Cat pooping in the house.

Dr. Marie replied:

Ah, this is a frustrating problem! Hopefully I can give you a few tips that may be able to help.

We often don't know why a cat will suddenly decide to poop outside of the box. There are a few possible reasons.

The first thing we look for are medical reasons. It sounds like you have had your vet do a good exam and blood tests. You may want to ask them if they think there is any possibility of something called lumbosacral syndrome. This is a condition where cats get some arthritis at the base of the spine. It can cause pain when they defecate.

As a result, some cats hold on to their poop for too long and then eventually go in the house somewhere. Or, some cats will make a mental connection that it hurt the last time they pooped in the litter box so they don't want to poop in the box again.

If your vet feels that this is not a medical problem then it may be behavioral. So, here are a few things that I suggest:

• Get rid of your litter box and replace it with at least 2 new ones. Even though you likely clean it regularly, the plastic can retain odors that our noses can't pick up.


• If you have more than one cat then you need to have at least one more litter box than the number of cats you have.


• Have a few different kinds of boxes - for example, one with a tall wall and one with a very short wall.


• You can experiment with different types of cat litter.


• If there is a specific area that she is using to defecate in, if possible restrict her access to this area.


• You can try putting pee pads down in several areas. Many times a cat will defecate on one of these. If so, then you can move the pad a little bit closer to the litter box area each day until eventually it is into the box. This may retrain her to use the box.


• Or, another thing you could do is to put a litter box in the room where she is pooping. Then, gradually move this box a few inches each day towards the appropriate spot.


• You may want to look into a product called Feliway which is a plug in diffuser that releases something called pheromones. Pheromones are chemicals that help cats to feel good. They relieve stress in cats. They often work well for cats who have inappropriate behavior like this.


• If none of these things are working you may want to ask your vet about using a medication called amitryptilline. This medication helps with anxiety in cats. Even though she may not seem anxious, many cats will have subtle anxiety and the only way they show us is by defecating where they shouldn't.

I hope these tips help!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

You're very welcome! Hope all goes well!