A slight kitten problem

[mw66]

Okay. I have a 4-month-old kitten who has a tiny little problem. He'll pee in the litterbox, but he won't poo in it. He'll poo right next to it. He does share the litterbox with his mom and a brother, but I keep the box clean, and even when I've just put in a fresh load of littler, I've seen him poo right next to it. Lately, he's been branching out; today he pooed on the tiles by my front door and in the middle of my kitchen. Help! Is it possible to train him to litterbox pooing?

[Lucky Rescue]

Litterbox problems can be frustrating!

Has he ever used the litterbox, or is this something new? If it's new you may want to get him checked at the vet.

First of all, I strongly suggest you get another litterbox - 1 isn't enough for 3 cats. If kittens need to use the box, and it's occupied, they may go elsewhere.

When he poops on the floor, is it normal? No constipation (straining) or diarrhea? Discomfort will often make cats avoid the litterbox, feeling that is the cause of their discomfort.

If adding another litterbox doesn't help, you may have to confine him to a bathroom or laundry room or some small area when you can't watch him. Put a clean litterbox in there, along with his food and water, and hopefully this will retrain him.

Trying another brand of litter may help too. Also, get some product like Nature's Miracle to erase the scent at the spots he has been using.

[mw66]

I just bought a second litterbox today, so hopefully that will help. I can't prevent the other cats from using it, too, but hopefully the problem child will feel he has more options.

His poos are normal, except one time when they were a bit runny, and think that's because he got into the dog's food.

I think he's had the litterbox problem ever since he was little. I actually raised the whole litter (mom was a stray who moved into my garage) and adopted most of them out; I now have her and the two remaining kittens. Ever since the kittens were starting to use the litterbox there was one who wouldn't (I was changing out the litter completely on a daily basis when there was mom and all 6 kitties using it), and my suspicions focused on him. He's definitely the culprit for sure, now.

As for erasing the scent of previous poo spots on the floor, are you suggesting that if the kitten smells traces of a past poo on the floor he'll be inspired to go there again?

Thanks for the tips.

[Lucky Rescue]

As for erasing the scent of previous poo spots on the floor, are you suggesting that if the kitten smells traces of a past poo on the floor he'll be inspired to go there again?

Yes - even if you can't smell it, he can! You need to get the odour completely out. Since he has always done this, now I definitely think you should use the confinement method I mentioned and see if that helps.