Poo!

[popmimiboo]

15 year old healthy female cat is pretty much an indoor cat (pops out for a stroll in the garden now and then) and uses her litter tray in the upstairs bathroom, no problem.

Yesterday, I got home after work to an absolute stench. Dashed upstairs, thinking there must be a poo in the litter box but nothing. Cat is mewing loudly from living room. Came down, went in the living room to discover a huge pile of poo ON THE SOFA with cat sitting on the arm of sofa, mewing happily and smirking.

I removed poo, cleaned with a gentle
disinfectant spray (fabric sofa) and sprinkled with bicarb which I hoovered off a bit later. Aired the house, lit candles etc.

Wrote it off as a random incident but she's gone and done the same thing today! I was only out 1/2 hour and came back to smell, poo on sofa, smug looking cat sitting proudly next to it

So, what the heck is going on?? Litter is clean and accessible. She doesn't appear to be ill, has not been eating anything different...??

[Fluffycloudland77]

Is another cat sneaking in? She might be as outraged as you.

[popmimiboo]

No other possible culprit. We have a cat flap into the basement but the door to the main house was closed.

I've laid bubble wrap on the sofa to discourage her and am trying to be as nice as possible to the wicked cat in case she's upset about something. (Really can't see any reason for her to be upset but she is extremely touchy so who knows?)

Think I'll leave her in the basement (with food, water and cushion, plus cat flap to go out if she wants) tomorrow when I go to work though.

[RubbishMantra]

Maybe she's having problems with stairs - at her age she could have arthritis. Try another litter tray on ground level.

[RubbishMantra]

*If it is arthritis (ascertained by vet), there's an experienced poster on here who will assure you that it can be treated very efficiently with pain meds.

[popmimiboo]

Nope, she's a skinny, long legged and very agile old girl, perfectly able to whizz up to dd's attic room when the mood takes her!

Today was wee in the same place which is probably worse for cleaning up. I'm sure it's more psychological than physical but don't understand why!

[Wolfiefan]

My older cat wouldn't use a litter tray in old age. Thinning skin and sensitive paws or just diva?!
Shut her out of the living room?
Use proper stuff designed to kill all wee and poo smell.
And get the possibility of arthritis checked out. Our old girl didn't show many obvious symptoms until it was really bad.

[gamerchick]

Shut her out of the living room and other rooms with soft furniture, make a comfy bed and bring the litter tray downstairs and see what happens. It could be the litter she doesn't like, it could be pain or her toodles might be going. But I really probably would whip her in for a check up anyway.

[popmimiboo]

Unfortunately we can't keep her out of the loving room (open plan) but she has abruptly chosen the front porch as her new snoozing spot and has been doing her business outside!

She's also taken a fancy to dd's art project:

[popmimiboo]

Oops, LIVING room (though loving room sounds cool!)

[Sadandconfusednamechanger]

My cat started peeing and pooing on the sofa whenever there was something wrong with his litter tray. He wouldn't use it when I changed cat litter or if there was a poo in there already.
Would second the poster who says that if you don't completely remove all trace of the smell, it happens again and again.