Cat pooing on carpet 🙈

[Bugsy73]

Our cat has suddenly taken to pooing on the living room carpet, same spot, just behind the television. It’s very soft, but her stools have always been on the softer side so that’s not too concerning. She has access to the outside and a litter tray so I have no idea why she is doing it.
I don’t know what to do….. have made a vet appointment. She’s going to be 12yrs in June so is an older cat.
Please can anyone give me advice? It’s really getting me down.
Thanks

Sympathy. Our older cat who is 15 has been doing this for a while. Partly he got shyer and would not walk through kitchen to access litter box in downstairs bathroom if anyone who was not me was in kitchen etc. or nearby the box.

Could it be a touch of dementia? Does she ever yowl or have other symptoms of seeming confused? Has something happened around her box that has put her off, litter changes etc?

I think once they’ve done it the scent is hard to get out, so they’ll come back again and again … so scrub scrub scrub and can you somehow fence that area off? Vets visit though is advisable as mine started having softer stools and vet thinks poor boy has lymphoma. He’s obsessed with pooing and peeing on front door mat so despite a good scrub and putting a barrier there I’ve added a second litter box nearby just in case he can’t help himself . Old cats … some are perfect until the end … some do this. There is often a reason though so take heart.

Thank you, and love to your old boy. Took her to the vets on Friday and appears to be fit as a fiddle, so more than likely behavioural. We have purchased a new litter tray, so now she has the choice of two (as well as a cat flap that she has access to!), a new bed and a bag of sensitive stomach biscuits. I have sprayed the bit of carpet with an enzyme spray and we are watching her like a hawk.
She hasn't used either litter tray since last Friday so must be going outside overnight. She is closed out of the sitting room on a night so no pooing whilst we're in bed. I can't think of anything else we can do.
Do you think she will eventually forget that she had found a nice new spot?
Fingers crossed.

Yeah I think she will eventually forget or realise its verboten, especially if smell is gone. hopefully she’ll just get used to going outside especially as weather gets better this spring. Especially if you are watching her. I know that sense of alertness well! My boy always used to go on back doormat & stopped doing this completely at some point.

He is using second front door litter box now. This is in a massively inconvenient spot but it’s better than the doormat because it’s built-in & I have to finangle it out to wash it properly.

I still got a massive poo on the bedroom rug yesterday. Sigh. But then again I’ve been feeding him tuna and wet food 24/7 since the sad news from the vet. He’s lost so much weight & he truly deserves to be spoiled in this last phase of his life. But ohhhh I will not miss the rug poos bless him.