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Why is my adopted cat pooping outside the litter box after vet check?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Ragdoll | Female | spayed | 10.5 lbs

I adopted a 10 y.o. female Ragdoll a couple of mos. ago. She poops outside the box. I've had her checked by a vet. All is normal. I have 2 other senior cats, 4 litter boxes. Any suggestions?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Shaneez Wallani, DVM

Answered By Shaneez Wallani, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 17th, 2019

It is possible that Abby is exhibiting signs of stress in her home environment. You can do the following to help make sure Abby’s environmental needs are being met. Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox, which it sounds like you already have. They should be at least 1.5 times the size of the largest cat. The boxes should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com, and Feliway Frineds, which can help cats get along with each other, in case there is conflict between the cats. https://www.feliway.com/ca_en/Products/FELIWAY-FRIENDS-Diffuser?
Defecation outside the litterbox can be due to infection, constipation, difficulty getting into the litterbox due to pain, or other reasons, so if these changes don't help, I recommend you have Abby seen by your veterinarian again as soon as you can to help determine the cause of his behaviour and to start treatment.
Vote Icon1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 1st, 2018

    You may want to try to add some feliway diffusers around the house. Feliway is a feline pheromone that can help with this type of behavior. If it continues I would talk to your vet about an anti-anxiety medicine to see if that helps as well. I hope he starts to feel better!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on October 31st, 2016

    A good first step anytime a cat has litter box issues is to schedule a veterinary check up. You may want to bring in a sample of Aurora's stool as well to check for common issues such as parasites.

    If she checks out healthy, looking to stress is the next step. Are there other cats in the house that may be blocking her from using the litter box when you are home? Are there enough boxes for each cat to use? Is the box too tall and hard to get into? Is there something that may be triggering her stress when you get home such as a young child or person that may be bothering her? Finding answers to these questions may help solve the issue. Other tools such as pheromone diffusers, adding in multiple litter boxes, or restricting house access may help with the issue as well.

    The following links about litter box issues in cats may also help you figure out a cause and solution: https://www.petcoach.co/article/?id=68 and https://www.petcoach.co/article/?id=51

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Dr. Davis

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 19th, 2018

    I recommend a veterinary exam, fecal and urinalysis. She may have a medical problem causing this. If she’s not spayed I would also have her spayed soon. That often will help this since she won’t constantly be in heat. In addition I would confine her to a small room with her food, water and litter box. Try different litters to fined which she’s uses best. After she is back to going in the box for several weeks then I would gradually let her out into a few other rooms. Most cats are clean and neat and don’t do this unless there is a medical problem. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Mimi.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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