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Why cats poop outside the litter box
Cats that poop outside the litter box can do so because of either an underlying medical or behavioral trigger. Medical reasons for pooping outside the litter box are often related to discomfort with defecation (straining or increased urgency) and behavioral reasons are often related to litter or litter box preferences.
Read on to learn how to understand the cause of your cat’s inappropriate defecation and how to manage it.
Probiotics are helpful for a variety of GI problems, including constipation and diarrhea. My favorite brand is Proviable DC
Medical triggers for pooping outside the litter box are numerous. However, medical causes of cat house soiling tend to happen most commonly in older cats and occasionally in young cats.
Medical triggers for pooping outside the litter box in young cats
The most common medical reasons for a young cat pooping outside the litter box are due to congenital problems that cause constipation (most often in young cats born with a spinal problem such as Manx cats who have spinal malformations and shortened tails). Young cats may also be more likely to have frequent diarrhea due to an immature GI tract and increased susceptibility to food intolerances or food allergy.
Medical triggers for pooping outside the litter box in older cats
The most common medical reasons for older cats starting to poop outside the litter box are painful conditions that make stooling difficult such as spinal arthritis, constipation or an illness that makes them feel unwell and less able to cope with urgency to defecate.
If you have a very young cat that is soiling the house or an older cat that is pooping outside the litter box, it may be best to start with a trip to your veterinarian to rule out an underlying medical cause.
Behavioral triggers for pooping outside the litter box occur due to two main reasons
- A perceived problem with the litter/ litter box OR learning to prefer a different location or substrate.
- Pooping outside the litter box to provide a scent trail/marking. This is more commonly urine spraying but can also be expressed as defecation or urination.
Approximately one in 10 homes with cats will experience a behavioral elimination problem.
Medical problems in cats pooping outside the litter box
Medical causes of defecation outside the litter box are numerous. Your veterinarian will perform a physical examination which can help to detect constipation (an abdominal palpation can sometimes feel a very full colon). An exam will also look for any problems with anal tone which can indicate a problem with neurologic function and cause a cat to drop stool.
A fecal exam will be recommended to screen for parasites and blood testing is used to screen for occult underlying diseases such as hyperthyroidism, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, or other underlying disease states that may alter the lab work .
Why my own older cat started to poop outside the litter box
My own cat, BB, started to poop in our living room when she was eight years old. I took her to my hospital and ran a blood panel. That’s how I discovered that she had diabetes! Once I started to treat her for diabetes, she started using the litter box again.
Colon function problems leading to inappropriate defecation in cats
Cats may start to poop outside the litter box if they have an underlying problem with their colon function. Some breeds of cats like the Manx breed are more likely to have a neurologic dysfunction that causes a dilated and flaccid colon. This means their colon is not innervated properly by the nervous system and as a result the muscle function is weak. These cats are more likely to have severe constipation problems at a young age. Cats with constipation can experience difficulty passing stool and may strain when trying to defecate. They are more likely to strain and try to defecate whenever the urge strikes. This often means leaving stool outside the litter box if they are successful at pooping.
Read this article to learn more about how to treat a constipated cat
Reasons why cats may drop stool around the house
Occasionally a cat can have a weak anal spinchter muscle which can mean that they cannot sense when they are about to poop and they may inadvertantly “drop” stool around the house. Other cats that are more prone to “dropping” stool around the house are cats with long hair. They may poop in the litter box but get a piece of stool caught in the fur around their hind end . This may fall out later and land somewhere else in the house.
Older cats are more likely to develop arthritis in their spine and may have a harder time posturing to defecate. Older cats are also more likely to develop underlying medical conditions like chronic kidney disease that predispose them to developing constipation.
Any condition that causes painful defecation can lead to cats missing the litter box.
Diarrhea as a cause for a cat not using the box
Cats with underlying intestinal disease such as inflammatory bowel disease or colitis will often develop frequent bouts of diarrhea. With diarrhea comes increased urgency to defecate and this may lead to missing the box. Some younger cats may have a predisposition to loose stools due to their immature immune function of their gut. These pets may respond to a diet change (a more easily digestible diet or a hypoallergenic diet and daily probiotic use to increase “beneficial bacteria” in the GI tract. Some more severe cases will need prescription medications as well that regulate their immune function.
