Our 2 year old cat started defacating outside the litter box?

Question

We just adopted this cat a few weeks ago and since then he will defacate outside the litter box at times....HELP!!!!

Answer 1

If the litterbox is clean when he does this, try changing the type of litter you use. If this doesn't work, take him to the vet to make sure nothing is wrong with him physically. I had a cat that did this and she had kidney problems. My friend's cat did this and it was just the type of litter she used, once she switched to another one, he stopped. Also, most cats won't use the box if it isn't clean. Hope your cat is ok!

Answer 2

Use unscented litter. That usually does the trick. Tidy cat Has a new brand out that says new tidy lock , on the front left as you are looking at it. It don't have that strong scent, otherwise use some unscented arm and hammer. If that don't work, then there is a medical problem with kitty.
Kitty is associating pain with the litter bbox when kitty goes. It is time to see the vet. One important thing, never punish the cat near the cat box or about the litter box, it will assume the litter box is a bad thing and will go other places in the home, so let kitty know that the litter box is a very good thing. This also could be because it is kinda new to your home. Good Luck to all.

Answer 3

I have an older cat that started to do this. We changed the type of litter used, cleaned the box twice a day and he still would go outside the box at least once a day. We also have another cat and dog and our vet said that if one of the other animals spooked him when he was in the box then he wouldn't feel safe using it in that location any more. We moved the box to another part of the house and this completely solved the problem. Maybe something scared him like other animals or a loud noise in the house that he is now associating with the box. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Make sure you check the litter box for foreign objects. Im sure you have but I wanted to tell you about a story.
My cat started doing this a few years ago the day we had a child's party in the house. For the whole day I would find little puddles and "stool" around the house. I could not figure it out. She had NEVER done this before.
The more I thought, i just figured it was because of all the commotion of the party and all the kids running around.
So everyone left the party and the house was back to normal and I made sure to spend extra time with my kitty to reassure her everything was ok. Then I still found her to be using the bathroom outside of her box. i was so confused. I walked to her litter box to see if she had went in it at all that day and when i looked I seen a big balloon in her litterbox!
One of the kids must have put it in there and my cat just REFUSED to touch it to get it out or go in the box while it was invaded by this object.
After I removed the balloon she never went outside of the box again.

Answer 5

Sometimes my cats will do this even when the box is clean. When that happens, it's usually because they find litter outside the box that they kicked out at some point earlier in the day. Even a very small amount (a teaspoon) will sometimes prompt them to do this. Make sure nothing outside the box smells like a bathroom to the cat.

(also keep the box clean, try different litter, etc.)

Answer 6

Bigger litter box? Box with a cover? I had one that was igloo shape, complete with a few stairs! Change cat litter, some don't like the fine clay, they prefer the chunkier litter. Move litter box to different area, out of the sun.

Answer 7

is he going away from the box or next to the box??
if it's next to the box he may just be missing. some cats get their bottom over the edge and don't realize it.
if it's away from the box try putting the box where he's going to get him back in it. then over a period of time move the box back to it's original place. or lock the cat in the bathroom at night and watch him closely during the day. every time you see him start to scratch around put him in the box.
and once or twice every hour put your cat in the box. don't fuss with him and try to make him stay. just put him in the box and move on with your day.
i hope some of this helps.

Answer 8

Make sure the litter box is clean at all times. Should poop scoop as often as they go. The electronic litter boxes are really good. They do all the dirty work for you. Pricey but worth it! Good Luck!

Answer 9

Yeah what they said but also check that the litter box is not too small as some cats wont use if too small.

Answer 10

at each time the cat starts to defecate,put a litter box next to the cat and tell him to defecate in that box.do this many times, for several days until the cat knows what should it do.so, give it a try. good luck!