanks for the links and the advice..

 

[Furballsmom]

Let know how things go

 

[FeebysOwner]

Next thing you need to do is ensure you are removing any urine/poop smells from the areas he has used when not going in the litterbox. For any carpeting, non-washable rugs, you can buy 'The Equalizer'. It has been very effective for me and doesn't require the carpet to be saturated, hence less drying time. It can be found on several online stores (amazon.com, for example).

Clothing, bedding, etc. should be soaked in a water/white vinegar solution for at least a couple of hours, and then washed normally adding baking soda to the detergent.

To absolutely ensure you are removing any smells, you can buy a black light which when used in a dark room will show any stains remaining - whether that is carpet, bedding, etc.

The above actions will be essential in helping with getting him to use the litterbox correctly, as any place he has gone that he can smell will entice him to go there again.

 

[Melorin]

Big update!
Lately he's been much more cheerful and far less scared. He's also more playful, he likes to ,,hug'' and bite my hand and likes chasing toys. He's not in my room anymore, he much more prefers being in mom's (maybe because he got used to where we give our boys food and he's closer to it- we feed them on our counter) and he's been eating a lot. We still call him noodle but he's slowly becoming sturdier. He's still scared of our dog, not as much though ( he even played while Arthur (the dog) was cca. meter from him) and cats are not that much of a problem ( Pidin even calmed down and stopped annoying him so much). He's still scared if they are above him and just stare but he's getting more confident. Our boys usually greet us at the door and Percival started jumping on the counter and yelling at us as a form of greeting and that he wants to be fed. His litterbox habits are still not the best but he starts yelling and looking at us when he wants to do his business and when we put him in the box he's fine with it. He even went two times himself. The look in his eyes changed, he's far more comfortable and we're glad we didn't give him away. Mom has been feeling kind of down because the people who communicate with the shelter keep on insisting that we should give him back since he's unhappy here and that we're abusing him. Mom's worried that the shelter might even drive here and try to take him away, since again the group mom's in thinks it's purely our fault. We think that he's just slower when it comes to getting used to things and that he was generally too unhappy to feel comfortable at our place. And Arthur didn't help. They claimed he was completely fine there, eating even which kind of tells us they only thought he was fine since he couldn't eat because his teeth were in a need of a surgery, which he got at our place, since their vet didn't see anything wrong with having extra teeth. He's doing very good and we couldn't be happier.