Random Litterbox Avoidance

[Kian&KitKat]

Hi there,
Our kitten, a male rescued 6-month-old, started to poop outside the box about a week ago. The behavior is repeated randomly.
So he is perfect for a day or two and then he poops outside the box.
The first time, it was not near the box. Since then, he is literally pooping less than one feet away from the box and sometimes even most of the poop is in the box and a small piece is outside.
Please help.

 

[Mr. Meow]

We might need a bit more information to help.
Is he fixed?
Have you taken him to the vet to rule out any medical issues?
How many litter boxes do you have and how often do you clean them?

 

[Kian&KitKat]

Thank you, Mr, Meow.
he is fixed. he had a visit right before these.
We have two litter boxes, one in his room and one downstairs. I clean his litterbox every few hours, like once every two or three hours.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Does he do the same thing with both litter boxes? Just checking to see if it might be that he prefers one of the boxes over the other. Is his stool loose at all? Sometimes that can affect how a cat goes, causing them to go outside the box - and, it could also explain the bit of poop outside the box.

If you can watch him when he goes that might help give you clue about why he is doing this. Maybe he is too busy playing to reach the box, or is in a hurry to go back to playing after using the box?

Hopefully other members will come along soon with their ideas!

 

[Kian&KitKat]

he uses the downstair's litterbox less often and only when we are all downstairs. but he uses both of them.
his stool whether he poops inside the box or outside is the same. no difference in size, shape, or anything.
We were thinking of adding a camera and record him too.
Thank you for giving it a shot at replying. It helps us tremendously as we are new to this world and his vet closed his shop and we don't have a vet yet.
really appreciate your input and willingness to help.

 

[FeebysOwner]

New to the 'cat world'? Welcome! In addition to a couple of TCS articles about litter boxes, I also included another one for new cat owners!
The Litterbox: What Every Cat Owner Needs To Know – TheCatSite Articles
What’s The Largest Cat Litter Box (and Why Your Cat Needs It) – TheCatSite Articles
First-time Cat Owner’s Guide – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Kian&KitKat]

Thank you so much. These articles are very useful.
Our kitten has the largest size box and since it is a random behaviour, we are really baffled. He is really good for a few days and then all of sudden he poops in front of the box and the next day he is normal again.
I see two possibilities, one is that he is so distracted when playing and he goes for putty a little bit too late.
the other possibility is that he pees first and then even with the large box he wants to have extra room and he comes out of the box.
Maybe we should put an extra box right beside the existing one.

Thanks!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Maybe we should put an extra box right beside the existing one.

I would definitely try that!