My favorite probiotic for cats is Proviable DC, a multi strain, high potency capsule that is easily sprinkled over food daily.
Illness as a culprit for not using the litter box
Metabolic diseases such as hyperthyroidism can sometimes manifest as inappropriate defecation outside the litter box. Cats with underlying kidney disease are more prone to dehydration and subsequent constipation. And, any underlying illness can cause cats to start missing the box.
Behavioral causes for cats not using the litter box: litter box substrate aversions, substrate preferences and location preferences
Behavioral causes for not using the litter box revolve around a perceived problem with the litter/ litter box OR learning to prefer a different location or substrate.
Litter box or substrate aversions
Key signs of dislike of the litter or litter box
- If a cat does not dig in the litter or cover its waste, it may be because it finds the litter displeasing to dig in
- If a cat stands with some of all of its paw on the edge of the box, or shakes its paws upon exiting the box, likely finds the litter aversive
A litter box or substrate aversion is resolved by making changes to the box and litter to make it more attractive to the cat. The cat should be prevented from accessing any previously soiled areas until the areas have been cleaned well using an enzymatic or odor neutralizing cleaning.
A good enzymatic cleaner is Anti Icky Poo
Investigating what type of litter and what type of box your cat prefers
A methodical investigation can be practiced by keeping the cat confined to 2 or 3 litter boxes. One box should be identical to the old litter box. The other 1 or 2 boxes should be changed in one way. Either the box is changed (for example the box is covered and the litter not changed and the other box similar to the original box with a new type of litter provided.
A journal can be kept documenting how the cat eliminates and which box is chosen over the next week. Once a preference is determined, that litter box should be kept and the other two boxes may be changed until the most desirable litter box arrangement is determined.
Many different styles of litter should be tried. Litter types include: shredded newspaper litter, clumping wheat or corn litter, play sand, wood chips. Regular clay litter,crystal litter, pearl litter. Non- disposable diapers or carpet remnants can be tried for cats with these styles of surface preferences
- Key signs of a substrate preference:
- If a cat constantly uses a similar type of non-litter substrate in various locations such as carpet or tile/wood flooring.
- Key sign of a location preference:
- A cat that consistently eliminates away from the litter box in the same location.
Reduce stresses on your cat
Environmental stresses should try to be reduced as much as possible. In multi cat homes, providing areas to separate is helpful. Providing multiple locations for food, water, litter boxes and resting areas can mitigate social stresses. Feliway diffusers should be installed as well.
If social and environmental stressors cannot be effectively modified then pharmacologic therapy may be indicated.
Serotonin modulators are the most popular to aid the treatment of anxiety related elimination disorders. These are tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline and clomipramine) and SSRIs (fluoxetine, paroxetine and sertraline).
Substrate preferences can be very common in cats
Oftentimes the cat will have a clear preference for a type of flooring or material that they like to use: fabrics, bedding, towels, bath mats, plastic bags, bath tubs, sinks, wood flooring, tile, linoleum etc.
The most universally favored litter by cats
The most universally favored litter by cats is a fine grain (closest to sand like) silica, disposable, clumping cat litter. To determine what litter is favored by a cat, it is best to use a variety of litters in multiple litter boxes like a litter “buffet” to determine which is utilized more often.
The litter I like best for my cats is Fresh Step Advanced Unscented
I’ve tried a ton of litter styles over the years. I like this litter the best because it is a fine sand which is easy to scoop. The best part is it clumps tightly so that when you drag your scoop to pick up the clumps, they stay conglomerated and don’t leave little clumped bits behind that you can’t scoop away. It feels like this keeps the litter feeling brand new for longer. It’s also formulated with charcoal which cats have shown a clear preference for.
