Hi, I know that others have asked about issues involving a cat peeing outside the litter box, but mine is a little different.
We have 3 cats (each with a box in the garage) and 1 insists on pooping inside the house at night (in a select area, changed the area when we blocked off the 1st one). He doesn't seem to do this during the day. When we 1st noticed it at the back of the house (garage is at the front), we put up a child gate to block him off from it thinking he was being lazy and not going in front. However, he started going in the front as well now................it's only the poo, not pee..........quite interesting to me, but VERY upsetting at the same time.
He is a shy cat, so I THOUGHT he might be afraid of the dark garage at night, but I just can't figure it out.
I need help, or we'll have to end up putting him to sleep and my heart breaks just thinking about that.
Thanks,
Thank you so much for all the responses. I'd love to hear if anyone has something else new as well.
We HAVE talked to the vet, several times and he doesn't offer any advice. It's not a UTI.
The cat is only 6, but was traumatized as a kitten (we rescued him from my cousins farm after he'd seen his other 3 siblings "disappear"). He is a VERY picky cat and because he's so shy, I just don't think he would be easily accepted with another family (he even lived under our bed for several weeks when we 1st brought him home). He can't go outside on a continuous basis because of his fears (though he does venture out some if he knows he can get in and hide quickly).
Putting him down is not my favorite choice..........it's the last thing I want to do. But I don't see any other choice really................HOWEVER, I really liked some of the alternatives here and am going to try them, esp. that plug in oderizer.......or locking him in the garage over night (which has happened a couple times on accident anyway with the cat door and I think it freaked him out more).
I have several cats all indoor. I will have this problem some times. Try using Cat Attract Litter you can get it at Petsmart or Petco it is a little pricey but it works and after some time you can go back to the regular litter. Good luck
Yikes. Don't you think the option of putting to sleep is a little harsh. If it doesn't work out for you, how about finding him a new home. If he's not sick I don't see a reason to put him to sleep.
there is a such thing as a cat behaviorist and the i ussed is awwesome her name is diane arrington and she can fix anything i think! im not sure were your located but she's is dallas texas and give very good advice even over the phone so please try her before you have to do something drastic her works miracles! if you need you can email me at ____@____.com
T., I had a cat for years who started doing that just all of a sudden out of the blue and it was driving me crazy. A few weeks later I took him to the vet and it ended up being a urinary track infection. Once he took the medicine it stopped.I felt really bad that he could'nt help it and I was so fussy with him about it. So consider a vet trip. Hope all works out.
Cat
I have read all the previous responses. The only things I will add are
1. Try changing litter type & see if it works. If you aren't using clumping litter, give it a try. That way the pee doesn't sit on the bottom of the litter box. I buy the walmart brand big green box. Some cats like a clean box so 'sift' it daily.
2. I had a cat for 8 years & she never got over being 'skiddish' and scared. I gave her to my elderly mom where the house is quiet and she is doing well there. Maybe your cat would like just one 'quiet' owner.
Best of luck.
Have you talked with your vet?
GL
Have you thought about toilet training them? It is very easy to do and only takes about two weeks to complete. I have not bought litter in almost 6 years.
If your interested in more e-mail me ____@____.com.
I'm curious why you think putting him to sleep is the only other option? There are shelters, newspaper ads, loving homes, etc. that he could go to. What about trying a kennel? If you make it just enough space for the cat to have a bed but nothing else.. maybe he won't poop in his bed. That is how we trained our dog but I know that cats and dogs are extremely different. Anyway, good luck.
PLEASE consult your vet about possible reasons he may be doing this and for corrective measures! I urge you to consider other options before putting your cat to sleep...keeping him outside, finding a loving home for him elsewhere, etc. There may simply be an underlying medical condition, as is often the case with the urinating outside the litter box. Did you change food or litter brands lately? Please consult your vet about what's going on and s/he will have some advice for you...if anyone else has dealt with it, they have. Thanks!
Hello...
My third cat also had issues with the litterbox. He was a stray and found wandering around an industrial park when he was less than a year old. He was very skittish and very attached to me. I had to leave for a week and left him alone with my husband and two other cats. He never had any issues before I left him for this week. Apparently that upset him and he never seemed to adapt to my leaving. As such, whenever we would leave for an extended period of time (even two days was too long) he would pee/poop around the house. I put up with it for a while but when we started to have kids it got out of control. He relieved himself in their car seats, on their clothes, blankets...you get the picture.
My vet said he had some "emotional" issues so she tried a variety of different anti-depressants. Some worked for a while but as soon as he was off his meds, he went back to his old tricks. The meds also made him a bit of a zombie so we were not happy with this either. After years of this (about five) we gave up and put him to an animal rescue "farm" in Denton. Like yours, he did not adapt well to change, did not really like other cats and would not have adjusted to another home.
It was a tough decision, but we had to do what was in the best interest of everyone. He was miserable, as were we.
Good luck and perhaps some sort of an RX from your vet might work.
PS...our other cat also had and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and was also on an anti-depressant. It sounds crazy, but the meds actually worked for our cats, but for Ollie (the messy one) the benefits of him being on the meds did not outweigh the cost, hassle and changed disposition that went along as well.
I was having the same problem with an older cat of mine when we got a new cat this summer. I thought the older cat was afraid of the new cat,rebelling, or just too old. It went on for a while and I was contemplating putting her to sleep. Before I decided to do that I enlisted the help of my vet. They did some tests and she ended up having a urinary tract infection. The vet said it wasn't that uncommon for them to poop outside the box and still pee inside. I thought this was extremely odd but I gave her her medicine for two weeks and then she was fine. We haven't had any problems since.
there is a pad made for animals that if they can not make it outside, it has a smell, that will lure them to pee/poop on it. So if your cat has a paticular spot he/she likes to poop at, place one of these mats down there it will be alot easier to clean than the floor. If they are indoor outdoor cats, then I would recommend a kitty door giving them access outside. If they were indoor cats, you might need to leave a litterbox in that garage so he/she has access all night.
