Is there anything we can do about this poo issue?

[Stormwhale]

Dcat is getting on a bit, and lately has been making a bit of a mess. When she uses her litter tray, she is stepping in the poo, then leaving very quickly and flicking poo coated litter around the place. Sometimes her poo is also stuck to her bum so she may drop some of that everywhere too. She does then clean herself up, but not before spreading poo everywhere.

I have had to put a pet gate across dds bedroom door so she cannot go in there as it seemed to be a firm favourite to use the tray then run straight onto dds bed. Yuck. This morning I found poo all over the dining table.

She is on a good food, Purina one for seniors, has had a recent check up at the vets so we know she is in good health. Have you got any ideas that might help this situation? After repeatedly finding poo on the sofa, floor, tables, windowsills, beds etc I am reaching the end of my tether with it and it's getting me down.

Her tray is scooped daily and cleaned weekly. It is not ever old poo, it's the new poo she has just done, so cleaning the tray more isn't going to help.

Does she like dry food? Could you try a bigger dry ratio to make harder stools.

Hi @TheQueef she is only on a dry food as the vet felt it was best for her teeth. She has been for about 4 years.

Is it formed or runny poo?

It's formed poo. It's soft enough that if she steps in it though it sticks to her. I'm not sure why time to time it sticks to her bum rather than falling away, as it's not soft.

Purina one is full of wheat so if they are sensitive to grains (a lot of cats are) thrn it could cause loose stools. Maybe try a food with more meat that is grain free

One of my cats used to do that as a kitten and I had to run his paws under the tap on several occasions

@dementedpixie she has been on the Purina foods for about 7 years and moved to the senior one about 2 years ago. Would you think a sensitivity would emerge after all that time or would it be something that we would have seen before?

Also, she often uses the tray to poo in the night so I wouldn't be able to stop her and clean her up unfortunately.

Is the tray big enough? Is she just stiff and less able to squat properly orcover up the poo?

If she is still agile you could try a top loader, they have a feet wipe area to help with tracking.
Can't think of owt other than a scissor trim for her stinky clinker.

Have you thought of putting a bath mat outside the tray that way your cat may wipe her feet when she comes out? I use this for my cat (although once or twice my other cat who really likes her bury her business ended up bringing the bath mat into the litter tray!!)

At the moment she has a large covered tray with a litter catching mat. She is only a small cat so definitely enough room for her. She is still agile, and runs around very fast so I don't think she is getting stiff.

I'm going to look into the top loader as I have never heard of it. Stinky clinker made me chuckle. Thank you.

www.wilko.com/en-uk/curver-petlife-covered-pet-litter-tray-black/p/0335059?nst=0&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvISexZnZ3gIVgxbTCh2K-QeaEAkYBCABEgJFTPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

This is the one she has now and has pretty much always had this style. Do you think she would be able to adapt to the top loader style?

We have this one and my cats didn't have any trouble adapting at all, and it's in better than the others for mess reduction.

https://m.petplanet.co.uk/p31150/roundcattlitterboxxtopopenn_white.aspx

Yeah she should be fine if she's nimble.
We have a couple of variations on Hmming link but our primary aim was more height, to keep a very disgusting and filthy French poodle out.

Thank you for the recommendation. I think we will give it a try. Hopefully the process of having to jump out will mean the poo and litter will drop off her paws before she can spread it everywhere.

Tbh Purina isn’t a good food. The only decent foods for cats are grain free with a high meat content and wet is better. Dry food puts real strain on their kidneys (and doesn’t really improve dental health, despite some vets still saying this). It might well be giving her dodgy guts. I would try to gradually switch to a better food brand and incorporate some wet in her diet too.

toomuchhappyland out of interest, what makes you think that about dry food? Our cat has both dry and wet, but if she has too much wet her poops are soft or worse she's on a good, grain free diet, it's definitely not allergies

Do some reading on it - it’s wyoye widely documented. The problem is cats are naturally designed to get moisture from their prey (a mouse is more than 80% moisture) ywhich means they have a relatively poor sense of thirst. They only drink water when they feel really thirsty. If their diet is exclusively dry, they tend to be chronically mildly dehydrated and over time, this puts strain on the kidneys. Regarding teeth, most cats swallow dry food whole, and even if they chew it, it’s not abrasive enough to really do anything. I leave dry food down for my cats (Applaws, which is grain free and has a high meat content) but I feed them wet twice a day. I use either Nature’s Menu pouches or Alimonda Carny, both grain free and 70% meat.

Oh and cats only get bad teeth if they eat sugary food - most commercial brands are very sugary. Again, switching to a better brand eliminates sugar. Lily’s kitchen is another good one, forgot about that.

My cats don't drink much out of their bowl but will drink from our manky green pond water! There is a plant pot of rain water outside and I saw one of mine drinking from that yesterday too. I give Encore dry (80% meat and grain free , sold in asda) but they won't eat the 'good' wet food if it's pate style.

toomuchhappyland

I have read around it, which is why I asked to be honest. It is true that cats get water from their prey. It is not true that dry food is better for their teeth than wet. Wet food is often not as nutritious as dry, but if your cat isn't drinking enough, it is obviously a good way to get some fluids in. Obviously some cat food is better than others, I would suggest talking to your vet to pick one that suits your cat. If you are worried about your cat's kidneys, get kidney food for it.

Oh and cats only get bad teeth if they eat sugary food - most commercial brands are very sugary.

Veterinary research would disagree with you there. Here is a link that discusses one issue cats can have with their teeth, for a start.

www2.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/tooth-resorption

OP I would suggest you either talk to your vet or read something reliable such as the journal of veterinary dentistry or journal of feline medicine and surgery

This is another reliable resource for cat care icatcare.org which is easier to read if you are in a hurry

Mybump I’m not really sure what you’re disagreeing with me about, as I said dry food isn’t better for their teeth? So we agree?

Re the sugar issue, obviously there are other dental conditions cats are susceptible to! However the majority of cats with dental disease eat brands packed full of sugar.

toomuchhappyland

This is what you said

Oh and cats only get bad teeth if they eat sugary food - most commercial brands are very sugary.

You're now saying that it's not the only way they get bad teeth - that's fine, I agree! I just worry that so much misinformation is shared on mumsnet, particularly when it comes to pet care. It might suit your cats, but that doesn't mean it will suit everyone else's. Which is why I've shared a more reliable resource. I don't think that's unreasonable of me.