Cats are one of the loving pets to all the pet lovers. One can’t keep their eyes off of their cute little cats looking at their actions. But, the moment when you shift your eyes away from your cat, it may poop in the wrong spot of the house instead of the litterbox.
Cats are the most disciplined creatures among the pet animals that love to bury their poop. Cats mostly access the litter box to squeeze out their poop instead of pooping in different places of the house.
Why is your cat pooping outside litter box? Cats may poop outside the litterbox due to various health issues and some of the behavioral problems. If your fully-trained cat abruptly stops using the litter box and poops outside then, it must be addressed as soon as possible.
We have enlisted the reasons behind your cat pooping outside of the litter box. After tracking down the problem behind your cat’s abnormal behavior of pooping outside, you can use effective tips to treat this issue. Here are a handful number of ways to stop your cat from pooping outside the litter box.
Contents
Why is My Cat Pooping Outside Litterbox?
Cats are quite good at concealing their illnesses. Cats don’t easily exhibit their health problems before their pet parents. One of the simplest ways to identify if your cat is suffering from any health issue or not is to look at the bathroom habits of your cat.
Even after rigorous training, if your cat is still pooping outside of the litter box, it is considered abnormal behavior. It could be because of some underlying medical issues, stress, and behavior problems in your cat. Apart from these, there are copious reasons behind your cat not pooping in litter box.
1. Underlying Medical Conditions
If your cat is suffering from any underlying health problem, it may defecate outside the litterbox. For instance, if your feline is suffering from diarrhea or constipation, your cat may have the urge to defecate the feces outside the body and they couldn’t make it to the litterbox in that particular situation.
Though the cat decided to poop inside the litterbox, it suddenly dropped outside the litterbox due to a constipation problem, then this issue will be temporary. However, this kind of condition should last for only a limited period.
But, if this problem continues and your cat is still pooping outside the litterbox then, you must understand that there is some underlying health condition. Aged cats suffering from Arthritis may poop outside the litter box as they won’t be able to climb onto the box and shed out their feces.
Other medical issues that your cat may face include hyperthyroidism, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney problems, urinary tract infection, gastrointestinal disease, digestive problems, diabetes, cognitive dysfunction, matted fur, etc. Because of the aforementioned health problems, your cat may defecate outside the litterbox.
2. A New Home
Have you recently shifted to a new house? It could be another reason behind your cat pooping outside the litter box. Whenever your cat experiences a change in the cat’s environment like a new house, it leads to a change in the behavior of your feline.
Sometimes, your cat may suffer from stress due to a change in the living space. Until your cat gets habituated to its new territory, your cat may continue to poop outside the litterbox. If this behavior continues even after adapting to the situation, it might be a serious concern.
3. Behavioral Problems
The behavioral problems in the cat may overlap with the environmental problems that could cause stress and anxiety in the felines. In general, we can witness behavioral issues among the cats when there is a change in the family like new people coming into the house, shifting to a new home, renovating the house, etc.
4. Stress / Anxiety
Not only humans, but cats can also experience stress when their routine is disturbed. Stress is another reason behind the cat poops outside the litter box. If you bring another cat to your house, your first cat may feel stressed about the new pet in the home.
The change in the household also causes stress among the cats. Sometimes, even loud noises can make your cat stressed. Anxiety is another cause of cat pooping outside the litterbox. If your cat has some dispute with other cats, they tend to feel anxious.
Sometimes, introducing your cat to strangers, and boredom also cause anxiety in cats. However, change is an unavoidable thing but still, you need to understand your cat’s situation and try to change its routine accordingly. In addition to this, try to praise your cat and often give them treats so that your cat can adapt to the change comfortably and reduce their anxiety.
5. Issues with Litter Box
Cats are extremely fussy about their requirements like pooping needs. If your cat has issues with the litter box, it tends to poop outside the litter box. If you change the litterbox, your cat doesn’t like to poop in the new one. Some of the issues that your cat may encounter with the litter box include the following:
- Smelly Litterbox: If the odor of the litter box is unpleasant, your cats are vulnerable to poop outside. Even if your cat is trained for years to poop inside the litter box, your cat may reject to do so if it is too smelly.
- Incorrect Location of the Litterbox: If you unknowingly placed the litterbox in an incorrect place then, your cat couldn’t find its location. Moreover, if your cat is older and suffering from some health issue like dementia then, changing the litter box location may create much more problems for the cat.
