A great cat except for this...

by Jennn
(Missouri)

Our 5 year old cat has been pooping outside his litterbox for two years now. He'll stop for a while before going right back to it. Usually it's in the same room as his litter box (kitchen), but in different areas (by fridge, by litter box, by door, by hallway). He's done it in front of me before and scratched next to it like he was in his litter box.

He used to do this at our old place, too. In the same room, as well. When we moved he stopped for a month, then started right back up. It's nearly every day. And for a month (back in Sept, I think), he suddenly started doing it in other rooms, too (like the living room, the couch, the bathroom, once in our bed). And then it was back in the kitchen.

I am working full-time and part-time, and my husband going to full time school, so I could see how it might be an attention issue...but he was doing this when I used to be home all day four days a week! So, it leads me to believe that it's not a time issue (I also play with him when I get home from work and sometimes before).

We have tried many suggestions by vets and friends: rubbing his nose in it, leaving him in the bathroom for a week (with food, water, and litter), getting two litter pans, changing the litter, getting a new litter with a hood, changing where the litter is, etc. He will stop for about a week before doing the same thing.

The vet has no more suggestions and we're out of ideas and running out of patience.

One last note: he doesn't like clean litter or really messy litter (that's understandable). But we will put in a fresh bag or even just fresh litter and it'll take him some time to actually use it for his poop. We're stumped. Could you help us?

Answer by Kate
Yikes this is a problem and you seem to have followed all the advice out there too.

My only suggestion is keep going through the confinement process with him over and ovber again, I don't know if you have tried the cat attract litter (https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-litter.html ) which is supposed to as it says on the tin, attract them to it.

There must be something that is disturbing him in some way as this sort of behaviour is nearly always associated with some form of upset. See my web page https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-poo.html )

I really don't know what else to suggest.

best wishes Kate

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