Why is my cat only pooping in the bathtub and not her litter box?

Inappropriate elimination in cats is often a behavioral problem rather than a medical problem, so the first step is to have him seen by your vet to eliminate any kind of illness or condition as a cause for his defecating outside the box. Once medical issues are ruled out, take a look at other explanations. Has there been a lot of activity that wasn't normal? Were you away and your cat was left at home or boarded? Is the litterbox located in a busy area? Has anything happened recently in this area to make him reluctant to use it again? Is there another cat, pet or person that is preventing him from getting to the box? Have you changed it from a hooded to an open box, or vice versa? Have you changed the brand of litter or kind? Is there something about the spot he has chosen to use that is attracting him in some way? Cats dislike disturbances to their routine and may act out to express their dissatisfaction. The litter box may not be big enough. The general rule of thumb is one litter box per cat in the household, plus one. That way each cat can have a place of their own to go in case the box is occupied or another cat has claimed it as territory. They should be scooped daily, if not more often and changed completely weekly washed with soap and water only. You can also offer one kind of litter in one box and another kind in another to see if there is a preference. I don't recommend the crystal kind, it makes a hissing sound when wet that can startle some cats and make them reluctant to use it again. The litter boxes should be located in a quiet, low-traffic area so that the cat can use them in peace. Make sure any other pets or people aren't giving them a hard time around or in the litter box. It may take some investigation and experimentation to find your cat's preference and accommodate him so that everyone is satisfied with the situation. And, when cleaning up pet accidents, don’t use any cleaner containing ammonia. This leaves behind a scent similar to urine

Dexter is adorable! Thanks for including a picture and giving such a thorough history. Unfortunately, it is very common for older cats to have changes in their bathroom habits. The first thing I would recommend would be to have your vet examine Dexter and check a fecal sample on him to make sure that there isn't a medical cause for him to be defecating outside the box. Older cats commonly have arthritis along their back which may interfere with their comfort getting into the litter box or squatting to defecate. If Dexter has ever had pain associated with squatting to defecate, he may associate it with the litter box and may avoid the litter box for defecation. So, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Dexter to see if they find any signs of arthritis that may benefit from medication or other treatment. If your vet can't find a medical reason, then the next step is to look at litter box issues. Even if a cat has been tolerant of a slightly dirty litter box previously, sometimes this changes as they get older. That may mean that if there is ANY urine or stool in a box, then they won't use it. Why this sometimes involves only stool and not urine, we can't always tell. But the first step in any inappropriate elimination case is to make sure that there are the "correct" number of litter boxes in the house which is the number of cats plus one, so that would be 2 boxes in your house. Those boxes must be cleaned at least once daily. Some people use an automatic cleaning litter box for one of their boxes to make sure that there is always a clean box. Cats tend to dislike covered or lined litter boxes, so I would eliminate those if they are as issue. This handout deals mostly with inappropriate urination, but has some good suggestions for litter box issues. veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=633 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

There are a few things to consider; some cats will go in the corner of the litter box, so they end up hanging their tush over the edge and it goes out of the box. You could try a litter box with a cover or with high sides to see if that helps. The size of the box and ease of entry is something else to consider. If she is still small enough that she has to leap into something that she can't see into, getting in the box may be a bit daunting. Make sure the has an approachable entry for her. Also consider if you changed the type or brand of cat litter. Some cats can be very picky. Go back to the old brand if you have switched. If you have not made a change it cat litter, you can also try a cat litter called Cat Attract-- its a brand of cat litter that most cats accept very well. Another thing to keep in mind is other cats and the location of the boxes. If you have multiple cats, make sure that you have enough litter boxes. If you have 2 cats, have 3 boxes. If you have 4 cats, have 5 boxes. I know that seems like a lot, but its the best way to prevent negative cat interactions near a litter box, and avoid them feeling territorial. If you have an older cat, the box may have been "occupied" when she needed to go, or she may have been intimidated by the other cat being nearby and didn't want to get in a confrontation. To be thorough, I would also recommend that you take her to your vet to see if there's any medical issue going on that could be contributing. Take a stool sample with you. If she has intestinal parasites or other causes of inflammation in her intestine, she could be having some urgency that doesn't allow her to quite get into the box. Also, if she is painful somewhere, she may be trying to avoid getting up into the box. I hope that helps you. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I'm sorry that you are dealing with this frustrating problem! I'm glad to hear that she is reliably peeing in the box, but pooping outside the box is also, of course, problematic. Have there been any changes in the home that she might perceive as stressful? Any new pets, a major change in your schedule, holiday visitors, etc. All of these things could contribute to this type of behavior. Make it a point to spend a few minutes a day with her, just giving her attention. Engage her in play with a wand type toy, or just sit and pet her and chat to her. Sometimes some reassurance can be really beneficial. Also, make sure there is a litter box on every level of your home, (every story--basement, main floor, upstairs, etc) and if you have multiple cats, the number of litter boxes should be the# of cats plus 1. ( so 3 boxes if you have 2 cats). If she's not been to the vet for this issue, take her in. If she has arthritis, etc or is otherwise painful, pooping may be uncomfortable and therefore she may not be completely "finishing" when she is in the box. Or, its also possible that she may have a neurologic condition that is affecting her ability to know when she needs to poop in time to get to the box. Here are a couple of articles you may find helpful as well. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/common-cat-behavior-issues/litter-box-problems https://www.petcoach.co/article/inappropriate-elimination-urination-defecation-spraying-in/ Thank you for asking PetCoach!

Hi there. Yes, you could certainly try leaving the litter box in your attached bathroom so that it's closer and easier for her to get to, as a starting point. But in a cat this age, I would be very suspicious of an underlying medical issue causing this behavior - this can be true even if she appears generally healthy otherwise, on the outside. Possible causes would include hyperthyroidism, a GI problem such as chronic pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease, or arthritis making it difficult or painful for her to get into the litter box when she needs to go. I would recommend a vet visit for a thorough physical exam and some basic lab work to check for these issues. If she has a medical problem of some kind, having it treated appropriately will often resolve the unwanted accidents.

In a very general sense, cats typically avoid appropriate places to urinate (i.e. the litter box) because they associate doing so with pain. Any cat that is inappropriately urinating/defecating should be first checked for pain, either from urinary tract issues like an infection or inflammation, or skeletal pain from issues like hip or spinal problems. Once these issues have been ruled out, behavioral problems should be investigated. This can be done by increasing frequency of litter box cleaning (once daily), adding additional litter boxes (at least one per cat + 1), trying covered vs. non-covered boxes, trying a bigger box, and trying a few different kinds of litter to see if your cat has a different preference.

Inappropriate elimination can be due to either medical or behavioral problems. I always recommend having the cat examined by a vet to rule out any medical problems first, like GI disease, intestinal parasites or a urinary tract infection. If everything is normal on exam then you can consider this a behavioral issue. Cats will sometimes go outside the box if it is not cleaned frequently enough, if the litter or location of the box has been changed, or if there is something in the environment causing the cat stress (like the new housemate). You need to also consider pain/discomfort when using the box, either due to posturing or getting in/out of the box, especially if your cat is older. You may want to consider adding an extra litter box or two to your home, making the boxes more easily accessible. To help decrease your cat’s stress levels try adding pheromone diffusers like Feliway throughout the house. You may want to also consider talking to your vet about a urinary specific diet and possibly consider anti-anxiety medication to help relieve stress. I hope this helps. Best of luck. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.