There's a doctor in the area that specializes in behavioral issues. You may want to give this doctor a call...
Dr. McInnis
###-###-####
There are also a lot of options and no-kill shelters out there for finding animals new homes. Give that some definite thought before putting your little kitty to sleep.
T.,
This is a tough one! Have you considered moving his little box inside at night. I wonder if you did this of a while you may be able to move it back to the garage permanently when gets out of the habit. Thank goodness he isn't urinating! Also, my vet is great source for weird behavior ideas. You might call you vet or you can call mine! Dr. Richard Singleton at ###-###-####
After reading your update something else comes to mind, it seems your cat is very skidish so things that go bump in the night might be an issue so a dark garage might be a very scarey space. If you can't move him and his cat box to perhaps a bathroom at night where he can have his own bed, you might want to consider getting a dog cage big enough to put his box in with a bed and some food and water, that you could put him in at night in the garage and cover so that he feels protected. I take it you have had him since he was a kitten, if he is 6 now and this is has just recently started then something happened that triggered it, the thing that comes to mind first is that perhaps the other kitties aren't playing so nice at night, where do the other cats sleep? Have you noticed a change in their behavior towards him? Did you get them all at the same time? Are all the cats altered?
I can think of several reasons your cat may be doing this:
1) There isn't enough litter in the box to his liking, if he likes to cover his business and there isn't enough litter to do the job.
2) The box isn't clean enough, some cats are much pickier about how clean they like their boxes and when they get too dirty will stop using them.
3) He doesn't like the type of litter you are using. If this has started recently and he was doing fine before have you changed litter? brands?type?
4) You say he's shy..Perhaps he needs more privacy to take care of his business, and yes even away from the other cats.
5) Is he neutered? Male cats of age tend to be buttheads about things out of the blue sometimes.
6) What type of cat box do you have? open or closed with a lid, perhaps he doesn't like that type. I got the great idea to get a new cat box one time with a pretty lid and thought it was plenty roomy, well my cat was of a different opinion and was sure to let me know he didn't appreciate the new digs..lol
7) If all else fails make him sleep in the garage for awhile if he's young this could just be a stage that will work itself out. If he's older there could be a medical issue you need to check for. Course if he's going poop in it during the day and just not at night then I would just let him sleep in there for awhile. Clean the area good because they are like dogs and will seek out places where others have been so to speak.
8) Watch him with the other cats perhaps there is something going on with the 3 of them that you don't see that could be causing him not to want to go out there at night.
Hope something here helps!
I have the same issues only worse! I have two cats about 12 years old. They stated poopin in our front living room and their litter box is in the back spare room. Even worse they now urinate in that room ruining our carpet/whole house smells now. I cant bear the thought of putting them down so were just dealing with it. I got our carpets cleaned then put a litter box in the room this is happening to and they now use the litter box instead of the floor. Every now and again they will go on the floor but is much better than before. If you talk to anyone out there who has a solution, please share! I feel your pain, it is the most frustrating thing to go through because it seems the only option is to put them down..cant do that! Good luck, and please share any news that may come their way.,
Becky
Very happy mom of a wonderful 6 year old boy! Married to a great guy of 11 years!
This is a common problem and can be easily solved. Always keep a small piece of her/his stool in the box - this will help attract her inside. Also, cover the floor with plastic so it comes out about 2 feet from the front of the box. Tape this to the floor. Tape newspaper to top of plastic. This should solve your problem.
E. M
Dallas, TX
We also had a cat with anxiety issues and used the pheremone spray...it did help. Good luck with your kitty; they can be finicky, I know! Putting him in the garage overnight might help too...
First - you don't put an animal to sleep because it won't use the litter box. That's just cruel! Our cat started doing the same thing when we bought her a new litter box. We switched back to the old one and she stopped immediatly. Cats do not like change, so think about what could have changed recently to make him start acting out. Could it be the stress of having the new baby? If it continues then look at taking him to a non-killing shelter or giving him to a family that does not have any children.
1. He needs to go to the vet to rule out a medical issue.
2. There should be 1 cat box for every cat PLUS an additional box. 3 cats need 4 boxes.
3. Try moving the cat boxes, or at least one, to the are he has been pooping in. He is telling you he doesn't like something about that box, tat area, etc... so listen to him.
4. Read and follow the tips on these links to retrain your kitties. Use anti anxiety medication (Amtriptyline) if need be. This is not an insurmountable problem, but it requires some effort on your part- so do the right thing.
http://www.allpetsvh.com/article_PDF/feline_inappropriate...;
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_house_soiling...
Is this cat really old? Our old fat cat (age 15) does this occasionally; she'll go right beside it instead of in the box which seems ridiculous. I don't think he should be scared of a dark garage b'c cats are nocturnal creatures and can see really well in the dark. Everytime I threaten to put her down, she bounces right back and acts like a kitten again. It's so bizarre!
Have you tried cleaning the spot he likes with a pet enzymed cleaner? I'm not sure if cats do this but dogs will go potty in the same spot over and over if it's not cleaned with some sort of pet cleaner which masks the scent. We've really liked arm/hammer pet stain cleaner which we can only find in pet stores. Also, my cat sleeps all day and does her business at night.
I'll be interested to see your other responses since our old fat cat does this occasionally.
