Poopy Cat! Advice needed!

antigone · August 2009

We have three pets (or they have us). Louie the bulldog puppy (9 months old) and two cats, my baby Raoul (4 years old) and Mia (somewhere between 9-11 years).

The problem is this: Mia has always refused to pee in the litter box and I had solved the problem by using puppy pads. Lately, though, she's taken to pooping outside the box and every member of my family except me (son, daughter, husband) has had the misfortune to step in it.

We have 2 litterboxes and we keep them clean, so it's not that. I think it's a dominance issue with the dog. It's rather odd because Mia is not scared of Louie; in fact, he's intimidated by her. Raoul is a wimp and avoids confrontation, yet he keeps to his normal litter box habits and Mia's the one who is acting out.

This is not the first time she's pooped outside the box, but it used to be a very occasional thing. My husband has had it (especially after she jumped on the couch next to him and took a dump) and is about ready to get rid of her. Does anybody have experience with this problem? Would Kitty Prozac help?

saturdaysmama · August 2009

She's definitely sending you a message.....First, please rule out any medical issues.

Have you tried "cat attract" litter? It's a little expensive, but you can mix it with regular litter. Jackson had a month or so when he was peeing outside (I know it's not pooping, but I think it works for poop too) the box when I was traveling a lot, and that got him right back on track. No more incidents.

I have a friend who did the Prozac thing because his cat was peeing everywhere and it worked......ask the vet.

Please don't give up on her!

mille718 · August 2009

Here's a link. You can find it in most pet food stores

http://www.preciouscat.com/attract-litter-p-5.html

antigone · August 2009

Thanks, Flexi! I'm gonna check it out (I see that Hope Vet carries that brand of litter and they're a couple of blocks from us) and also make a vet appointment. I was out of town for a few days and the problem got worse when I was gone.

I don't want to give up on her. I feel that once you adopt an animal, it's a member of the family. My daughter Emma is particularly devoted to her. She is a sweet kitty, even if she does have "issues".

bigbobfromtheblock · August 2009

I agree that adoption = member of the family. You're not going to give away grandma when she gets a little crazy, are you?

I've never seen Cat Attract at the vet, but I have seen it at many pet food stores. Vets seem to always sell specialty (read: expensive) foods and things rather than commercially available stuff

mantic · August 2009

Mia may be sick. I'd have her checked out.

domino · August 2009

Totally agree - one of our male cats began to pee outside the litter box and the vet said that he had developed "crystals" - special food cleared it right up.

If it is NOT a medical issue, one step at a time. Have there been any changes in the household that the kitteh is not happy with?

If it is not a "message" or medical issue, it may simply be a new preference. I mean if the options were using nice soft areas versus hard gravelly areas - which would you choose? Once a cat starts pooping outside the box it requires patient re-training. Kitty Attract is a good start.

I am glad that you are committed to your furry family - good luck with retraining!

antigone · August 2009

Thanks for all the good advice. I'm calling Hope Vet today. I caught her in the act this morning! She was poised on the carpet in our 2nd floor hallway (her preferred pooping spot), with her butt pointed down. I chased her away and she sat on the stairs and glared at me.

My personal feeling is that she's making a statement but I will of course check out the medical angle. Not sure what medical condition would make a cat poop around, but you never know. We adopted Mia at the age of 5-7 (not really sure how old she was) and the first night she was here, she pooped on the couch. In retrospect, I bet that the reason she ended up at Kitty Kind was because of her "inappropriate elimination" issues.

I think she's stressed out by the dog, even though she stands up to him much more than our wimpy but adorable male cat does. As for changes in the household, it's been a gradual thing, but Louie is all over the place now. He often prefers to sleep with my husband and me rather than with our son. Mia is very territorial and may feel that her territory is being invaded.

lincolnp · August 2009

Sometimes cats go outside of the box because pooping/peeing is causing them pain and they associate the box with pain....that's why you need to rule out medical issues (crystals, UTI, etc.). I'm guessing Mia is just being a little shit :-)

raw · August 2009

The cat took a dump on the couch next to your husband? Sorry, but I'm still wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes. Oh, what a mess.... :pukel:

antigone · August 2009

^ I know, it's pretty funny. Well, my husband didn't think so at the time.

So here's the progress report on Poopy Mia. Took her to Hope Vet on Sunday. The vet took blood tests, and we should have the results today or tomorrow, but her feeling was that it's a psychological issue (I agree). She recommended isolating Mia in a small room with food, water and litter box. So that's what we've done. We're giving her antibiotics (for her rotten teeth/gums) and a tricyclic antidepressant. I feel bad for her, b/c the room is not air-conditioned but there is an open window and she's never been a big one for AC. And it's such a pleasure walking out of my bedroom NOT to find cat poop in the hallway! And not having to keep the bathroom door closed b/c she pees on the bathmats. She has gone in her litterbox and I'm hoping for the best, although she is 10 years old and this is deeply ingrained behavior.

It's pretty sad that we have a 9-month-old English bulldog puppy (and EB's are not known for being easy to train) who is much better house-trained than she is.

flavia · August 2009

Poor Mia. Although I am glad you're not stepping in shit any more. I'm still voting for a bag of cat attract litter....even when she's in her quarantine room. It put Jackson right back on track when he was "pissed off" (I had 2 foster kittens in my house, and then spent a lot of time traveling.....he peed on three kitty beds).

