We recently moved and now our cat has taken to defecating outside of his box.?

Question

He always goes in the same spot and does not urinate - only number 2. Can anyone help shed light on why he has now begun doing this?? Thanking you in advance!

Answer 1

He is angry.

It was supposed to be his decision to move but instead his staff forced him so he is revolting.

Answer 2

Hears the deal. Cats do not use #2 to mark or show unhappiness, they use #1 sprinkled with a little something extra. A cat's instincts cause them to conceal #2 to protect themselves from being tracked as prey while marking with #1 to demonstrate territory and heat cycles.

Have you changed the litter? Have you changed the box? When was the last time the box was disinfected? How frequently is the box changed/cleaned-same as before? Does the cat have enough privacy to go without people around to make him nervous? The cat is probably nervous and unhappy about the placement of the box. If all things have truly remained the same, you may need to take him to a vet. If the cat is struggling to go #2, he might be changing his position to try to work it. Someone else suggested the possibility of urinary tract problems, it could be stones, or something of the like.

Answer 3

He's stressed and he may be trying to mark his new territory. You should go to the pet store and get: 1. A big bottle of this anti-smell stuff called Nature's Miracle; it is great for getting bad pet smells out of the floor (which will discourage the cat from continuing to go there), and 2. There is this THING that plugs into the wall -- it's like a plug-in deoderizer, but humans cannot smell it -- It diffuses an odor that only cats can smell, and it calms the cat down. I have no idea what it is called but they sell it at places like Petsmart. My sister has a cat who is constantly getting stressed and this thing works for her cranky kitty and reduces the misbehavior. I think it's called a pheromone diffuser.

Answer 4

My cat did this when I moved out of my parents house. (He now lives with me.) It was always in what was my bathroom and my bedroom. The same place in both rooms. My mom got frustrated and called the vet. He asked her if there had been any major change recently that might affect the cat. She told him about my moving out. The vet told her that my cat was doing it to show that he was upset about the recent change, and it was teh cats way of letting her know about it. The vet said some cats will spray and a small percentage will poop instead.

Your cat obviously knows you moved and this is his way of telling you "I'm not happy about it." I read that the best thing to do is, if you catch them doing it, to make a loud noise to get them to stop, then putting them in the kitty litter. If you don't catch them in the act, clean it up and then put something in that spot that cats don't like (spray it with citrus, cover it with something sticky, etc.)

Good luck!

Answer 5

Sounds like you have a minor rebellion on your hands... hee hee hee. Cat will eventually get over it. Seriously, the cat may be sensing the presence of another animal nearby and is leaving his poop as his own adertisement of HIS presence. If you can, take him outside wearing halter and leash and allow him to mark his new territory... this will help restore balance in the cat's psyche becuase he knows that he has marked his territory. Dominant cats especially need to do this - like my own 8 yr old male. If I don't let him out to mark his territory now and again, he'll spray indoors or leave poop outside the box. But once he has sprayed a few plants and trees and fence palings outside... he's happy as a clam in water.

Answer 6

Maybe he is confused about what the new rules are in the new environment.

When I had trouble with the pee/poop thing, I added another litter box. It turns out that one of my cats (I have 3) would only pee in one and poop in the other. I'm sure if this cat was human he'd be one of those people who can't stand the thought of their food groups touching on the plate--you know the kind. Picky, picky!

Anyway, try adding a 2nd litter box.

Answer 7

kitties do not like change. you need to give kitty specal love and attention for a little while--also get natures miracle at your pet supply store......treart the areas with natures miracle, clean the areas well, then reapply natures miracle.. he will not be able to find his spots anymore. when you see him start to squat, pick him up and place him into the litter pan and praise him for doing his business in the pan instead of the floor.
is he neutered??
give him reassurance that you still love him and make sure he is not ill or in need of seeing the vet---he sees you messing with boxes and stuff and he is worried you might leave him somewhere--he is confused and needs more assurance you still consider him part of the family. the house smells funny to him because you have not lived thwere long enough for it to smell like home.
good luck with kitty--it usually takes 2 weeks for kitty to get used to a new place to live......

Answer 8

You poor thing.... I feel sorry for you. nothing smells worse than cat poop. I think he would be doing this because he is not used to his new surroundings or something. Make sure he know where his new box is located. Put something there that he likes and maybe he will go to it. I dont know maybe you could try feeding him beside of his box.

Answer 9

He is upset about the move. There are sprays you can buy, that you should spray wherever he has gone outside of the litterbox. Next, you should spray every area that would be appealing to him besides the box, and he should go back to using it. If this persists, contact your vet.

Answer 10

Your cat may have a UTI. Take him to the vet to get checked out.