Cat's been pooping on the floor for months. Help.
January 22, 2020 8:03 AM Subscribe
Our 7.5 year old cat has been pooping on the floor, just outside the litter box, for months. What follows is the history of George and his new poop habit. How can we break the habit and prevent this stinky problem?
One of our cats has been pooping next to the litter box for months. I've tried many, many things and cannot seem to solve this problem. Help!
Ok, settle in for a short tale of cat poop.
We have two brother cats, Henry and George, around 7.5 years old. They've always shared one litter box, and after 2 or 3 years of clumping litter, we switched to the Breeze pellet litter system. I've always had the breeze litter box in a large blue rubbermaid (so it's always been a covered box). They've always used it with no problem. That is until about 8 months ago.
George overgrooms as a result of allergies. Last spring, we put a cone of shame on him to try and ease him up on licking his belly, because he was making himself bleed. At some point while this cone was on, he started pooping just outside the litter box, either on the hardwood floor or on a shoe mat a foot or two away.
We eventually removed the cone but the pooping on floor persisted.
Over the last few months I've tried the following:
-Talking to our vet, who recommended the obvious stuff, listed below-Added a second breeze litter box (he pees in it, still pooped on floor)
-Changed to a clumping litter with a new, small uncovered litter box just as a test (he peed all over the floor right in front of it; I think it was too small for him)
-Removing one of the breeze boxes and adding the clumping litter to the rubbermaid...this was last week, and he started pooping in it! He seems to position his butt veeery close to the entrance but he gets in the box and does it. So far, so good. As a note, I put a towel laid out in front of the box, to catch the sandy litter from their claws (until a litter mat arrives from Amazon). This lasted about 5 days. Then yesterday, our cleaning people removed the towel and this morning he again pooped on the hardwood just outside the box. So, he saw the empty floor again and thought that meant, floor time? The towel was somehow teaching him to use the box again? So now the question is, was it the clumping litter he liked instead of the pellets, or was it just having a towel on the floor?
That brings me to now. I just ordered a Litter Robot 3. I'm tired of dealing with poop. I'm wondering if the box being constantly clean will help. If it means leaving a towel in front of it, so be it.
Notes: His brother Henry pees and poops in anything, no problems. George has always continued peeing in any of the litter boxes (except the one incident listed above). There have been spans of a day or two, here and there, where George has used the litter box to poop in. Then he goes back to the floor.
I'd appreciate any help here on what you think might be going on with this behavior. Since he doesn't pee outside the box, the vet seemed confident this is not a health issue. It definitely seems behavioral. Only pooping next to it also seems to show that it's not an act of rebellion, since it's always next to it and not in our bed, in other rooms, on the rug, etc. What have I not tried that I should try? Any thoughts on how the Litter Robot might go? Thanks so much!
Bonus cat pics! George is the big guy :)
One of our cats has been pooping next to the litter box for months. I've tried many, many things and cannot seem to solve this problem. Help!
Ok, settle in for a short tale of cat poop.
We have two brother cats, Henry and George, around 7.5 years old. They've always shared one litter box, and after 2 or 3 years of clumping litter, we switched to the Breeze pellet litter system. I've always had the breeze litter box in a large blue rubbermaid (so it's always been a covered box). They've always used it with no problem. That is until about 8 months ago.
George overgrooms as a result of allergies. Last spring, we put a cone of shame on him to try and ease him up on licking his belly, because he was making himself bleed. At some point while this cone was on, he started pooping just outside the litter box, either on the hardwood floor or on a shoe mat a foot or two away.
We eventually removed the cone but the pooping on floor persisted.
