My cat alwasy pood on the carpet and then hide for a day. What can I do for this?

Question

My cat Mimi is two years old now. She arrived to my home when she was 6 months. She was toilet trained and pretty good in the past. We give her downstairs for her room.

Just a few months ago, I moved my office downstairs, she started to pood on the carpet. Once she pooded, she knows I will be mad about this. She hide somewhere for a day without eating and drinking. After a while, she thought I might be forgetting it. She meow to me to ask for food again.

After our Christmas holiday absence, she pee on my daughter's loftbed and the next day she poo on my son's bed. Now she's kind of urgly cat ever to do as many bad things as possible and hide herself under a sink for a day, where we couldn't reach her.

The made me so mad every time. My husband alwasy asks me to give her away asap. She has a very nice litterbox with lid. I bought her warm bed and cat condo. She's no longer cute as before. I have no idea what to do about her. Please help me to turn Mimi back to be the nice cat.

Answer 1

Hi there...please 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)
- as a general rule there should be one litter box for each cat plus one extra as a back up
- unspayed/un-neutered if cat is over the age of 5-7 months. Cats will become aggressive as they sexually mature and territorially mark with either urine or defecating.
-senior cats over the age of 10 develop age-related disorders/diseases such as chronic renal failure (CRF), hyperthyroidism, diabetes, etc.

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.

...please consider visiting the website for further details

Answer 2

If you've been keeping the litter box very clean and the cat is still not using it, I suggest taking the cat to your veterinary for a check-up and tell him of the behavior. Is you cat un-altered? Pets that are spayed or neutered are healthier and happier and will not have the 'bad' behaviors associated with heat/mating, such as spraying or marking.
I really feel if your cat's littler box is kept very clean and is in a quite & private area and is still having problems there could be a problem with it's health. I had a cat once that did similar behavior with a daily cleaned litter box and I found out later that it was suffering from tape worm.
Since, cats cannot speak to you literally they have to find another way to communicate a problem. See a vet.

Answer 3

Cats! They are sometimes more difficult to train than dogs because they like to test your patience like a young child! I have a cat too- at least he's well litter trained but sometimes he likes to get into cupboards and closets where he can be exposed to detergents, toxins, and other bad things. I'm currently trying to teach my cat not to go into these places by using air spray deodorants that I spray into the air while yelling "no"! He's still trying to test me but I think he's starting to get the picture- closet and cupboard=nasty sound of aerosol spray and an angry look on my face! Hopefully this helps you and myself too! Cats require more patience and time than dogs.

Answer 4

Go to www.poop-off.com and read about cats in the FAQ's area. Buy Dumb Cat and spray the stuff where the cat pee'd. Take the cat to the vet.