- Litter box is dirty: Cleanliness is highly important for your cats. If the litterbox is dirty, the cats wish to poop outside the box.
- Small Litter box: The size of the litter box also matters when the cat is trying to defecate. If your cat is getting bigger but you haven’t changed the small one, your cat can’t move freely inside the box.
- Litter Box is guarded: If you have more than one cat in your house but there is only one litter box and it is being guarded by another cat, your cat tends to poop outside the box. The dominant cats prevent the other cats from accessing the litter box.
- Change of Litter Box Type: If you change the litter box, your cat doesn’t like to poop in it. Your cat may not like the texture and type of the litter box. Sometimes, other factors like the height, size, type, scent, and type of entry into the litter box may impact the dislike of your cat towards the litter box.
- Inadequate Litter Boxes: If you have two or more cats in your house but the number of litter boxes is less, it could be a problem. Few cats don’t like to share the litter box with others. Sometimes, having less number of litterboxes could make them much more dirty. All these issues can make your cat not poop in the litter box.
6. Other Health Issues
Another health problem that may cause your cat to poop outside is the difficulty in remembering the location of the litter box. If your cat is suffering from feline interstitial cystitis or an inflamed bladder, your cat may poop outside the litter box. Some other health issues your cat may be suffering include pain and fatigue.
7. Fear
Fear can be another reason behind your cat pooping outside of the litter box. When your cat is scared due to loud noises, entry of strangers into the house, and for some other reasons, your cat may prevent pooping outside the litter box.
When your cat has experienced fear due to some unpleasant situation, the feline will avoid using the litter box. Usually, cats at their younger age may spark fear in them that in turn leads to pooping outside the litterbox.
8. A New Cat
If you bring a new cat into your house then, your old cat may not be able to take the change. As an additional cat is entered into the house as a new family member, your old cat feels stressed which leads to some behavioral change. This results in your cat pooping outside the litter box.
9. Territorial Behavior
Mostly, cats are territorial animals. Due to their territorial behavior, cats usually bury their poop after shedding the feces out of the body. Once the cat claims its territory, it owns the place and wishes to poop in that particular place. Cats are very much keen on marking their objects. Once they feel that the litter box is their property, they try to mark it.
10. Untrained Kitten
As kittens, they don’t know how to use the litter box. The pet parents need to teach the kittens about the use of the litter box to defecate. However, kittens are quick learners.
11. Cat Might Have Arthritis
Cats suffering from Arthritis might experience pain and they’re unable to climb into the box. They can’t sit in the squatting posture to defecate in the litter box due to arthritis. If your cat is suffering extremely from arthritis pain, you must take your cat to the vet.
12. Litterbox Cover
If the litterbox is closed or covered with a lid, your cat couldn’t control its poop coming out. This tends to your cat pooping outside litter box. If your cat is striving hard to poop, try to remove the litter box’s cover.
How to Stop Cat to Poop Outside Litterbox?
Wondering how to stop your cat pooping outside litter box? There are several ways to prevent your cat from pooping outside the litter box. Till now, you’ve seen the multiple reasons behind your cat not pooping inside the litter box.
Unless and until, your cat is pooping outside the litterbox for some underlying medical condition, you need not worry about this behavior. However, you can prevent your cat from doing so by following specific tips and techniques.
If you’ve already consulted your veterinarian and ruled out the health issues your cat may be suffering from pooping outside the litter box, you can implement the techniques mentioned below so that your cat poops inside the litter box.
1. Clean the Litterbox
Cleaning the litter box frequently is the most important tip to help prevent your cat pooping outside the litter box. If the litter box isn’t clean and causes a bad smell, your cat doesn’t wish to defecate in the litter box. Hence, it is highly recommended to scoop the litter box daily and clean it frequently.
It is advisable to replace the litter box weekly and make sure that you clean the litter box deeply every month. While cleaning the litter box, you need to use warm water and mild dish soap. Rinse the box with clean water and allow it to dry for some time in the natural air.
Further, pour some unscented litter into it so that it will be appealing to your cat. Whenever you hold the cat’s litter box, use rubber gloves and a face mask. By doing so, you can secure yourself from the dust, bacteria, and bugs spreading on your hands.
2. Purchase a New Litter Box at least Once a Year
Changing the litter box once in a while to help your cat defecate freely is very much essential. If you’re using a plastic litter box then, it may cause a dirty smell. In such a case, it’s better to purchase a new litter box at least once a year.