Over the last few months I've tried the following:
-Talking to our vet, who recommended the obvious stuff, listed below-Added a second breeze litter box (he pees in it, still pooped on floor)
-Changed to a clumping litter with a new, small uncovered litter box just as a test (he peed all over the floor right in front of it; I think it was too small for him)
-Removing one of the breeze boxes and adding the clumping litter to the rubbermaid...this was last week, and he started pooping in it! He seems to position his butt veeery close to the entrance but he gets in the box and does it. So far, so good. As a note, I put a towel laid out in front of the box, to catch the sandy litter from their claws (until a litter mat arrives from Amazon). This lasted about 5 days. Then yesterday, our cleaning people removed the towel and this morning he again pooped on the hardwood just outside the box. So, he saw the empty floor again and thought that meant, floor time? The towel was somehow teaching him to use the box again? So now the question is, was it the clumping litter he liked instead of the pellets, or was it just having a towel on the floor?
That brings me to now. I just ordered a Litter Robot 3. I'm tired of dealing with poop. I'm wondering if the box being constantly clean will help. If it means leaving a towel in front of it, so be it.
Notes: His brother Henry pees and poops in anything, no problems. George has always continued peeing in any of the litter boxes (except the one incident listed above). There have been spans of a day or two, here and there, where George has used the litter box to poop in. Then he goes back to the floor.
I'd appreciate any help here on what you think might be going on with this behavior. Since he doesn't pee outside the box, the vet seemed confident this is not a health issue. It definitely seems behavioral. Only pooping next to it also seems to show that it's not an act of rebellion, since it's always next to it and not in our bed, in other rooms, on the rug, etc. What have I not tried that I should try? Any thoughts on how the Litter Robot might go? Thanks so much!
Bonus cat pics! George is the big guy :)
I had a cat that forgot how to use her litter box. The things that showed me a glimmer of hope were A) Cat Attract Litter, and B) I put some of her poops INTO the litter box. It helped her associate her scent with the box?
Good luck - I know this is SO frustrating.
posted by hydra77 at 9:14 AM on January 22, 2020 [2 favorites]
Good luck - I know this is SO frustrating.
posted by hydra77 at 9:14 AM on January 22, 2020 [2 favorites]
What a stately, portly gentlecat he is! <3
Cats are weird about what they remember. He might have started to believe he was too large for the box when he had the cone on, and then he reenforced his belief with the smaller box. Pooping suuuper close (or maybe sometimes from inside but over the edge?) makes me think a larger box may be the fix.
Alternatively, when my very intellectually challenged cat started doing this and I did the towel thing too, I decided he thought the towel was kinda part of the box? So putting another box right next to the existing one, or in the place a couple feet away where he’s obviously not even trying might “expand the space” —this is a hassle, but seems to get them comfortable with box poopin’ again.
Having two boxes for two cats is wise anyway—I know you’ve seen this everywhere but it really does help mitigate these problems once they start, since you probably can’t trust George to wait in line any longer if your other cat is doing their business.
He’s probably not being an asshole since it’s not in totally “inappropriate” places, he’s just relying on instinct when it’s time to go, and instinct is giving him a slightly garbled message. But ugh cat poo. At least he’s not peeing too?
posted by zinful at 9:45 AM on January 22, 2020
Cats are weird about what they remember. He might have started to believe he was too large for the box when he had the cone on, and then he reenforced his belief with the smaller box. Pooping suuuper close (or maybe sometimes from inside but over the edge?) makes me think a larger box may be the fix.
Alternatively, when my very intellectually challenged cat started doing this and I did the towel thing too, I decided he thought the towel was kinda part of the box? So putting another box right next to the existing one, or in the place a couple feet away where he’s obviously not even trying might “expand the space” —this is a hassle, but seems to get them comfortable with box poopin’ again.
Having two boxes for two cats is wise anyway—I know you’ve seen this everywhere but it really does help mitigate these problems once they start, since you probably can’t trust George to wait in line any longer if your other cat is doing their business.
He’s probably not being an asshole since it’s not in totally “inappropriate” places, he’s just relying on instinct when it’s time to go, and instinct is giving him a slightly garbled message. But ugh cat poo. At least he’s not peeing too?
posted by zinful at 9:45 AM on January 22, 2020
When my cat poops in front of his box, it is a sign that the box is not meeting his needs. He's trying to go in the right place but can't. Usually this either means that the box isn't clean enough, it isn't big enough, or the litter texture isn't working for him.
