Pooping outside box

[madisaid]

Obviously as the title describes, my cat has been going outside the box every 3-4 days for then past 2 weeks.
My boyfriend who had been working from home is now in the office so I’m not sure if that change is causing stress.

she’s using the box successfully 90% of the time but every few days, only overnight, she’s going outside the box right in the doorway. She’s recently been to the vet so I don’t believe there’s anything medically wrong.

Any ideas?

 

[Stella1973]

How many boxes do you have? A lot of cats prefer to poop in one box and pee in another. If you only have 1 litter box then I would add another. Could also be she doesn’t like the litter maybe try a different texture of litter. When my boy was a kitten he likes to pee in corn litter and poop in crushed walnut shell. We used to joke that he color coordinated his litter box activities. Make sure you clean the area thoroughly otherwise she might continue to go in the same spot. If she’s really young make sure that she has easy access and have litter boxes on each floor if on a multi level home. Sometimes when they are young they simply can’t make it in time if they have a long way to go to get to the litter box.

 

[FeebysOwner]

More than one litter box, as suggested above, is definitely one way to see if that helps any. Cleaning the boxes right before bedtime might be another thing to try. If an older cat, making sure there is a nightlight in that area could also be something to try in case she just doesn't see as well as she used to. On the days she goes in the box, is it earlier in the evening when she does so? If so, could be something about that area that bothers her entering the room when it is overnight. Look for patterns in terms of when she goes in the box vs. the timeline of when she doesn't.

Not sure why stress would cause her to poop, but not pee, outside the litter box, but of course you can't entirely rule it out. Maybe one of the calming diffusers placed in that room with her box(es) might help?

 

[cmshap]

When my boy was a kitten he likes to pee in corn litter and poop in crushed walnut shell. We used to joke that he color coordinated his litter box activities.

Lol, I just wanted to say that's one of the funniest cat stories I've heard

I feel lucky Willy only ever needed one box, since I live in a one-bedroom apartment and keep the box tucked away around a corner.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Does her poop look normal? Well-formed, not too wet or too dry? She may be having some intermittent issues that are causing discomfort in the box, so she avoids it for that. Cats are like that.