Cat Pooping Outside of the Box

have two 3 year old cats, 1 male & 1 female(neutered and spayed at 6 months). They are from the same litter and came home with me at the same time at age 6 to 8 weeks (unsure of exact age, previous owner was not a very responsible pet owner). They got along great as kittens but as they have aged they play less and less. They have always shared a food and water dish as well as 2 litter boxes. Lately, for about 4 months, the female has been defecating in inappropriate places (not the litter box). When she finds a spot, she seems to keep going back to that spot. We are not disciplining the behavior because we have not caught her in the act, just leaving the "scene of the crime". I am not finding any unrine outside of the box. I am not sure what to do. No matter where I put the litter boxes, both cats will have access to them. We love both cats very much. I don't know how long we can tolerate this issue, though. Any advise?

Answer:

Hello and thank you for inquiring! Please do NOT discipline if you do find her in the act. This can only make matters worse. But if you do see her start to crouch make a sudden popping/clapping sound to startle her somewhat, which will bring her attention elsewhere then pick her up and put her in litter box. Kitty is trying to tell you something. There may be a MEDICAL ISSUE. I dont have enough information to help you with that. A very good holistic vet that could hopefully do a home visit and rule that out. Some examples could be anal sac disease, colitis, parasites, liver issues, but hopefully no medical problem. If this has been ruled out it could be STRESS. What kind of changes have happened in your home since this behavior started? New person living there? Many guests? Children visiting? Fights and stress among house members? Is your home a stressful place at all for you? If so, you can bet it is for kitty. Furniture changes or house improvements bringing lots of loud noises and strange people over?? I would certainly place more boxes around the home and keep them immaculately CLEANED and scooped! CLEAN/scoop twice daily. Try Feliway 48-Milliliter Plug-In Refills, and adjust stress changes if you can. Add Rescue Remedy Pet -Rescue Remedy to her water. Kitties do not like dirty litter boxes. If you are using clumping litter, are you scooping at least once a day, preferably twice? Imagine using a toilet that someone else dosen't flush. Yuck! Kitties feel the same. Also, have you changed to a new litter lately? She may not like it. Try a DIFFERENT LITTER. Try Swheat Scoop Natural Cat Litter,World's Best Cat Litter Extra Strength or paper litter. Some kitties develop strong aversion to those awful perfume smells found in many litters. If you are using just a clay litter I would recommend going to a natural clumping litter.s Some kitties like to use a different box to eliminate and a different one to urinate. She may be that kind of girl. Please keep me posted and i can help as you go along. So in brief. 1. Rule out underlying medical condition. 2. Assess stress level of cat and environment. remove stress/ also use Feliway and Rescue Remedy 3. Keep litter boxes immaculately clean, scoop twice daily, clean plastic boxes weekly. 4. Experiment with different litters and place more boxes around the home. 5. Use enzyme cleaner in areas she has soiled outside of litter box. 6. Good luck investigating! Warm Wishes, Shanti