Ask Me Help Desk - 11 year old female cat pooping outside box

HELP!! :confused::(
Where to start we have 4 cats 3 males aged 4-12 and 1 female 11 years old.
For the past few months our female cat ( we thinkit is her) has been pooping
Beside the litter box. We have 2 extra lg covered boxes and I did buy a new uncovered box but that did not work. I have heard tin foil works but our
Eldest male cat loves tinfoil and will eat and play with it. It is not due to dirty litter because I will clean them and find a fresh gift the next moring. It is not diaharea the stool looks fine there is no blood or worms etc.
I am going to try a new brand of litter today and was told that a feline rescue remedy in case it is stress and one of our youngest cats does torrment her but that has been going on for at least 2 years now.
I am at my wits end please any one help
Oh and yes they are all healthy.
Thanks for your time
Nevena

Are you 100% sure that she is healthy? Is she over weight? My male cat had diabetes and he was 12 and he couldn't physically get into the box anymore. If u have had them checked then there should be nothing to worry about. Maybe its not being cleaned enough because I know my other cat will not go if it isn't "up to her standards".

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimberley1964

Are you 100% sure that she is healthy?? Is she over weight??My male cat had diabetes and he was 12 and he couldn't physically get into the box anymore. if u have had them checked then there should be nothing to worry about. maybe its not being cleaned enough because i know my other cat will not go if it isn't "up to her standards".

No she is not over weight if any thing a little under weight vet sd was fine though. And I tried cleanign them daily and she still poops out side the box.
I just came back and bought the litter I used for years before hand along with some cat distress drink so I hope something helps.

Our cat sometimes goes through bouts of peeing and/or pooping outside the box. The vet says a cat this age can have feline dementia and we may have to live with the proble, or not. Currently this cat lives 24/7 in the laundry room where her damage can be minimalized.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ballengerb1

Our cat sometimes goes through bouts of peeing and/or pooping outside the box. The vet says a cat this age can have feline dementia and we may have to live with the proble, or not. Currently this cat lives 24/7 in the laundry room where her damage can be minimalized.

See I never even thought of it being dementia I never even figured animals could get it but if they can get cancer and diabeties whynot that.
Given her age that could be a factor. She does not pee on the floor though just poops
How did your vet diagnos it mine never even brought it up.
If that be the case I don't think I could lock her away she would turn ferrel she is not very social. Guess she has a bathroom maid for life.
Thanks to every one for all the quick help

Not sure how the vet made his diagnosis, could be just her age and the newly surfacing odd behaviors. She will walk past her small bowl of water, go up stairs and try to drink from the toilet too.

I would return for a recheck with the vet: have an intestinal parasite test performed with a fresh stool sample for starters. Bloodwork for a gal her age is always a good idea to have as a baseline for the future. If all is well, you may try adding yet another litter box in another part of the house in conjunction with a behavior modifying drug-like kitty Prozac-to use for a period of 4-6 months, prescribed by your vet. This drug has a great success rate and is usually not something they have to stay on the rest of their life. Check with the vet!

There is a rare condition that happens in cats, although typically dogs (and typically dalmations). A non-scientific description is urine turnes into a crystallized-pea size obstruction that develops and can exist for many years right inside urinary tract. This is due to the animal not breaking down purines. These crystals car not particularly commen in cats, but the trick is the ONLY way what I'm describing can be detected is with an X-ray. It's not common, but my cat had it and I went about 7 years wondering why his bathroom habits were sometimes poor.

The bottom line is if it isn't medical, then it's behavioral - routine changes, scent changes, illness in one of the other pets, etc.

If she is developing arthritis, try buying desposible cookie sheets with small sides and use as a little box. You can also get disposable turkey pans and similar type potential litter boxes that have various heights. Star the new litter box with some of the old/used litter so she can identify her smell.

It is very common for a tormented cat to "act out" by not using the litter box.

It could be that living in a laundry room all day is making her even more stressed out.

Avoid food that has wheat-gluetan, corn and by-products of any kind; you just have to feed more for the animal to get the same nutrients found in a smaller serving of higher quality food. Iams and food at grocery store is not actually good for your cats.

Also with age, some cat can become more dehydrated internally making then constipated and uncomforable. You can buy a small bottle of safflour oil at your local grocery store and add a little capful to her food once a day. It's fine for the others as it also helps create and maintain a shiny, healthy coat.

Hopefully these are some suggestions you will find easy to test out if they sound relevant to your cat. Good luck!