Cat has just pooed on the couch!

[MinesaBottle]

Just that really! Cleaned his box a few days ago. He's 3, neutered and has never done this before. It was a dry, healthy looking poo iyswim, so at least didn't take much cleaning up.

DH wants to punish him but as we weren't there there doesn't seem much point. I'm going to take cat to the vet to get checked out but I can't work out why this happened and therefore how to stop it happening again.

Has anyone got any advice?

You can't punish a cat, they don't associate the crime with the punishment.

Was his tray clean of wee and poo?
Have you washed it in strong smelling detergent or disinfectant?
Has his litter type been changed?.
Has another cat got in & pooed or freaked him out enough to try and scent Mark?

It's odd for a cat to poo in his own house for no reason.

When you say you cleaned his box a few days ago, presumably that means a full empty and scrub which is over and above clearing out poos and wee clumps at least daily?

Yep, the full clean which I do weekly. I've cleaned it again this morning after his possible dirty protest. He had a wee earlier but otherwise no clumps or poo in the box. Haven't changed the litter type and I don't use anything strong smelling to clean the box.

He's tried to mark the couch a couple of times so I'm wondering if it's a territory thing? Or something wrong down below - he's been licking himself more than usual since last night. He's going to the vet in the morning to get checked over in case something is wrong.

As for punishment, of course there's been none - DH credits him with more reasoning power than he actually has, I think. So he's ignoring the cat but there's no point in punishing him!

Maybe he was just napping and got caught short, it happens to the best of them.
Other than the only other reason why he might do this would be invarion of his territory by another cat - ,aybe another cat came in through the cat flap.
Smoky always leaves a big steaming one in the same place on the front drive flower bed to keep other cats away.

Could also be blocked anal glands too.

Is he a fluffy beast? Sometimes they just get a lump stuck to their pantaloons and it falls off somewhere else.

Hm, he's not fluffy, he definitely used the couch as a toilet - it was a proper, normal poo. We don't have a catflap, he comes and goes through the patio doors. It may be that another cat was in the garden but as the doors were shut earlier he couldn't get to it to chase it off?

Sorry, still what cleaning do you do of the litter tray. You do a full change and clean weekly, do you do daily as well?

Do you clean the trays daily as well as the full change once a week?

How do you punish a cat???

Yes I clean daily as in remove poos and clumps and scoop out any that looks especially urine-soaked. He would go on the floor if I didn't! Once a week is the full scrub and total litter change, more if he's managed to smear the inside (it's a covered box).