My Cat has a bad habit that I can`t understand. When I change his litter he will poop in it only once. I`m not talking that I don`t clean his box cause I do but he will poop in it once and then after that it is on the carpet beside the box. He use to use the bath tub for his poop and I think I would rather him do it there than on my carpet. Any reason for this behavior. He has always done it and he is going on 9 years old. Am I suppose to change his litter everyday just so that he will poop there everyday. He doesn`t have a problem peeing in it more than once just the poop. What to do???

"If your not in it for life, get a stuffed animal."

The only idea I have is to get one of those automatic kind of litter boxes. Shoot, I can't think of what they are called right now, but they have something that automatically does the litter...does anyone know what these are called? I hope somebody does or maybe you can figure out what i'm talking about. Anyway, it keeps the litter box just like you cleaned it somehow...

Puppy breath--ya gotta love it!!

Litter Maid I think...

Every single time he poops in it, scoop it out afterwards. Does he have diarrhea at all? The reason that he's not going in his box, or missing, may be a parasite or illness. Has he been to the vet recently and had a fecal done? My kitty used to poop under the crib and in the bathtub, and of course, but very rarely, in the litter box. Come to find out that he had roundworms (from the kitten) and they were causing him to have excessive diarrhea. He also ingested a giant hairball (also from the kitten), but that's a different story, but at the same time. The point is, if you haven't gotten a fecal done yet, get one. In the meantime, just obsessively clean his litter box. You can use a bit of that litter freshener they sell at walmart to make it seem a bit cleaner to kitty. I don't understand how people can leave their litterboxes for a week without scooping the poop. After box my kitties go potty in theirs, the whole house stinks, so I obsessively clean it. Call me a freak but my house smells good.

Bar B,
Oh, I just noticed your also in North Carolina. Where abouts?

His stool sample was negative for worms. He has had tape worms twice in his whole entire life but no other worms. He is indoors always. Even if I clean the poop out immediately after he poops he will not use the box again, only just for urine. I don`t understand it. Is he just spoiled? He doesn`t have diarrhea. I just can`t figure him out. He has done this for 9 years so is it a habit? His box is in the spare room (my computer room) so he has all the privacy in the world. I think I will try freshening after each poop and change maybe every three days? Does that sound like it would make a difference?

From Faith, NC.

"If your not in it for life, get a stuffed animal."

It may make a difference, but really it depends on what he wants (I think EVERYONES cats are spoiled, including mine ). Since he's been doing it for the past nine years, it may be hard to break him of it. What you can try is putting aluminum foil in the spots he poops (the bathtub, next to the box, or wherever else), cats hate the way it feels and sounds. Immediately clean up the feces (as I'm sure you do) with vinegar and sprinkle baking soda on it. Then vacuum it up, it neutralizes the scent so he'll be less likely to potty on it. Good luck!

Oh and I'm in Havelock, NC.

I changed his litter just yesterday and like always he immediately did his pee and poop. I cleaned it up for i was watching him knowing how he does when i first put the clean litter down. Then this morning guess what is beside the litter box???? Yep, you guessed it. He is a one time only kind of cat but just with the poop.

"If your not in it for life, get a stuffed animal."

Did you try the litter freshener I told you about? Have you tried switching litters? I use crystal blends, not only does it last longer, but my cat stopped missing the box. LOL.
You could also try those Pine Nugget litters. I THINK they may sell them at WalMart, but I do know they sell them at petco, petsmart and some pet stores. I could just be his litter.
I hope you can break him of this nasty habit!

I will try everything. I thought since his litter was fresh and being that I took the poop out right away then maybe he would reuse but didn`t.

"If your not in it for life, get a stuffed animal."

What a butt! LOL. Let us know what works!

Hi Bar B. I hate to say this, but at 9 years, he might never change.

Our Siamese, CryBaby, was put outside many years ago for defecating and urinating everywhere in our home. We had him from a tiny kitten. While still a kitten, we had him neutered and declawed. For a couple of years there were no problems. Then one day he began defecating anywhere except the litter box. I had him checked by our vet, but he was given a clean bill of health. Nothing had changed about the litter or box, and we use liners. We tried everything. Neither our vet nor we could figure out why he began this.

We experimented, tolerated and cleaned as long as we could. But, when you have an adult cat that defecates on your sofas, pillows, beds, behind the dryer, etc; you reach your limits quickly. Eventually, we put him outside completely. I know that is terrible. But, he has been outside for years and is now 11 years old and completely healthy. He never leaves the yard and has access to ledges, low limbs, garage, etc. He can also scale a brick wall several feet up - just like climbing a tree.

I grew up with cats inside the home. They have always been a part of our lives. He is the first one that has ever had this problem. We do feel that he has some mental impairments. He has never acted quite like other cats. There are days when he rubs all over us and other days when he runs and hides - like he doesn't know who we are. Sometimes, we just call him CB for CryBaby or CRAZYBaby.

Abortion Stops A Beating Heart

I have a female that does that - I've even tried having several litter boxes - but she'll only go once per place. She was fine for about three years and now isn't - vet checked ok - everything I can think of - I don't want to put her out because this is the one that the vets here won't spay.
Any additional suggestions?

