[RaenieStar]

I'm starting to become really frustrated with my 3 year old cat, Cupcake. I love her to death, I've had her since she was born, and she's a total lap cat. But her bathroom behavior is really starting to get out of hand.

She was perfectly fine while she was growing up. I raised her with her siblings, and they all used the litter box just fine. I had one of those giant multiple cat litter boxes at the time, with a brand of litter I've always used. No issues.

Eventually, after I moved out of that house, I took that giant box (cleaned and everything of course) with me to another city. She used it there too, and there were no issues for about 3-4 months. She had her own closet for her box that no one went into, and was private and dark with just the box there.

I would shut my bedroom door to signal to my roommate that she was not welcome in there, and if I stayed out (work, friends, etc.) too late, I'd come home to a nice pile of #2 by my bedroom door.

I never had an issue with her until then, so I figured I needed to finally toss out the old litter box. I bought her a good sized one, and layered it with the cat litter. It didn't help; she would use it to pee, but she kept going by my door. My roommate started to complain, so I bought another litter box and put it by my closed bedroom door while I was gone. She'd pee in it, but just found another corner to go poo in with that one as well. This time behind the dinner table. :/

Finally, I started keeping her in my bedroom with another litter box, so she wouldn't poo in the communal living area. Nope, she started going poo in the corner by the closed bedroom door.

I began to wonder if she had a thing for closed doors. So I started leaving the closet door open. No, she started pooing in the closet. So I kept it closed again.

This went on an on. Eventually my boyfriend moved in, and now with free run of the house, she would always select a spot in my bedroom to poo. We've since moved from that place to a new apartment in another state, and she still opts to poo outside of the box. We got a dog, she still poops outside of the box. I even got another cat, thinking maybe she was depressed by herself, bought a huge covered box for privacy, and bought really expensive cat litter.

She still poops outside of it. We've now moved into a third place, 2 years later, and she still refuses to poo in a litter box. It's begun to annoy both me and my boyfriend, because she makes a huge production of scratching everything for an hour after she does it, and even leaves and comes back to scratch. She wakes up us while we're sleeping, and she does it right by the closed closet door where we walk all the time.

We've even purchased a carpet steamer to clean after she does it because it's become such a problem with staining on typical off white apartment complex carpet.

I've tried bitter apple spray, tape on the carpet, I've set "traps" with string and noisy objects, I've put (I have 3 now) extra litter boxes out, I've caught her in the act and scolded her, I've put wet towels down, I've sprayed her with water... she just finds another place to do it, and ONLY poop. I HATE dirty litter box smell, so mine are always cleaned at least once a day. Not that it matters because I could have as much as 4 boxes down, and she will still find a piece of carpet to poop on.

What the heck am I doing wrong?

[Sariss]

I think the beginning of the issues was her showing you that she was angry with you locking her out of your room. It sounds like it's just manifested since then into a behavioural problem.
While I can't really tell you how to fix it, I can tell you that scolding her won't fix it. If anything, it will make her poop in a spot where you can't see her, for fear of being caught and scolded.

[RaenieStar]

Yeah, I know "scolding" animals isn't the way to go. I won't lie, I've yelled at her once or twice, but the very few times I have actually caught her in the act (she likes to do it while we're sleeping, or out of the apartment completely), I've always tried to use a very firm 'NO' and a pointed finger, just like you would any animal that needs to know their behavior is not acceptable.

The "scolding" never seemed to have an effect anyway. I just don't get it. I've trained her to come when she is called, and she is just the happiest cat you will ever see. She doesn't scratch or bite, knows what she is allowed to play on, and whenever I'm sick or crying, she will lay with me. She's even gone to get my boyfriend for me when I've fallen or can't move. She'll come to me when she wants love, and I pick her up randomly through the day and pet her.

I like my cats to be holdable, and personable. She's been perfectly trainable in every other way aside from this.

I just don't understand this whole situation. I'm hoping it's not some vengeance thing. She does, occasionally go in the box, but rarely. My new kitten has better manners than her new older sister! Lol

[shazamataz]

Clean the area where she has been pooping really well with a string cleaning product to remove any odor.

Gross as it sounds pick up the poop and put it in the litter box to re-show her where she is meant to go.

I agree with Sariss about it being because she got mad at you for locking her out of the room.

[shazamataz]

I just don't understand this whole situation. I'm hoping it's not some vengeance thing. She does, occasionally go in the box, but rarely. My new kitten has better manners than her new older sister! lol

Has she just started since you got the new kitten? Or has it been going on longer/shorter than that?
She could be jealous of the other cats attention.

[RaenieStar]

Clean the area where she has been pooping really well with a string cleaning product to remove any odor.

I've always done this. I use PetZyme currently, and Folex for the actual carpet staining with the carpet steamer.

Gross as it sounds pick up the poop and put it in the litter box to re-show her where she is meant to go.

This I have also tried. Well, this is what I did up until my most recent move. I stopped because my boyfriend has begun cleaning up more because the poop is always next to his side of the bed, and he usually just flushes it. It didn't seem to have an affect anyway.

Has she just started since you got the new kitten? or has it been going on longer/shorter than that? She could be jealous of the other cats attention.

I know this isn't the case. She had this behavior long before our new kitten came into the picture, and was quite locked into her pooping on carpet ways. I got the new kitten on a suggestion from a vet tech, who said she may be depressed and wanting attention or company. I had been wanting a new playmate for her anyway for a while. We got a puppy to help her adjust to having another animal in the house, but the puppy quickly outgrew her and they no longer play together, only greet one another maybe, when passing by.

It's odd, Cupcake got used to and welcomed the new kitten in a matter of days, and they romp around and chase each other now. It doesn't seem to me that the kitten has affected her potty schedule. I just have to clean the box more, hehe.

[shazamataz]

Hmm, I'm at a loss with this one I'm afraid, They are the usual culprits for this behaviour... I'll do some research and see what I can come up with. Hopefully someone will have had this problem before and can give you a more personal response :)

[RaenieStar]

Thanks for the help, you two. :) I appreciate the responses!

[shazamataz]

No worries :)

I found one little tid bit. I found a suggestion to put another litter box near the door where she is pooping and gradually move it towards the other one until you are back to using only the one in the closet.

[plonak]

My roommate has a cat. And she has kind of a similar problem, where if the litter box isn't to her specifications, she will poop right in front of it (outside) and afterwards would scratch the wall and floor for a little bit, it's really weird behavior.. but my roommate thinks she does it because she learned from other cats that she used to live with..

So what I'm trying to say is that maybe it's a behavior that she learned from a kitten waaay back and all of a sudden your cat tried it... and the habit stuck...

To me it seems as if you have tried everything possible to stop this.. so this is a tough question!

I hate to say this, and this is just a thought, maybe this is something that she won't grow out of and won't stop, it may be in her personality. Hopefully that's not right.. and hopefully you will find something to curb it.

Good luck, and like shazamataz said, I will research online and see if I find anything that might be useful

[hvacgal]

Hiya,

Since she has already started peeing/pooping outside the litter box and now has her smell around which is confusing her I recommend you using this product for a short time Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Cat Litter it can be bought at Petsmart and really works.

We have a small kitten that woke up one day forgetting how to use the litter box. After 1 day of having this litter in her box she hasn't gone back. In fact the adult version of this litter *which is the one I mentioned* is apparently so attracting the cats often sit outside the box and wait for the next pee break.

Can't hurt to try it. We have just begun the switch back to her normal environmentally friendly litter so we shall see how it goes.

Good luck