How can I stop my cat crapping behind the sofa?

[DerangedSibyl]

it's getting me down to the point where I'm considering rehoming her. Only nobody would take her.

She's driving me NUTS.

She constantly pulls her fur out, she will NOT go outside without Wowwing piteously at the back door until I let her in, and she craps behind the sofa, stinking out my house. She does have a litter tray, which is changed regularly, and I cannot imagine what is making her behave so badly because she's always behaved like this. I don't know how to stop her.

Help! Or she's going to find herself in a wheelie bin!

[DrSeuss]

Orange peel although it must be replaced as soon as the scent fades or eucalyptus oil on cotton balls.

[DerangedSibyl]

Hmmmm - do you think karvol would work?

[Ooopsadaisy]

Is another cat getting into the house?

This is typical "territory worry".

The pooing may be re-marking territory where another cat has marked.

It is more common in males but not unknown for females.

[MadreInglese]

Put some little bowls of food where she's pooing

and get her checked at the vets to make sure it's not a symptom of something - with the fur pulling too she sounds stressed out about something

[missnevermind]

We were told to put pepper on the carpet.
Give it a good scrub and make sure it is dry first, then dust the area she usually soils with pepper. It sounds cruel but it is effective.

[DerangedSibyl]

I've had her at the vets, he says it is stress that makes her pull her fur but didn't offer any ideas.

I already keep her in.

Unfortunately this area is over run with cats and they do sometimes climb in through the kitchen window, however, she craps behind the sofa/tv/computer desk regardless.

I am, I must admit, utterly pissed off with her. She has always been extremely hard work because she's so neurotic and I'm so frustrated with her uninterest in using her litter tray properly.

It's as if she wants to be an outside cat without actually going outside.

[DerangedSibyl]

I've tried the food trick - it doesn't work. It's the only cat I've had that this HASN'T worked on, actually, it worked on my last one.

I've tried orange segments

I've tried cat repellent spray in the places she uses.

I wonder if she hasn't got a sense of smell!

[MadreInglese]

it must be driving you bonkers!

what about those pheromone diffuser thingies that are supposed to calm pets down? (no idea if they work)

or try another vet, it's not much good diagnosing the problem but not offering you any solution

[Fluffycloudland77]

I'd research the stress yourself, I've not found vets helpfull on animal behaviour. If they can't give you a medicine for it there lost.

It does sound like a very stressed animal though, one of our Persians was neurotic but she got better as she got older.