Thanks Rayna for the info. Thank goodness he is not doing his business on the furniture or my bed. I tried freshening his box after each use but it didn`t keep him pooping in his box so what I have done to not aggrevate the situation is put a soft washable rug under his litter box to catch his habit. This way all I have to do is change the rug out with a clean one. Doesn`t do much for Tinker changing his habit but it has helped from staining my carpet after I have shampooed. He just refusses to reuse his just changed litter after one poop. Don`t understand it but if he starts doing his business in other places we will have to come to terms. He is declawed so I will not put outdoors, nor will I rehome so we`ll try this and see if it will just save the carpet.

"If your not in it for life, get a stuffed animal."

Ahhh, that's where the problem lies. I was unaware that he was declawed.

I am strongly against it, but I won't burn you since you made the choice. Hopefully you researched or had your vet tell you what the procedure was before you went through with it.

Can I ask how old Tinker was when he was declawed?

One of the repercussions of getting a cat declawed is urinating/defecating outside of the litterbox. Since this may be the problem, Rayna is right, he may never change. By no means it's not your fault, you didn't know that it would happen, but you can make it more comfortable for him (as it could be the reason he won't use the box, perhaps it's painful on his little kitty paws), try using a fine sand in his box. I've heard this works great on declawed cats.

I do want to give you a site or two explaining what the process was, and what happens after a kitty gets declawed, which may explain why Raynas kitty acts crazy, since he is also declawed.

Here are a few links:
The Truth About Declawing
Declaw Site
Pictures of Declawing
The Aftermath
More About the Repercussions

DF, you might be right. But, in CryBaby's case, I don't think the declawing caused his problem. He was declawed at about 7 or 8 weeks along with his neutering. For over 2 years he used the litter box like any other cat.

I understand about the declawing. I did the research and even understand the controversy. But, we have owned several declawed cats. We have never had a problem. I do wonder if problems occur when a cat is declawed at an older age.

Due to a little "play" in our front door frame, CryBaby can grip the brass kickplate with his "toes" and move the door to make it sound like someone is knocking at the door. He climbs trees, and goes STRAIGHT up the brick walls of the house and garage. I think his declawing at such a young age made him think it is natural not to have claws.

Bar B, if the litter is the problem - hurting his paws, try shredded newspaper. If you have a shredder, it won't be much difficulty at all. The soft newsprint won't hurt his feet.

Abortion Stops A Beating Heart

I just wanted to add some more information on declawing - based on personal experience.

I have had two cats declawed, the others were already declawed when they joined our family. The two that I had declawed were tiny kittens. One came back the same day and one stayed overnight. Neither one ever wore any type of bandage like those in the pictures. Neither one ever walked gingerly or strangely - even when they first got home. I was very thorough with the shredded paper in the litter boxes, cleanliness of my floors, and administering the antibiotics.

Declawing is also being done by laser, at least in our area.

I am not advocating declawing. I know that it is painful and considered to be a form of mutilation. But, one of the reasons for adopting some of the older cats in our family was due to the fact that they were already declawed. We love cats and enjoy letting them have the run of the house. But, I have too much money invested in our home and furnishings to risk destruction, which can come quickly from clawing.

RJ, our last adoption, can scale our 7 foot livingroom cabinets. Then, he sits haughtily over us lowly beings. He was completely declawed by his previous owner. At 7 years of age, he probably would not have lasted at the shelter. His declawing was one of the factors in our adoption.

Abortion Stops A Beating Heart

Yes it is considered a form of mutilation. In many countries and a few cities here in the states, it is considered illegal and animal abuse. Completely goes over my head as to why it's still legal here.

Even if your cat did use the litter box okay for 2 years, the problems could have shown up later.

Also, laser declawing is just as bad. It may be cleaner and at less risk for infection, but it's still painful in the long run and can cause problems in the future.

Regardless, I would never do that to my cats. The reason I got into this controversy was because my husband said he wanted to get Kibbers declawed. I researched and told him what I had learned, and now we are both strongly against it.

Even if you are very thorough with the cleanliness and health of the cats after the surgery, it can still happen.

I checked is records and he was close to 5 months old. I think he was a mothers day kitten born around that time or possibly a little later. Then 5 months after that he was neutered cause he started spraying in the house. Was he too old to have declawed at that age? I was advised to use the newspaper for his litter while he recovered and did. I don`t remember him having troubles. It was only till I moved in our second home that he started to use the bath tub to do his business in. That has been close to 7 years now. My second home was newly built.

"If your not in it for life, get a stuffed animal."

I had NO idea I did such destruction to my Tinker. I just looked at the first site and had to close the page. I thought this was just a simple procedure to stop them from shredding the furniture. I couldn`t let him be an outside cat cause of where I lived when I got him. No outdoor pets allowed. He had stopped using the scratching post that i had bought for him and started using the sides of the couch. I guess he is just paying me back for what I did to him unknowingly. He walks normal and runs like a wild cat but I can`t help to think that he probably remembers his recovery. He did have pain pills but had trouble with one stitch. I will try the sand litter again but he didn`t really seem to like it the other times I had tried it. Now I feel soooooo bad.

"If your not in it for life, get a stuffed animal."