I haven't used Breeze pellets but I think they are pretty large as those things go. Cats in general like smaller, sandier litter textures, so the big Breeze chunks might be uncomfortable for him to stand on long enough to poop. Also if he's big he might be hanging his butt over the side; I've seen big cats have their feet in the box but still be pooping over the side.
I would try to spy on him a little to see what he's doing (like, does he seem to think he's in the box? Does he actually have some part of himself in the box, just not the most relevant part? etc) and then you can know a bit more what to do.
It isn't convenient, but using a giant tub with an entry cut into it can be a great solution for big cats who just need a lot of space. Most commercial litter boxes aren't anywhere near big enough for big boys.
I've used a Litter Robot with mine and he does fine with it, except that his size means he pees on the back wall a fair bit, so you have to keep that clean or the box will still get stinky even though it's being scooped.
Good luck!
posted by oblique red at 10:02 AM on January 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
I haven't used Breeze pellets but I think they are pretty large as those things go. Cats in general like smaller, sandier litter textures, so the big Breeze chunks might be uncomfortable for him to stand on long enough to poop. Also if he's big he might be hanging his butt over the side; I've seen big cats have their feet in the box but still be pooping over the side.
I would try to spy on him a little to see what he's doing (like, does he seem to think he's in the box? Does he actually have some part of himself in the box, just not the most relevant part? etc) and then you can know a bit more what to do.
It isn't convenient, but using a giant tub with an entry cut into it can be a great solution for big cats who just need a lot of space. Most commercial litter boxes aren't anywhere near big enough for big boys.
I've used a Litter Robot with mine and he does fine with it, except that his size means he pees on the back wall a fair bit, so you have to keep that clean or the box will still get stinky even though it's being scooped.
Good luck!
posted by oblique red at 10:02 AM on January 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
The most effective solution I ever managed for this problem - which is likely more "cat doesn't know where own ass is/is more worried about where head is" (with a side of cone confusion from that time when head was bigger than box) than "cat is grudge-shitting" - is more square inches of contained crapping space. I think a lot of people do just go with the Rubbermaid with an entry hole cut in the end. You want to put the entry hole up high enough that you can get a sufficient layer of litter inside without it falling out, but not so high that an elderly cat is going to dislike getting up into it, and you need to make your entry hole wide enough that they are comfortable going in and out of it.
I had observed when my cats were young and lithe that they didn't need much room and didn't need much turning radius - they'd go in the modest-sized covered box and turn around and stick their heads out in two seconds - and that turning area seems to get more difficult to navigate as they get older (probably larger and more whiskery too - keep in mind they don't want their whiskers touching anything).
You may need an even bigger Rubbermaid than you currently have, if he's going in face first and barely getting his ass inside. It might even be that your real problem is depth rather than width - you might peruse the hardware store this weekend and look at things like hard pond liners, the drip pans that go under hot water heaters, shower pans, something with more room for him to get all the way in.
Alternately, try cutting entry holes on *both* ends of a Rubbermaid, so he might be inclined to go in one hole and take his face all the way across to the other hole, thus getting his ass closer to the middle. This might also solve issues where he knows where his ass is but doesn't want his tail pressed up against the shitter wall.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:13 AM on January 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
I had observed when my cats were young and lithe that they didn't need much room and didn't need much turning radius - they'd go in the modest-sized covered box and turn around and stick their heads out in two seconds - and that turning area seems to get more difficult to navigate as they get older (probably larger and more whiskery too - keep in mind they don't want their whiskers touching anything).
You may need an even bigger Rubbermaid than you currently have, if he's going in face first and barely getting his ass inside. It might even be that your real problem is depth rather than width - you might peruse the hardware store this weekend and look at things like hard pond liners, the drip pans that go under hot water heaters, shower pans, something with more room for him to get all the way in.
