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Old February 4th, 2013, 11:29 PM
thecatsanova thecatsanova is offline
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Adult cat pooping on the floor!

Background information
26 month old cat named Tiny Kitten (TK)
1 bedroom split level loft
1 litter box scooped daily
good food (i slowly changed her to a Purina indoor health food)
healthy cat (7.5 lbs I think?)
happy cat!

So TK and I live together and I treat her like a princess! When I got her two years ago, I lived with two roommates and one of us was always home. She has grown into a lovely, beautiful cat that loves people. My boyfriend loves my cat because she is 'so awesome and friendly'. She's a very vocal cat and meows if we talk to her, she's so great

I do have a huge problem with TK. She poops on my carpet in another room away from her litter box! This started about 10 months ago I went to petsmart about six months ago and asked the lady there and she helped me pick out a great litter, didn't help. I tried giving her two litter boxes, didn't help.

TK usually poops on the floor the day after I sleep over at my boyfriends house. Her pooping started about the time we started spending the night together. Now, I've been with this guy for nearly a year and just connected that the 'stress' that is causing her to poop on my floor is me not spending the night. Is she such a spoiled cat that my love and affection keeps her in line? I'm kind of getting tired of cleaning up after her. I have some 'Pee B Gone' i spray on the spot and even tried barricading her favorite poop spot... she'll just poop 1 foot away from it.

I'm really tired of this and want my cat to be happy... she deserves that. Any one have suggestions? I bring her over to my boyfriends house on the weekend (she loves his hardwood floors) but I can't bring her over during the work week... it's impossible.
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  #2  
Old February 5th, 2013, 12:42 AM
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growler~GateKeeper growler~GateKeeper is offline
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Is she pooping outside the litter box while you are at work as well or just when gone overnight?

Do you still have the 2nd litterbox? Some cats prefer to pee in one & poop in another, this is a habit that can be picked up at anytime even if they've never done it before. I would allow access to both boxes either in the same room or in different areas. Try to clean the boxes out as often as you can - right after she's gone if possible, with a full litter change & box cleaning at least every 2 weeks. The cleaner the box the more likely she'll use it rather than the carpet.

Clean the carpet area very well with an enzymatic cleaner that doesn't have harsh chemical smells and no ammonia, Nature's Miracle is a good one. You can also make a spray bottle of homemade cleaner = 1 cup of water + 1/4 cup vinegar + 1/4 Isopropyl rubbing alcohol spray the area well, blot dry, re-spray & let dry.

Once the area is clean if you see her heading to that area you can try putting the 2nd box on the spot she's been pooping.

Have you taken in a poop sample in to the vet to check for worms?

Is the consistency of her poop firm & solid but not hard & dry or slimey & squishy?


A few words on the food, honestly that is not a good food, have a look at the ingredients, lots of fillers - corn gluten meal, soybean meal, whole grain corn, brewers rice - what nutritional value is that for a carnivore? Or anyone really? Even we don't digest corn very well.
There is little actual named meat - "animal digest" "animal fat" "poultry by product meal" no one but the rendering plant knows what those actually are - what kind of animal does animal fat come from? Is it beef, chicken, lamb, pork or something else?

Cats should all be eating (ideally raw but not everyone is up for that) canned food not dry food, there is not enough moisture in the dry to keep their kidneys healthy among other organ systems. Cats have a special moisture recycling system within their bodies that is fairly unique (humans, dogs & most other animals don't) so when the main portion of their diet is dry food they are not ingesting or retaining enough water to supplement and refresh their systems. A raw or canned diet is roughly 70-85% moisture whereas a dry food is between 8-10%, they cannot drink enough to supplement.

Have a look at Wellness canned food, you can see the difference in the ingredient list alone.
Some other good brands are By Nature, Nature's Variety Instinct, Merrick's Before Grain
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Old February 5th, 2013, 06:48 AM
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cassblonde cassblonde is offline
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So you know the problem is that she's upset about you being away and telling you the only way she can(by pooping in the wrong place) please try not to be too angry with her she's only trying to tell you that she's upset when you are gone.

I'm not sure how to solve this one. You could limit her space on days you know you're going to be away that night but I imagine it would mean putting her in one room with her litter box and food when you leave for work and have her be there until the following night when you get home?

If it were me I think I would only stay over at my boyfriend's when I could bring her with me. Does he hate your place? Is there a reason he doesn't come stay at your place during the week? Is your place too far from his work? The other solution is to just move in with each other and be done with it
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Old February 5th, 2013, 07:29 AM
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marko marko is offline
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I agree with Growler's idea of cleaning the poop-spot really really well and getting that second litterbox - might help.

You say you scoop daily - -which is good. How often is the litter completely changed and is the litter clumping or non-clumping?
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Old February 5th, 2013, 11:30 AM
thecatsanova thecatsanova is offline
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I live ten minutes outside of the city so he spends the night at my house quite often. So, the time is usually split up pretty evenly but I don't have cable so it's not the best place for weekend hangouts.

I change the litter maybe once a week- I suppose that could make a big difference. I think I'm going to put a litter box where she's pooping... Which is the middle of my living room but for right now it could be ok.

The poop is always the same. I've seen it fresh and it's soft and firm.

I read some where that phermone collars help with seperation anxiety in puppies. Could that help if I put it on her before I leave? I love TK but she's so sassy!
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Old February 5th, 2013, 02:57 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Another litter box, filled with Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter, might help: http://www.preciouscat.com/

Rather than a pheromone collar, I recommend trying a Feliway diffuser or 2 in case it is stress-related: http://www.feliway.com/us

Along with what growler mentioned, a diet change to something better (and wet), whether or not that has any effect on the poop issue, is a great idea. Better for her overall health, which may have a positive effect on her ability to handle stressful situations, such as when you're gone.
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