Pees in box, poops on carpet

Rescued a lovely 8 month old male. Does great urinating in litter box, continues to poop on carpet. I use cleaners to absorb smell to decrease association. He still poops on carpet but in different places. What to do?

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My Thoughts:

As usual, a call to the vet is the first step. He may be constipated, have impacted anal glands, or some other medical condition.

If he checks out medically, then he may just need 2 litter boxes. Some cats are not happy urinating and defecating in the same box.

He may not like the type of litter. Generally, most cats have a preference for a soft, sandy textured material. If the litter is not of a fine enough texture, this may be the issue.

He may not like the amount of litter in the box. If the level of litter is too low or too high, some cats will avoid the box. Most experts recommend 2 to 3 inches of litter.

He may not like the surface that the box is placed on. If it's on a soft surface, try placing it on a hard surface, and vice versa.

If it's a hooded box, he may be OK with it for urinating, but not defecating. Covered litter boxes tend to trap smells, and this may turn your cat off to using the box. Some cats, however, seem to like the privacy.

If that's not it, then he may have developed a preference for defecating on soft texture (carpet) at some point. Try isolation retraining in a room that doesn't have carpet.

There's a description of isolation retraining here.

I hope that helps.

-Kurt