Cat pooing on carpet

[notmyrodeo]

Cat is 12 years old - female - no change to litter location or type in all that time. She has a cat flap to access outside. But in last 2 weeks keeps 💩 on the carpets upstairs and I just can't cope with it anymore - she is eating and sleeping fine no suggestions of distress or illness - it's not diarrhoea. - it's solid. She's not my cat technically - I'm taking care of her for a prolonged period so I'm going to get the owner to sort a vet appointment but in the meantime is there ANYTHING I can do?? Is it just an age thing?

Maybe getting into the litterbox hurts her if she's getting a bit arthritic? But yes, we had an old lady who decided that she didn't like litterboxes any more. Vet, for sure.

I agree to arthritis - about 80% of senior cats have arthritic changes and it can make it incredibly painful for them to get in and out of the litter tray.

Once they associate the tray with pain, they start going elsewhere.

So I would want a full check over by the vet and potentially a trial of pain medication to see what impact that has on her behaviour.

One of mine is arthritic and struggles jumping or using his back legs on bad days. He's on Metacam and we're about to add in some gabapentin for him too.

@VeryQuaintIrene
Thanks for replying - she definitely doesn't seem stiff in an arthritic sense - still seems sprightly jumping fences etc.
I'm just so worn down with picking up 💩 and cleaning carpets. I have young children and worry every day what we are going to walk in to

Thanks @fieldsofbutterflies

I don't think I've ever seen her use the litter box as she was always a cat which liked being outside and wandering - as she's got older she is home more so I put the cat flap in - I have a camera in that room and never seen her go in

@notmyrodeo Cats can be very good at hiding pain - perhaps the lure of the fence is worth going for, whereas the litterbox not so much, so I wouldn't rule arthritis out without further investigation. I do feel for you, though - we had hardwood floors and it was still awful finding her little presents for us.

@VeryQuaintIrene

The thing is if I didn't know it was from a cat I'd say it was dog 💩 as they definitely aren't small presents 😂
I think I feel particularly aggrieved as she is actually my ex husbands cat who he left here with everything else expecting me to care for her as well as 3 children under 5 - I've just come through potty training twins and I'm so over cleaning up 💩 and wee generally 🤪

@notmyrodeo That sounds really awful and what a cheek he didn't take her with him. I hope your old lady doesn't start weeing as well (IMO worse than the poo, actually)

@VeryQuaintIrene
Ha yup his response when I said he needed to pay for a carpet cleaner was to arrange an Amazon delivery of a bottle of dr beckmann 🤬

Yup gone through the wee issue - I won't forget the smell in a hurry! - my own cat took a dislike to the twins when they were in crawling stage and just discovered there was a big fat lazy moving soft toy they could grab hold of for a cuddle much to his horror so he got pay back by deliberately weeing on their beds. He's forgiven them now and they largely ignore him but it was 6 months of constantly hiring mattress and rug doctors

If she goes outside, I wonder if something has spooked her - when cats poo, they're at their most vulnerable so she may not feel very safe going outside anymore - especially as she's getting older too. Bless her, I hope you find some answers!

Back again - so managed to get cat into vets - she has been given a clean bill of health. The vet has given some medicine to give for 3 days which is a healthy gut type paste .....

Day 3 of medicine and she's still doing it. No inprovement at all

So I can only assume this is a behavioural thing rather than medical.

Do the feliway diffusers really work? I don't have anywhere else I can put an additional litter tray and the weather has been fine today so no reason why she couldn't have gone out...the kids were quiet and all in a different room when she did it.

I'm at the point where I hand her over to ex husband - who cannot have her as he's in shared accommodation - and tell him she's his problem to sort. Rescues here are full from what I hear with waiting lists of 60 cats to go in and rehoming an older cat who soils in the house is hardly going to be easy which just leaves one option really.....

We found Pet Remedy worked well for our anxious cat.

@fieldsofbutterflies
The thing is she just doesn't seem anxious....she doesn't cower or hide from the kids - will in fact sleep on the twins beds and happily go and sit with my eldest and ask for fuss. Will seek me out for company

A couple of occasions have been very early in the morning before anyone has been awake

I've noticed when I have seen her go in the garden she runs to the nearest patch of grass - looks a bit agitated - goes very quickly and doesn't try and cover it

I do have other cats but they have been together for almost their entire lives so not like there is any stressors there just the occasional squabble

Once they do it on a carpet, they return to the spot to refresh the scent or whatever. I think you have to use particular types of cleaner as not all remove the scent. No idea what ones off-hand.

I was wondering if she'd been spooked outside as well. Maybe a huge tom wandering past or a fox. Wonder if you can almost give her a 'sheltered' space outside that she might feel safe in?

@Datafan55

Yes I've got the "special" cleaner from when my other cat was weeing to try and remove the scent - it's not always the same spot though it varies - almost like it's the first spot she could get to? Like she can't hold it anymore? She's done it a couple of times under my bed which is also is her "safe" spot and she often sleeps under there as the other cats don't go under there

Thing is the kids told me about the smell so I went and cleaned it and then saw her downstairs happily eating and then has seemingly gone out for a wander so if it was something outside make her anxious surely she wouldn't want to go out? And she walked past the kids to eat and go out

Unfortunately "just the occasional squabble" can be enough to make them really anxious about toileting, especially if they've ever felt intimidated around the litter tray.

Anxiety around toileting also doesn't necessarily mean the cat is anxious in general - but if you have multiple other cats it could be that she just isn't a fan of sharing her resources.

I'd also say if she's doing it in her "safe space" it sounds even more like it's a bit of a territorial issue which can also stem from being a bit anxious.

@fieldsofbutterflies
Thanks - the best thing from the sounds of it would be for ex husband to take her to live with him but can't see his living situation improving for at least another 18 months. I just don't think I can put up with it for that long

If he's not able to take her back and you're unable or unwilling to keep her, then she needs to be signed over to a rescue centre, but I'll be honest and say it doesn't look good for if that's what happens.

Do you know anyone else who could take her and keep her as a solo cat or even a mostly outdoors cat with shelter?

I know this sounds obvious, but have you tried putting a litter tray where she's going on the carpet?

It sounds like soething has upset her, she's gone on the carpet. It isn't clear or not whether something is still upsetting her but she is now 'this is my pooing place'.

Could try a bowl of biscuits near where she goes on the carpet. Cats won’t toilet where they eat.

@fieldsofbutterflies
No probably not. He'd probably palm her off on his parents but they have cream carpets everywhere 😂

I don't want to let her go but I just can't see a way forward. When my cat was weeing it was clear the stressor was the twins so I dealt with it

@AnnaMagnani
I'd have to have litter in the middle of the tiny landing or under my bed.....or children's beds ....and I don't want to encourage my other cats to use them in those locations and to be honest the thought of it just sounds grim

Could maybe try the food bowls - the twins are just old enough to not try and eat the dry food I suppose if a bowl is in the middle of the floor

What would you do if she wasn't your ex'a cat? Do that.

The idea isn't to have a litter bin permanently in the inconvenient location the cat has picked.

Just to get the poo back in the litter bin before slowly relocating it back somewhere sensible.

Difficult question..... I didn't want an extra cat financially wise and just taking care of them/giving them time etc ...I have the two I can afford. If she was mine then I'd try the feliway and if it doesn't improve then attempt to rehome and then.....

My ex won't be able financially to pay for long term medicine or ongoing cleaning of carpets etc and I certainly refuse to take on the mantle and bills. It's also his blase attitude to the whole thing which has really pissed me off - like I'll just put up with it and sort it out and clean it all up (like I did either everything else during our marriage 😂)