My cat poops everywhere but the litter box

by Andrea
(Bolivia)

I adopted my cat when she was 3 months old. I actually rescued her.


At the beginning she did not pee or poop in her box and did not poop for a very long time. I took her to the vet and they said she was constipated and gave me laxatives which worked.

Although she started pooping since I have had her, for the last 4 months she only pees in the box, never poops.

I have tried everything... new box, bigger box, different litter, big/small, mixed dirt with the litter to make it softer, but she has taken a love for my bed and that is killing me.

She is also going to new places in the house to poop but never her box. I have washed everything with vinegar, put lavender to repel her, used a scent to make her box more attractive, but nothing.

I put her food in my bed, someone told me that cats don't poop where they eat but she did, and is starting to poop again despite the lavender, so please help.

I have taken her to the vet and fixed every problem they thought was the cause, and nothing.

My thoughts: Assuming she has no health problems, it may be effective to put her in a situation where she has fewer options.

If she were my cat, and I had tried many other methods, I'd think about confinement retraining. Also called isolation retraining, I've written about this many times as a solution for extreme cases.

In shelters, they often place cats in large cages, along with a litter box and water and food. In that situation, the cat has very little choice but to use the box.

If a cage seems too extreme, you could try confining her to a single room instead.

Once she's on track with her box habits, she can be allowed the freedom to explore the rest of the house.

You could also try Cat Attract in the litter and a Feliway plugin diffuser.

I hope that helps. Please let us know how it goes.
-Kurt

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Apr 06, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		I think this might work for your problem
by: Anonymous

Purchase a medium size metal training kennel used for dogs - I believe Wal Mart will sell this cheapest. Put it together. Cut up the bed blanket that kitty has already been going pee/poop on. Put pieces of the blanket with kitty's scent already on it into the training kennel. Put a small litterbox in kennel. Put another small piece of that same blanket inside on bottom of the litterbox then cover it with small layer of litter. Keep kitty in there to train until cat goes in litterbox. Praise and pet kitty each time cat uses it. If you want to create more space-go to Lowe's Hardware store. Purchase one long 1 X 1/2 inch thick board, have man cut it into measured lengths to use zip ties and make a top loft area in top back part of the kennel. Whenever cat poops outside of litterbox, put the poop back inside of the litterbox so cat will figure out that is where you want it going potty. You may want to try using all dirt if none of these first tips work.
Mar 28, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Kitty diapers?
by: Kurt (Admin)

If she's got a medical problem that won't allow her to get to the box when needed, it's hard to believe that using the box is in her future.

Maybe a solution where she doesn't have to climb into the box would work, but you'd have to experiment with that and figure out how to make that happen.

I'd consider getting a second opinion from another vet, perhaps a specialist. Maybe there's a medical solution for this.

I'd also press the vet for options on how to handle this in the meantime, and perhaps consult with a cat behaviorist or an expert who has dealt with cats with this kind of problem.

Another thing I'd consider is diapers.

I don't have any direct experience with this, and you'll probably want to consult your vet for advice and what to expect, but some cats wear pet diapers.

In the case of cats who can't control their bowels, however, you'll need to be vigilant and change the diaper soon after she defecates. Otherwise, the stool will irritate the skin and you'll create another problem for her.

I hope that helps.
Mar 28, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Tried and failed
by: Anonymous

Well I have tried the isolation oart but it dosent work she poops in the floor and not her box I went to the vet, he says he buthole is too small and there is nothing to do, so well that is sad, but now I can't put her in any room aside from mine because my mom is using that room for guests and well poop is not too apealing, and back in my room she is again pooping in my bed, unfortunatly I have no acces for feliaway, so do yoy have any other Ideas for a derrent for the cat so she will stop pooping in my bed, please!! Amy DIY stuf, I've used lavander for a while, it did work but know she is doing it dispight the lavander oil all over the bed. It's hard not to get discouraged.
Mar 25, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Been there
by: Anonymous

Kurt's suggestions are great. I have a 3 year old who had severe ringworm when I got him at age 6 months. It severely affected his paws and took months to eradicate. Since then he has a litter box aversion because he thinks that the litter will hurt his paws. He prefers to poop on smooth surfaces - tile, porcelain, fiberglass shower stall and leather furniture.
Cat Attract litter has helped tremendously along with plastic litter box liners. He was also on "kitty Zoloft" for a while to try and correct his thinking. I'm not a fan of drugging my cats !
We saw a feline behaviorist at Ohio State whom I highly recommend.

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