Ideas please - litter tray/ toilet

[Butterflywings168]

So I thought I had been smelling that Madame ButterflyCat had pooped...went to investigate and found while most of it was in the litter tray, bits were outside.
She has never had any accidents/ misdemeanours before - she is an 8yo rescue cat. I've had her 2 weeks ish.
Just wondering what could have caused this? She doesn't seem stressed/ unhappy but am now worried
She was allowed out into the garden for the first time today and was a bit freaked out by neighbours' dog barking...but otherwise enjoyed it.
Come to think of it, she SHOT into the living room and hid under a table for a minute earlier...this may have been around the same time..
I wondered if something had scared her, maybe that she heard/ saw/ sensed outside?
Just wondering what could be going on?

When Little Monsieur came to live with me last summer, I sometimes found poo-ey foot-prints about the place. I think the general excitement etc. of a new home can cause them to become a bit loose. The barking dog could have caused a bit of a bowel emergency.

What are you feeding her? Cereal free is best. A lot of cats are intolerant to grains.

P.S. and I'd be keeping her indoors for another 2 weeks, then supervised garden trips. You don't want her getting spooked and running off. She needs to familiarise/bond herself with her core territory.

Sorry to have to ask questions of detail - but needs must and so on. Did she actually have diarrhoea-type squitters outside the box or was it more that some portions of her poo fell close by?

(I'm assuming from what you said that she poo'd in the box - more or less - but some stuff was just outside it. That's actually quite good news if so.)

Ah. Turdlets.

I'd be overjoyed if this happened seldom enough that I wanted littertray advice on it to be honest. The trays here have high sides and yet probably once a fortnight at least someone manages to get distracted before they're done, or misses their aim, or kicks one out during some particularly energetic digging.

Sigh and scoop, is my solution. Oh and watch out in bare feet in the middle of the night.

• NB: if it's the runs as cozie asked then that's different, or if the entire poo is outside the box -

Just seen you've only had her two weeks. Bang on schedule then!

One small tip from things I've noticed. I've found that if you have a dog - or possibly a long-haired cat I guess - they can sometimes pick up and ingest long hairs which pass through the system but have the effect of 'connecting' what might otherwise be separate sections of poo. (ie one which is inside but not quite ready to exit can be connected to one which has exited.) This can have the effect of leaving a small section of poo 'dangling' - because cats don't actually check and wipe their backsides but rather just give a squeeze and a shake - and the stray poo section will fall off but not necessarily in - or even near - the tray. A spread out broadsheet newspaper under the tray is useful if your cat is prone to this.

(Sorry if that's all TMI.)

A covered litter tray could be a solution? My littlest one really likes to dig, and fling stuff about. If it wasn't lidded, the walls, and possibly the ceiling, would probably be Jackson Pollacked with poo. Shitty Chic.

Sorry, I'm at "portions of poo".

What cozie said. My boys like to eat grass which has a shish kebab skewer effect on their poos sometimes. So they come out of the tray with a clag that drops off as they walk out of the tray. Nice!!

Thank you everyone.
I was more worried that it meant she was unhappy/ ill, than annoyed.
It wasn't runny or anything, perfectly normal. And yes, mostly in the box.
RubbishMantra I am feeding her standard cat food atm, but yes, have read that it contains grains which cats don't need. I didn't want to change her diet at the same time as her coming to a new home, obv, but will look into healthier diets once she's fully settled... And yes, I will keep her in a bit longer...Cats Protection said a minimum of 2 weeks...and she was looking so longingly out of the windows!
shitty chic, that describes my abode now tbh. She's not really a flinger of litter, just the odd few bits food is another matter, she drags it out of the bowl, WHY
Haha shaska, yes bang on schedule, I think I can deal with it every 2 weeks.
cozie and code, yep, I don't have other pets but I have noticed the connected/ kebab thing with my hair!
Ah well. I am reassured that she's fine and I need to stop being so pfb, she's currently asleep next to me on the sofa and probably just got distracted or spooked mid-poop by something!