My cat poops on clothes , rugs,etc..

by Kathy
(Indiana)


My 12 year old cat has been pooping on any type of clothing, rug, comforter, sheets and sometimes just on the floor. He will find the one item on the floor and poop right on it.


It does not matter if the item(s)are in the bathroom, laundry room, bedroom floors, kitchen rug! And Yes, he uses his litter box frequently - multiple times daily and well as the floor/item(s) multiple times daily.

This cat never did this in the past until about a year ago with infrequent episodes to now an everyday occurrence.

I've read many articles and nothing has helped - nothing with quite this same issue. No new animals we have only the one cat (very spoiled and loved) and one dog (whom we have had for years, he's about 5 - so no puppy).

The dog does not get into his litter box (We are very thankful for this). We only changed his brand of litter to see if he would use only it and not my belongings - did not work - he does like his newest litter (pellets)

Here is an overview:

-no changes in food, house, playmates, or number of people in house.

-litter box is big enough, cleaned well, very accessible, no one to bother him while using box.

-usually does make his messes when we are not home or in a different room. He has been caught causing a mess after just using the litter box, or even with nothing in his box (literally no rhyme or reason - that we can find).

Please help - our clothes and washing machine are being destroyed.

klm






My Thoughts:

Wow, thanks for the detail! He's very handsome! And a big cat too.

I'm sorry to hear you're having problems with him.
From all the information you give (and it's a lot of stuff -- thank you), it sounds like it's either physical (impacted anal glands perhaps, or constipation), or an emotional issue.

If it were just on soft items, I'd say he has developed a preference for texture. If he only poops on clothes and soft (carpeted?) floor, for example, he may be partial to soft textured items. If the floor is also wood, linoleum, or tile, however, then he wouldn't be considered texture-bound.

Also, he's both using the litter box and pooping elsewhere. So either he's got intermittent physical issues, or it's an emotional one. If he's going in multiple locations, however, then he's not location-bound.

Soooo, it's a bit puzzling. I'm wondering what isolation retraining would do for him. In extreme cases, that's sometimes all you can do (after the physical causes are ruled out).

I'm also wondering if there isn't some underlying physical cause. If he's pooping several times a day, both in and out of the box, it may very well be physical.

These problems are sometimes hard to track down, and your vet has to be persistent in finding the root cause. If your cat has an actual physical bowel issue, then not much will work until that is taken care of.

In response to another problem, I mentioned an article on how difficult treating constipation can be.

I would highly recommend that you cover the options from the physical side of things with your vet, and then go from there. Some people have told me that their vet is no help in these cases. As hard as it might be, you have to try a new vet if that's the case.

Good luck with him and let us know how he's doing,
-Kurt

Comments for My cat poops on clothes , rugs,etc..

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May 13, 2024
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Cat poo
by: Anonym

I have one cat that does that when the litter box is dirty. Cats are very clean animals and their coats always smell fresh. lol.

It can also happen when they have a bit of shit left stuck to their bum and didn't drop into the box so it will eventually drop somewhere when they leave the box. This tends to happen with obese cats.

Has anyone salvaged their pooh-ed on stuff? Throw it away?

My cat once pooed directly into his feeding bowl. I couldn't stand the thought of reusing it-even to disinfect it, so I threw it out. lol

Dec 19, 2021
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Phil, try confining your cat to a room.
by: Jim W.

If you confine your cat to a room with a litter box, litter with some Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract, toys, food, and water, you may be able to retrain him or her in a few days. Be sure to remove any of the problem items that have that texture.

Dec 15, 2021
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Texture Bound
by: Phil

I feel like my own cat, having these issues, is also texture bound to the linens, clothes, towels and curtains. What steps to correct this? Please and thank you!

Sep 25, 2021
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Cat pooping on clothes/rugs
by: Al

I have had this happen with two cats in the past. In both cases, the cat was found to be diabetic. I surmised because this can affect the feet in humans, that the cats couldn't tolerate the litter on their paws. This was only a guess, however. Switched to puppy pads in box and this worked out for the cats and me.
Worth a try. Good luck.

May 24, 2019
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My cat poops too; EXACT same issue
by: Anonymous

Hi - have you found a cure? My cat is 7yrs old, and does exactly same thing. And, like you, nothing has changed. Plenty of litter boxes that he uses and it's cleaned daily, no physical problems(went to vet), does it every few weeks...poops right on top of pile of clothes...i really don't know what to do...when i'm not home he's locked in my room but i'm not sure when he even does it!!! HELP

Mar 03, 2019
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Was this resolved?
by: Anonymous

My cat is almost a year old and continues to poo and pee in my clothes. Only my room and my clothes are affected and he also uses the litter box frequently. I normally have to put a gate up to keep him out because it's like his favorite thing to do when I'm not watching. I kinda think it's a texture thing because he also masturbates on soft blankets. He's also neutered and not around other cats.

Sep 18, 2018
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poops on clothing
by: Anonymous

Ok cat is only 7 months old, but he is developing the personality. He wants everything his way, he does not allow you to pet him unless he wants to. He is now not going in litter box like he always used to. It is like he is defying me. Well, because of this bad behavior we have him sleeping under the stars until his behavior gets adjusted. Taking him to vet on Saturday as this is not behavior we will tolerate as he is also biting our legs and hands when we just want to pet him. He has issues for some reason.

Jul 14, 2009
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If Your Cat Stops Grooming, It's Time To See The Vet
by: Kurt (Cat Lovers Only Admin)

@Katherine,

To state the obvious:

If your cat is ill and you put her outside, it will only make it more difficult for you to monitor her condition.

Cats that spontaneously stop grooming and/or have dandruff, excessive shedding, or skin problems may be ill. There are systemic diseases that can cause these conditions. This may or may not be related to the inappropriate elimination.

Any major change in personality or physical condition of a cat requires a medical consult, just like you'd take your grandmother to the doctor if she suddenly stopped eating for a week or left the house without her clothes on.

In any case, please call your vet and ask for guidance.

Jul 14, 2009
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Mine Too!
by: Katherine

I have a 3 year old girl cat that has been doing the same thing over the past few weeks. She will poop on my clothes, towels, couch and just on the floor.

Another thing I've noticed is that she has stopped taking care of herself. She doesn't seem to groom herself anymore and she had dandruf and shes shedding everywhere.

She is an indoor cat, but I'm tempted to put her outside, just so I don't have to pick up poop off the floor 3 times a day. And she has never had this problem before. There was only one time before this started that she pooped outside the liter box and she did it in the shower, which was a help for me to pick up.

Jan 05, 2009
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Another possibility?
by: Anonymous

Is it entirely possible that, due to his age, it is just simply a case of senility?

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