Your cat may feel uncomfortable pooping inside a smelly litter box. Hence, try to bring a new litter box every year to evade this discomfort to your cat. If you don’t want to make yearly investments in the litter box, make sure you clean the litter box frequently to prevent the buildup.
3. Buy a Litterbox of Different Size
Luckily, litter boxes are designed in a variety of sizes, patterns, styles, and designs. If you think that the currently used litter box is very small, you can get a big one. Your cat may be striving hard to sit on a small litter box. Try to get a big litter box.
If your cat is old and short, it requires a litter box with lower sides. Your feline friend needs to feel comfort while trying to turn around to cover up its stool. Few cats tend to use open litter boxes rather than closed ones. So, try to get a bigger litter box to accommodate your cat.
4. Use Multiple LitterBoxes
Using a single litter box for multiple cats in your house may lead your cat to poop outside the litter box. As there is only one litter box, your cat doesn’t like using the same one for pooping. The best way to stop your cat from pooping outside because of this reason is to bring multiple litter boxes.
Your cat may not like sharing the litter box with other cats in the house. Sometimes, one cat may guard its litter tray and doesn’t let the other cat share it for pooping. In such a case, providing a different litter box for each cat would be advisable.
5. Clean the Area Around the Litterbox
Another solution to prevent your cat from pooping outside the litter box is to clean the surroundings of the litter box. If the surrounding area of the litter box is dirty, your cat may not like to use the box to defecate. Ensure to clean the surroundings of the litter box so that your cat can poop comfortably.
6. Check the Location and Change It
Cats are one of the fussy and sensitive pets. Mostly, cats tend to feel stressed easily if the situation or the location is not in their favor. Even a small sound could make your cat feel stressed.
If you change the location of the litter box, your cat may not be able to access it. To evade such a thing, you need to place the litter box in a private place and easily accessible to the cat.
7. Put Some Obstacles
If your cat is selecting other places instead of pooping inside the litter box, try to hinder those places by blocking them. As your cat cannot access the blocked areas, your cat will choose the litter box to shed its feces.
If this solution doesn’t work, try to use a feline-safe deterrent to spray the location where your cat is pooping. By smelling the spray, your cat doesn’t wish to poop outside the litter tray.
8. Check the Accessibility of Litterbox
Place the litter box in a location in the house where your cat can access it easily. If you place the litter box near a washing machine or a place where there is a loud sound, your cat won’t access the litter box due to the disturbing noise.
Also, don’t place the litter tray next to your cat’s food bowl. No one likes to poop sitting next to the food tray they eat. Even a pet like the cat doesn’t like to do so. Make sure that you have placed the litter box in an ideal place that can be easily accessible by your feline friend.
When to Call a Vet of Cat Pooping Outside Litterbox?
Have you tried all the solutions? Even then, if your cat’s behavior hasn’t changed and continued to poop outside the litter box then, it’s time to call a vet. Before visiting the vet, deeply observe your cat’s food habits, stool consistency, and bowel movements.
If your cat has a low appetite, struggling to defecate, and if there is blood or mucus in the cat’s feces then, it’s time to take your cat to the vet. If your cat is pooping outside continuously for several days in a row then, you need to consult your veterinarian to rule out the underlying health conditions.
Mostly, cats may change their routine behavior and do something unusual whenever they feel sick. Once you take your cat to the vet, he/she will diagnose the health problem and provide necessary medication.
Your vet will examine the feline physically by performing specific tests like X-ray, abdominal ultrasound, blood report, etc. If they find anything wrong with the health condition of your cat, they will provide the right treatment and medication.
Conclusion
That’s all! This is everything you need to learn about the causes and tips to prevent your cat pooping outside litter box. Once you notice that your cat isn’t using the litter box to poop in and doing it somewhere else then, figure out the reason behind it and try the right solution to prevent this issue.
We’ve covered all the reasons behind your cat pooping outside the litterbox and the ways to prevent your cat from pooping outside the litterbox in this article. If you don’t find any change in its behavior, try to consult your veterinarian to rule out the underlying health issues of your cat.
If you’ve any queries about this topic, feel free to ask us in the comments section. Visit our website TheCrazyCats.Net for more articles related to cats, other pets, pet behavior, health issues, food habits, and a lot more.