Location preference for stooling in cats
Cats tend to develop a location preference secondary to social conflicts in the home or if the cat has a very anxious or shy personality that drives them to choose a more remote location to eliminate. Options to address this would be by trying a covered box , or placing the box in a less busy area.
If the cat is using a single preferred location, the problem might be managed by placing a litter box in the area. For cats that utilize several locations outside the litter box to eliminate, you can try thoroughly cleaning the area with a product that will eliminate all traces of the waste and remove odors, and then place food bowls in these areas. This can be a means to “counter condition” the cat so they associate these areas with food stations rather than elimination stations.
If this is not successful, then it may be necessary to block off the area altogether with furniture, a plant,or placing other substrate on top of the area. This can be tin foil, a plastic scat mat etc.
A new litter box may be placed near the previously toileted area and then moved slowly and incrementally to a new position ( 1 inch per day).
Litters that contain charcoal are preferred by cats!
Tidy Cats lightweight free and clean
Ever Clean unscented extra strength
Fresh Step advanced simply unscented
Fresh Step Outstretch
Low odor litters are good. This study of cats showed that spraying your cat’s litter box with this odor controlling spray reduced inappropriate elimination.
Cat attractants to add to your existing litter
Dr. Elsey’s makes a litter containing an herbal cat attractant product. The herbal blend is proprietary Dr. Elseys also offers a litter attractant only that you can add to your own litter. They recommend only adding it to clay litter without scents or sodium bicarbonate. Litters that deodorize or are scented may interfere with the function of the cat attractant.
You can also buy Dr. Elsey’s litter with attractant.
If the inappropriate elimination occurs when the cat is experiencing stress (such as inter-cat conflict or when the owners are out of town etc) then anxiety relieving medication may be necessary.
TIP: If you live in a multi cat household and are not sure which cat may be pooping outside of the litter box, you can feed the cat in suspicion some light colored shavings of non toxic crayon that will be visible in the stools.
Golden litter box rules to follow
Litter rules
- Keep the litter box religiously clean and the area around the box kept clean. Scoop 1-2 times daily. Litter should be changed every 2-4 weeks for scoopable litter and weekly if it’s non clumping
- Make sure the cat enjoys digging in the litter . If they do not dig or cover their stool, that may be a sign that your cat does not like the style of litter
- If a litter aversion is suspected, offer multiple types of litter in a litter box buffet to determine which litter is preferred
- Cats prefer litter with activated charcoal over litters with sodium bicarbonate
Box rules
- Make sure the box is not in a high trafficked area or near loud noises like a furnace or in a drafty spot
- Make sure the litter box is at least 1.5 to two times the length of your cat so it is big enough to move around in easily
- Block off areas that the cat likes to use outside the litter box.
- Make sure the area has adequate lighting at night to improve visibility around the litter box
- If your cat is older with some mobility issues, make sure the lip to enter the box is low so the cat can enter and exit the box more easily
- Cats don’t like to feel trapped inside the litter box, so dead ended areas are not preferred
- If your cat has a hooded litter box, try a box without a top. Some cats don’t like hooded boxes, or would rather have a hooded box with an entrance in the front and an exit in the back
- The box (or at least one box option) should NOT be in a “core” location, meaning an area where the cat spends 75% or more of it’s time
- But, in a large home, try to have a litter box close to the area where the cat likes to spend most of his/her time. This is most important for older more debilitated cats so that they can access the box quickly if they need to
- In a multi cat family, have at least as many litter boxes as there are cats. These boxes should be in more than one area
Good ideas
- Look for stressors in the home that you can mitigate (inter-cat conflict around the litter box, food etc.)
- If you’re not sure which of your cats is pooping around the house, add non toxic light colored crayon shavings to one cat’s food. It will be detected in their stool
- Trim long hair between pads and around the anus to reduce poop clinging to fur
Conclusion for cats who poop outside the litter box
The key to convincing a cat who poops outside the litter box to use their box again is to first figure out what the trigger is (medical or behavioral ). It’s no fun to have a cat who is not using their box properly. This behavior is not vindictive , but a response to a condition. I hope this article arms you with the tools to address the cause and bring harmony back into your home.