Alternately, try cutting entry holes on *both* ends of a Rubbermaid, so he might be inclined to go in one hole and take his face all the way across to the other hole, thus getting his ass closer to the middle. This might also solve issues where he knows where his ass is but doesn't want his tail pressed up against the shitter wall.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:13 AM on January 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
It's hard to tell from the photos but George looks like he might be about the same size as our cat.
The first litter box we got for him was just way to small and he had trouble using it. We got a bigger one that's 19" wide, 20" deep and 18" tall. Even then, we had to take off the door and the hinged section of the roof that it attaches to before he was comfortable using it. So the opening to it is about 10" x 10" wide at the front with a cutout going about 8" back into the roof from the top of that.
He will go in, turn around, and do his business facing the entrance, then bury it, for which he sticks his butt in the air to shovel litter backwards with his paws. To me it still seems cramped for him to do all that, and I have it on my list to get him something bigger at some point.
You don't say what size the Rubbermaid is but the fact that he would poop in that, yet only just inside without turning, would suggest to me that he may just want even more space.
posted by automatronic at 12:15 PM on January 22, 2020
The first litter box we got for him was just way to small and he had trouble using it. We got a bigger one that's 19" wide, 20" deep and 18" tall. Even then, we had to take off the door and the hinged section of the roof that it attaches to before he was comfortable using it. So the opening to it is about 10" x 10" wide at the front with a cutout going about 8" back into the roof from the top of that.
He will go in, turn around, and do his business facing the entrance, then bury it, for which he sticks his butt in the air to shovel litter backwards with his paws. To me it still seems cramped for him to do all that, and I have it on my list to get him something bigger at some point.
You don't say what size the Rubbermaid is but the fact that he would poop in that, yet only just inside without turning, would suggest to me that he may just want even more space.
posted by automatronic at 12:15 PM on January 22, 2020
Not sure how you’ve got the Rubbermaid set up, but (if you’re not already) could you set it up so he enters from the top? That might help if the problem is that he’s just sticking his head inside and pooping with the rest of him outside.
posted by Weeping_angel at 12:33 PM on January 22, 2020
posted by Weeping_angel at 12:33 PM on January 22, 2020
Response by poster: A few additional notes, in response to some of your help:
Pics of the Rubbermaid: https://imgur.com/a/kDgm6aG
I think it’s fairly big compared to a lot of typical litterboxes but I’ve definitely considered whether this plays a part. The Litter Robot is pretty damn big and has a nice, sizable opening so maybe that’ll help.
I have tried putting his poo into the litterbox many times, and it doesn’t seem to do much.
The idea of the towel seeming to be part of the litter area and so making it seem bigger is a possibility. I’ve put the towel back down after he poo’d on the floor this morning, so we will see what happens.
I’ve thoroughly cleaned the hardwood with pet urine cleaner so it shouldn’t retain his scent but again, hasn’t affected anything.
I’m really skeptical of the Feliway/pheromone diffusers. Are these really worth trying? I know our vet gave us one for George due to his anxiety but I can’t say we noticed any difference. Maybe just concentrating it near the litter specifically would help with this behavior though? There are many on Amazon but it’s hard to know which to buy.
Lastly, I bought the Dr. Elseys Cat Attract litter. I’ll give that a try.
posted by indyjones at 3:33 PM on January 22, 2020
Pics of the Rubbermaid: https://imgur.com/a/kDgm6aG
I think it’s fairly big compared to a lot of typical litterboxes but I’ve definitely considered whether this plays a part. The Litter Robot is pretty damn big and has a nice, sizable opening so maybe that’ll help.
I have tried putting his poo into the litterbox many times, and it doesn’t seem to do much.
The idea of the towel seeming to be part of the litter area and so making it seem bigger is a possibility. I’ve put the towel back down after he poo’d on the floor this morning, so we will see what happens.
