Bathroom Behavior Problems with cat?

Question

I have a 3 1/2 year old ragdoll female cat, that within the past few months has decided to start defecating on the carpet in the hallway outside of the bathroom that we keep the litter box. She still urinates in the box (have seen her use it) and the only way we can get her to defecate in the box is if my hubby physically puts her in there and stands there while she does it, other than that she will do it in the hallway. She has nothing physically wrong with her, no illness. We have cleaned the carpet with a steam vac with special cleaners that are suppose to get rid of "the scent" thinking this is why she kept doing it.. We clean the litter box every other day and have even tried different litter and a new litter box and nothing seems to be working. Does anyone have any other suggestions on how to get her to stop?? We have a daughter on the way in about a month and would hate to get rid of her over this because she is a great cat otherwise. Someone please help!

Answer 1

Hi there...if this is something that recently developed, 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
- kittens who are over 5-7 months can become sexually mature and urine spray as well as defecate inappropriately to mark territory.

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

My cat did this awhile ago too. It could be a few things: the litter box is too small, or not cleaned enough. She also could be experiencing stress. My cat did this when my hours at work increased and I went from living with 2 other people to living alone. She just needed more attention. I would make sure to give her lots of love and play with her enough. It could be just she senses things are changing with the baby and everything. The other thing to help with her deification, What I would do is put her stool in the box after she went on the carpet and show her where the box is afterwards. Don't put her nose in her stool though, it doesn't seem to help. If that doesn't help maybe talk to the vet about some behavioral stress relievers (anti-depressants) I've never had to go that far but it might be something to consider.

Answer 3

U don't need to buy a cat training guide with so much info on the web..... it's either a territory thing or he has medical issues or mental issues. If he's always done this, maybe he wasn't trained properly.... I do know that cats will not go to the bathroom any where near where they eat. change the place of the litter box and put the food dish there. Be prepared tho, he may pee in a new "wrong spot", but the change maybe a new good start. spray a mild perfume or air freshner in the area where he pees, that might deter him from peeing there. if all else fails, he is better off as an outdoor cat!

Answer 4

First of all the litter box should be cleaned everyday.
Some cats will not defecate in a dirty box.
Our litter boxes are cleaned three times a day, because our cats will just sit beside them and scream of there is any poop in them.

Have you taken her to a Vet recently?
You may think she's health, but cats will hide their illnesses from us.
It's just part of their nature it comes from when they were in the wild...if they didn't hide the fact that they were sick, they became prey for bigger and stronger animals.
My Vet told me that even a dying cat will purr to cover the fact that it's sick and to comfort itself.

So my suggestion would be to clean the litter box more often and if that doesn't help the cat should be seen by a Vet, any change in behavior should always been looked into by a Vet.

Hope that helps.
Congrats on the new baby.

Answer 5

I think your cat is pooping in inappropriate places becuase she is stressed. You just gave a clue: you are expecting a baby in a month's time. Your cat KNOWS this - she can sense it and the new situation is stressing her. Most cats get very stressed in new situations, new additions, new environment, etc and cope with it in various ways. Some cats do urine marking, others leave fecal matter outside the litterbox. Unlike us, cats do not necessarioy find the odor of their poop offensive - some cats are actually comforted by the scent of their own body eliminations. If your cat's behavior is truly due to emotional factors like stress, then there is a good likelihood that you can address this with "feel good" pheromone scents. The use of a pheromonal spray containing facial pheromones in an alcohol base (Feliway®) can help deter some cats from urinating or defacating in particular locations. The active ingredient in Feliway is oleic acid. It is thought that this delivers a message of "peace and love" rather than the angry “keep away” message. There are also various fower essences sold in pet stores that are supposed to help calm stressed out cats. Why don't you give these products a try?

Answer 6

I would try putting the litter box in another place in the house, perhaps to her this bathroom has become a "too social" of a place for her to use the box (some cats like a lot of privacy). Also I would put any of her "accidents" into the litter box to encourage her to use the box. Hope you can solve the problem, good luck with the kitty and the baby!

Answer 7

Move the litter box to a new location

Answer 8

Try moving the litterbox to another location. She may not like the "human" smells in your bathroom.

Answer 9

Talk to your vet. They can help you. Don't give up on the little darlin'--she'll learn, if you'll help her.