Why does my cat poop on the carpeting sometimes?

Question

I adopted a six year old male cat last December. For 6 months he was perfect, urinated and pooped in the cat box. Then after six months he began to poop on the carpeting in the living room. I don't understand what happened. I clean his box every day. I don't have any other pet in the house so he can't be jealous. I have two cat boxes in the house for him. One in the utility room, the other is on carpeting outside the bathroom in the hallway. It's the one in the utility room that he uses to urinate all the time. He sometime uses the one outside the bathroom to poop, and sometimes he uses the one in the utility room to poop, but most of the time he poops in the living room, not always in the same spot. Does anyone have any ideas that can help me?

We're talking about a cat that was declawed when I adopted him, and isn't a outdoor cat. The cat is not dumb, he's a very intelligent cat, he just has issued that I'm trying to figure out. The box is not dirty, as I said I clean his box every day and wash it out regularly.

Answer 1

Hi there... first consider all the possibilities such as:
- changes with litter brands
- location of the litter box isn't private enough
- some cats like to have one box to defecate and another to urinate
- cleanliness (some cats are very finicky and prefer a super clean box)

If all these have been ruled out, there's a chance that your cat may have developed another underlying medical problem which can contribute to accidents outside of the box. Cats will associate pain while using box and change their habits as a result.

Here's an article about why cats inappropriately soil outside their litter box by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/Housesoiling.html

House soiling is the most common behavior problem reported by cat owners. It includes urination and/or defecation outside the litter box, as well as urine spraying.

Why do cats eliminate outside of the litter box?
One common misconception is that cats soil in inappropriate places for revenge. It is tempting to conclude, "He defecated on the living room carpet to punish me for leaving him for the weekend." But this kind of calculation requires sophisticated cognitive abilities that cats aren't believed to possess. Furthermore, this conclusion assumes that cats view their urine and feces as distasteful, when in fact they do not. It is only we humans who view it that way.

Medical Problems
So why do cats urinate or defecate on your bed or carpet? Medical problems are one possibility. Inflammation of the urinary tract may cause painful or frequent urination, inability to urinate, bloody urine, and crying during urination. An affected cat is likely to eliminate outside the litter box if he comes to associate the box with painful urination, or if he has an increased urgency to urinate. In addition, kidney, liver, and thyroid diseases often lead to increased drinking and urination. Inflammation of the colon or rectum, intestinal tract tumors, intestinal parasites, and other gastrointestinal conditions may cause painful defecation, increased frequency or urgency to defecate, and decreased control of defecation. Age-related diseases that interfere with a cat's mobility (for example, arthritis, nervous system disorders, or muscular diseases), or with his cognitive functions can also influence his ability to get to the litter box in time. In short, any medical condition that interferes with a cat's normal elimination behavior can lead to house soiling.

Litter Box Aversions
Behavioral problems, such as litter box aversions, inappropriate site preferences, or urine spraying can also lead to house soiling. An aversion implies that there is something about the litter box that your cat finds unsavory. It could be the box, the litter, the location of the box, or all three.

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Answer 2

He is probably not that trained. You should train him, by taking him to a cat school. If they have one for dogs, than there should be one for cats. Or there might not be enough litter boxes in the house. Buy some a Pet Co.

Answer 3

If you are using a litter box, you need to make sure that it is clean, cats will not go around it if it is dirty and will find another place to do their business, so please make sure to keep his box clean....Make sure that each cat knows to use their own box as cats are not happy with sharing boxes.

If he is trained to go out then you do need to give him excess 24/7 and a kitty door is the best way to do that... hope this helps..M

Answer 4

Your cat probably poops because it's litterbox isn't clean enough. Try spraying some air fresheners for his box and when it poops be sure to punish it so it no no to poop again

Answer 5

Beacuse cats are dumb

Answer 6

Teach your cat not to poop on the carpet!!!!

Answer 7

well did you train him when he first get to your home
put him out sometime that can help
but cat are so unpredictable
there is not straight answer to that

Answer 8

because he has to go really bad get a cat door

Answer 9

have no isea