I’ve thoroughly cleaned the hardwood with pet urine cleaner so it shouldn’t retain his scent but again, hasn’t affected anything.
I’m really skeptical of the Feliway/pheromone diffusers. Are these really worth trying? I know our vet gave us one for George due to his anxiety but I can’t say we noticed any difference. Maybe just concentrating it near the litter specifically would help with this behavior though? There are many on Amazon but it’s hard to know which to buy.
Lastly, I bought the Dr. Elseys Cat Attract litter. I’ll give that a try.
posted by indyjones at 3:33 PM on January 22, 2020
Two *large* litter boxes (preferably, large plastic storage containers with a cutaway to about 8" in one side for access); lidless, with unscented clumping litter in both, placed in different parts of the house.
I would put money on this solving your problem.
posted by aecorwin at 3:52 PM on January 22, 2020
I would put money on this solving your problem.
posted by aecorwin at 3:52 PM on January 22, 2020
I could have just written this exact question about my cat! he was pooping in the laundry room, right in front of the dryer.
We ending up sequestering him with a litterbox in a room that is not usually a litter box room, with cat attract litter, for about a week. I felt sad for him in there but I was really getting tired of him pooping on the floor.
He consistently used the litter box in there, so we started letting him out for awhile after he used the litter box, and then back in for overnight and when we weren't home, for maybe another week. Then we changed the laundry room litter box to cat attract as well, and I put a third, small disposable litter box over the spot he likes pooping. now we have a million litter boxes! great! life of a cat owner. We let jango out to wander now, to use whatever litter box he wanted.
But he stopped pooping anywhere but litter boxes, so we kept this terrible situation for about a month. Then I removed the small litter box and moved the upstairs litter box back downstairs onto the pooping spot. now we have two litter boxes in one room - one regular placed one, and one in the poop spot. That was probably a month ago, and since he has just been pooping in the litter boxes now, I am slowwwly moving them towards the walls a couple inches at a time over a few weeks because it's annoying to have them in the middle of the room. He seems to be following them! we also mix the cat attract litter half and half with the regular dr. elsey's litter that is a tiny bit cheaper.
posted by euphoria066 at 4:32 PM on January 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
We ending up sequestering him with a litterbox in a room that is not usually a litter box room, with cat attract litter, for about a week. I felt sad for him in there but I was really getting tired of him pooping on the floor.
He consistently used the litter box in there, so we started letting him out for awhile after he used the litter box, and then back in for overnight and when we weren't home, for maybe another week. Then we changed the laundry room litter box to cat attract as well, and I put a third, small disposable litter box over the spot he likes pooping. now we have a million litter boxes! great! life of a cat owner. We let jango out to wander now, to use whatever litter box he wanted.
But he stopped pooping anywhere but litter boxes, so we kept this terrible situation for about a month. Then I removed the small litter box and moved the upstairs litter box back downstairs onto the pooping spot. now we have two litter boxes in one room - one regular placed one, and one in the poop spot. That was probably a month ago, and since he has just been pooping in the litter boxes now, I am slowwwly moving them towards the walls a couple inches at a time over a few weeks because it's annoying to have them in the middle of the room. He seems to be following them! we also mix the cat attract litter half and half with the regular dr. elsey's litter that is a tiny bit cheaper.
posted by euphoria066 at 4:32 PM on January 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
In case you (or someone else happening upon this question) get the point of just throwing your hands up and wanting to protect the floor and minimize odor like we have, after trying many things, we ultimately replaced the litter box with one of these dog crate bottoms that fully covers the area where the littler boxes used to be and the floor space where our fuzzy buddy would pee/poop next to them. We put puppy pads on it and throw those out every day and do a deeper clean every few weeks. It's not environmentally friendly, but after YEARS of trying to figure out the perfect solution that would just get the cat to use one of the litter boxes and cleaning up his frequent misses, this method is so much less stress/work.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 5:42 PM on January 22, 2020
posted by wuzandfuzz at 5:42 PM on January 22, 2020
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