Pooping (just Pooping!) Outside The Litter Box

[Laurafazz]

I'm looking for some advice for a pooping problem with one of my cats, Violet. She pees in the litter box and poops right next to it on the litter mat. Every time. The behavior seems to happen in waves, and we're in the middle of one right now. She's 15 months old and I also have her sister Poppy (litter-mate). It started at least 6 months ago, and I've tried different things that work for a while but don't seem to stick.

I have 2 extra large litter boxes in my house. There's one on the main floor and one upstairs. There's space around them so they won't feel cramped. The litter I use is the Frisco (chewy.com brand) crystal litter. I know the litter could be the issue since some cats don't like the crystals, but I don't understand why she would pee in it but not poop in it? And I'd rather not change their litter if that's NOT the problem, since Poppy uses it fine and I know they don't like change.

I'm not usually around when the errant pooping takes place, but I did see it once. Poppy ran up and bit Violet on the butt when she was getting into the litter box and it scared her. A couple minutes later she stood on the mat and pooped. After that happened I moved the second litter box upstairs so she would have options of somewhere to go without feeling threatened. That worked for a while but it started up again.

I brought them to the vet last week, and Violet got a clean bill of health. Tested her poop for parasites and it's clean. The vet suggested I try a covered litter box or a larger litter box, because Violet is a long cat. I tried the covered box and she pooped in it once, but the next day returned to her spot on the mat. I don't know if anyone even makes a litter box longer than the ones I have, which are 25" long.

The litter is always clean. Since it's the crystal kind, it absorbs pee and I stir it once or twice a day so there are no saturated spots. Poppy generally poops in the other box but I scoop that every time I see it. So I'm pretty stumped with this issue. Has anyone else has this problem where the cat pees in the box but poops right next to it?? I'm not sure what I should try next - some kind of enormous makeshift litter box, or a different type of litter maybe? Or should I move the box to a different part of the room? I'm in a condo so I don't have that many places for the litter boxes to go.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

 

[FeebysOwner]

HI. It sounds like you've tried a lot of the things I was thinking of. But, two other things came to mind (see below). And, yeah, I haven't had much success in finding a litter box any bigger than the size of yours. There are other members that make their own litter boxes by buying storage bins, and cut their own opening in them.

1.) add yet another litter box but right beside the one Violet typically uses to pee in. Maybe, if they are side by side, she will use one for pee and the other for poop? Crazy as it seems, there are cats like this that just prefer not to pee and poop in the same box. I realize this is tough with limited space, but it is at least worth a try.

2.) and, probably the more likely culprit, especially if she always poops right outside the one box all the time, is that the smell is not being removed - which will encourage a cat to go there again and again. If the mat is non-washable, you can try "The Equalizer" which doesn't require saturating the fabric, hence less drying time. If it is washable, buy a back up, and throw the 'dirty' one in the washer and let it soak with white vinegar added to the water, then wash with regular detergent and baking soda.

 

[Laurafazz]

FeebysOwner It never occurred to me she might be returning to the same spot because it still smells like her! I'm definitely going to try cleaning it well and see if that helps. She always poops in the exact same spot. Thank you so much, I'll report back and let you know if it works!

Also, when i first got the second litter box I put them side by side, and she still found a spot to poop on the mat lol. Then I moved it upstairs and the cycle began again.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I hope the smell is the issue!!!

Let us know for sure!!

 

[Laurafazz]

FeebysOwner I came back to tell you that your suggestion has worked for an entire week now!! I cleaned the mat really well last tuesday morning and we've had not a single poop outside of the litter box!! I will report back if there's any change - she tends to do this in waves for some reason, but now at least I will make sure to clean the mat immediately if she does it again and see if it keeps it to a minimum. Thank you SO much!

 

[FeebysOwner]

I sure hope that was it!! Keeping my fingers crossed again, for good measure!

 

[Laurafazz]

Hi! Just stopping by with an update. This solution worked for about a week, and then Violet was back to pooping on the mat again. Ultimately I changed the litter I was using, and that seems to have solved the problem. It’s been 2 weeks of poop-free floors lol. Fingers crossed though, I’m afraid of jinxing us!

I sure hope that was it!! Keeping my fingers crossed again, for good measure!

 

[FeebysOwner]

LOL! So with you on the jinxing part!!! But, we will keep our fingers crossed in the meantime!