Louie is so smart. I'm still waiting for him to drive himself over here to chill in the yard :-)

antigone · August 2009

Is Cat Attract actually litter or just an additive to the litter? Whatever, I'm gonna check it out. You were right - I didn't find it at Hope Vet. I'll check Beastly Bite tomorrow. I feel so bad for Mia. And I feel like kind of an idiot because I should have dealt with this problem sooner.

Yeah, for a stubborn bulldog puppy (and bulldogs are supposedly low-rated when it comes to dog intelligence - pfft! like I believe that!), Louie has really caught on to the housetraining thing He runs downstairs and barks at the door when he has to go. Either that or he starts getting really annoying and nipping at us. Now if only we could address the chewing issue!

summer b · August 2009

you can do either an additive or the litter. I did the litter, and mixed it in with scoop away. I didn't expect the vet to carry it, but most pet supply places will.

I feel bad for Mia too. Can you go in there and give her special 1:1 time? Maybe make some phone calls, watch tv, read a book in there with just her......

antigone · August 2009

Well, I tried. I will keep trying but I'm really at my wits' end. She's miserable up there. She has pooped in the litterbox but she peed on the plastic sheet on top of the bed (her most intractable habit is peeing outside the box). I have tried to give her the medication via pill pockets, mashing the pills up in the food and orally, by forcing her mouth open, all to no avail (she just spit out a pill 2x).

Does anybody know about Depo Provera? It's supposed to be somewhat dangerous but it's also supposed to work for cat behavioral problems and is certainly preferable to giving away the cat. My mom said that one shot helped out her extremely timid cat for 3 months. Not that Mia is timid, but she obviously has issues and maybe DP would be helpful.

I'm gonna keep trying but I hate to think of her up in the small spare bedroom, feeling miserable. I think Raoul is upset by it too.

boozeandbeauty · August 2009

I'm a cat whisperer....get that cat some Cat Attract....also, is Mia into treats? My cats lurve treats. Take a pill and smash it up into two or three soft treats and then just act like it's no big deal

homeowner · August 2009

Find out from your doctor if you can crush the pill add water and administer orally. I did this for my cats with Vitaman C and used a small syringe without a needle. It worked like a charm.

drain.man · August 2009

^good advic too....get a syringe from local drug store. Mia won't be happy, but if she doesn't do it with treats, this will work

antigone · August 2009

Poopy cat update: The problem seems to be solved. I couldn't stand leaving Mia in solitary, so we returned her to Gen Pop last Thursday. Raoul and Louie were glad to see her! I had the brilliant idea that it might be a good idea to move the litterbox on the 1st floor that nobody uses. Don't ask me why I never thought of doing that before. So that litterbox is now in the bathroom on the 2nd floor and she's been using it! I think she's been peeing in that litterbox as well, but it's hard to tell who's peeing where. I still leave the pee pads out just in case, but the important thing is, she seems to have broken her poopy habit, for now at least.

Thanks for all the suggestions - I do intend to get some Cat Attract.

angiep007 · August 2009

What the hell is this "Cat Attract" thing? You can only change your cats litter box so many times but I feel that the real problem is a little more complex then that.
My cat loooooved to pee on my bath mat(s) at one point and the reason why he stopped eventually was because I gave him positive attention. What I mean by that is when whoever comes home from work first should greet the cat and give it an equal amount of attention (the same amount as if it were the puppy) The cat is obviously overwhelmed and struggling with territorial issues. She's needy and you need to play with her for half an hour or so after you get home from work or if you're staying at home, try this: before dinner time, tire her out. Cats are naturally nocturnal and take plenty of "cat naps" during the day so they are fully energized and ready to perform when their masters arrive from a long day away from home! Be sure you make her feel like she's in the spotlight for about an hour and talk to her in a calm and soothing voice (even if that means taking her into another room without your other pets around). She has special needs at this stage in her life and the last thing she needs is for you to get aggravated with her (even though you just want to strangle the life out of her at certain moments). Remember, she doesnt have a voice so all she has left is her animal instinctcs.

antigone · August 2009

Angie, thanks for the advice, but we've had Mia for nearly 4 years and she has always had litterbox aversion, especially when it comes to peeing in the box. I'll grant you that the inappropriate pooping seems to happen when she is upset about something, but the peeing (she likes bathmats as well - we have to hang ours up) has been a constant problem. She is a very territorial cat and in an ideal world would probably be the only animal in the household.

I don't know yet whether Cat Attract works. I was going to pick up some from Beastly Bite yesterday, but the smallish bag was so damn heavy! For the time being, though, moving the litterbox has worked wonders.

Some cats just plain don't like the litterbox for one reason or another. It's not really practical for me to spend a lot of time with the cats when I get home from work. The puppy is all in my face then and I have to walk him, etc. My male cat is fine with this, but you're right that Mia may be angry about it. The cats get their time when my husband and son come home and take over. The cats sleep with us; the dog sleeps upstairs in my son's room.

One thing that I have been doing with Mia lately is letting her sit out on the stoop with me when the puppy is in the front yard. She enjoys that a lot.

antigone · April 2010

I'm bumping up this thread from months ago to report that the poopy cat problem has been solved. Around the time Louie got big enough to snorfle in the litter boxes, I switched from blue crystal Fresh Step litter to World's Best Cat Litter. Stupid me, I didn't associate the litter change with Mia's problems. A couple of weeks ago, I ran out of World's Best and ran to Target to pick up the Fresh Step. Lo and behold, she has started using the litter box again.

Now my only problem is keeping Louie away from the boxes. He has a strange fascination for the blue crystals - likes to bury his bones in there. But I'll take that over poop on the floor any day!

The moral of the story is, some cats do not like change!

Poopy Cat! Advice needed!

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