Why does my cat poop in the bathroom sink and not the litterbox?

Question

I have a female cat that is 5 years old and recently she poops in my bathroom sink. She is litterbox trained and I have had no previous potty issues with her before. The litterbox is also cleaned quite often. She does share it with a male cat, however; but am not sure if that is the problem or not. Is it common for a cat to look for another place to do their business? Any advice would be super, thanks!

Answer 1

try getting another litter box and putting it in a different area or in the room where the sink is. i have a cat that does this sometimes and i also catch her peeing down the drain hole in the sink.

Answer 2

It's quite possible your cat is already acustomed to taking a dump at your sink. If you wish the cat to stop doing so, then not only should the cat be litterbox trained, but also barred from the sink. This will force the cat to use the litterbox instead. Keep this up for several weeks until the cat is fully acustomed to the litterbox.

Answer 3

One of our cats got locked out of the bathroom once and chose to go in the sink that he could get to... Doesn't sound like that is your probelm...

Once we got our female cat she was really mad about having to share a litter box at first.. But then got used to it. I buy Arm & Hammer Multi Cat and it seems to work well. She will get upset every once in a while and poop on the stairs of the litter box, or right outside... I don't know the reason... I just make sure to refresh the litter box with fresh litter, or strip the litter out, sanitize it and put completely fresh litter in. Then we usually are back in business. Not very helpful advice, but I guess I figured it may help a bit.

Answer 4

Cats sometimes stop using the litter box if they've had a bad experience with it. That could be having something fall on them or another cat attacking them.
Did you change the type of litter recently? Maybe she liked the old kind better.
I'd say keep the bathroom door shut but provide a new litter box close by that the other cat isn't sharing. See if that improves things.

Answer 5

Have her checked by a vet to be sure there is no medical reason for the inappropriate elimination. However, rule of thumb for cat litterboxes is AT LEAST one more box than you have cats so in your case 3. Sometimes cats can have a behavioural issue which is more related to pooping inappropriately than it is to urinating out of the box.

Answer 6

you can either get a second litter box to solve the problem and put it somewhere else in the house (cat's like their privacy too...). The general rule is 1 box per cat. My male was a brat up until recently, he didn't like to go where his sister goes...

You may want to take her to the vet to see if she may have a major underlying problem (as pooping outside the litter box may be a cause for concern).

is she spayed? if not, do you live in an apt complex? (why am i asking you questions that you can't possibly answer?)

I ask because, if you live in an apt and you're neighbor has a cat or dog, she may be able to "sniff" it out through the plugs (outlets) in the wall and is "marking her territory."

I would just see if a second litter box helps, first, then take her to the vet if that doesn't solve the problem.

Answer 7

some cats do exactly not want to percentage a muddle container. Rule of thumb is multple cats = diverse muddle bins a minimal of two for the 4 cats inspite of the actuality that some would say each and each and every must have a container. on account that cats do compared to strong body spray-like scents the "sparkling" smelling type muddle would make you satisfied, even if it probably isn't extreme on kitty's favorites record. If that is the area, attempt some undemanding unscented muddle. surely, perhaps some extreme scented air freshner sprayed interior the sink would help him choose to bypass his employer to a extra proper area.

Answer 8

Inappropriate elimination (urinating or defecating outside of the litter box, and/or spraying) is the most common behavior problem of older cats. There are numerous causes for this behavior, many of them medical, so a cat who has inappropriate elimination should be examined by a veterinarian. Laboratory tests will need to be performed in most cases.

Answer 9

cats are very picky about the litterbox....it could be in a location that she doesn't like, or it could be sharing with the male in which case the arm & hammer litter deodorizer will help with the smell, or it could even be the litter you use...cats like a fine grain litter as the pads on their paws are extremely sensitive and they do not like to walk on the bigger courser litter....i have 6 cats and they all share the box with no problems after i found THE EXACT place that they wanted it....good luck!

Answer 10

The male is probably leaving some sort of scent that she does not like. Try separate boxes or a mulit-cat type of clumping flush able litter and keep it cleaned daily.