My cat keeps pooping out of the box a couple times a day

My cat keeps pooping out of the box a couple times a day... with diarrhea.


I have 2 cats. The cat Oliver I am having trouble with.

They share a cat box. And Oliver will poop outside the box, but then sometimes go in the box. It's a couple of times a day also.

The other problem with the poop is that its very runny. Like diarrhea really bad outside the box.

I was wondering if he is sick or what I should do?

This has been going on for like a couple of months. My husband has said we might have to get rid of him but my daughter is so attached to him.
Just need to know how to help my cat out.

Thanks

Aly





My Thoughts:

This is not normal at all. Anytime prolonged diarrhea is involved, you should visit the vet. If my cat had diarrhea for more than 2 days, I'd be at the vet on the third day.

I mentioned some of the causes of feline diarrhea here.

It could be something he's getting into, like a plant, food, or a household product (which can be poisonous), or it could be a cat food allergy, or it could be something more serious. If he roams outdoors, he may be getting into some poisons.

I would contact the vet right away and have Oliver checked out.

I hope that helps to give you some perspective. Please let us know how things go,

-Kurt

Comments for My cat keeps pooping out of the box a couple times a day

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Jun 15, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I'm Glad OJ is Doing Better
by: Kurt (Cat Lovers Only Admin)

@Mary,

Thanks for updating us. I'm glad to hear that OJ is doing better. I hope it continues.

-Kurt
Jun 06, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Pooping outside the pan is now under control
by: Mary

Our vet decided that since OJ had clean blood and fecal analysis, that he needed a steroid to correct this problem. He is 17 and couldn't quite get his poop in the pan plus it was runny.

This seems to have corrected it. It has only been a week, so we are keeping our fingers crossed.
May 17, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Arthritis and Litter Box Problems
by: Kurt (Cat Lovers Only Admin)

@Mary,

I don't have any experience with Prozac and cats, or the litter box problem due to arthritis. As a cat owner, however, if your vet is recommending drug therapy, then you have a few options.

Option 1. You could try the drug therapy that your vet recommends and see how effective it is. If that doesn't sit well with you, or you try it and find it's not effective, you can try...

Option 2. You could try Feliway which might help. Prozac is an antidepressant drug for humans. Feliway is not a drug, is specifically for cats, and has been known to calm cats, reduce aggressive behavior, and stop litter box problems as well.

If pain is the reason he's not using the box, though, I'm not sure how effective Feliway would be.

Option 3. You could try getting a second opinion, perhaps from a holistic vet who might recommend some other method. There's acupressure and acupuncture for cats, chiropractic for cats, and many non-drug therapies for various conditions.

If his problem is more with the diarrhea causing mishaps than anything else, keeping that in check may be your best option. See this page on diarrhea in cats.

I hope that helps. Please let us know how it goes with him.

-Kurt
May 17, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstar 		My 17 yr. old cat's arthritus causes occasional poop outside pan
by: Mary

He was pooping on the carpet much more than now, but our vet ran a lot of tests and x-rays to discover arthritis in a vertebrae near his tail. A cortisone shot has improved it greatly but not solved the problem completely.

The poop was really runny and stinky, so after a 10 day treatment of Aldon he has relatively normal stool.

He still poops on the carpet occasionally, which drives my husband, the clean freak, crazy. I told him we will just have to clean it up the rest of his life unless we can solve this problem.
Thank heavens he pees in the pan all the time.
The vet said Prozac might be needed to keep him from avoiding the pan when he poops.

What do you think?

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