Another cat help thread

[Corrderio]

For the past few weeks my cat has been having problems behaving, mostly when it comes to using his litter box. He'll pee in there just fine, however he won't crap in there. Instead he prefers to crap on a carpet not 2 feet away from his littler box. He does know what he's doing is wrong since when he does he goes into hiding, however that still doesn't seem to stop him from doing this even if we punish him. So I'm curious if any cat owners have had this issue and know how to fix it.

I was thinking of some kind of spray to drive him away from the carpet, but my concern with that is because of how close the littler box is to the carpet he'll avoid the little box as well.

[Ksandra]

couple questions, 1. does it look like he's having trouble pooping? Like constipated when he does. If so def take him to the vet. Other things to try is yes the cleaner to see if he just smells it. Also, another thing to try is to just put the litter box over where he normally does it and see if he goes in there instead. This can let you know if it's the spot or something else.

If it's not the spot, are you cleaning the litter box regularly? And I don't just mean the litter itself but actually scrub the box. Even if the litter is clean if he smells poop (from the box) he might think it isn't and so doesn't want to go there.

Oh and how old is he? XD

[Stumblingdrunk]

Why does "gnutella spammer on wiresix,inc" show up on peerblock every time i open or refresh this thread? >.>

Edit, peer block seems to be blocking a bunch of http connections in every thread Corderio posts in

[Ivaden]

Try a different brand of litter, or take him to the vet. He might have had an instance where it hurt when he pooped in the litter box and he'll associate that pain with pooping and the litter box, so he won't use it. Similar to when cats have UTI problems and they won't pee in the litter box because of the association to the pain.

[Kerberoz]

Get a lid for the litter box, throw the cat in, and duct-tape it closed until the cap poops.

[Yabby]

Remember you have to change the little after some time. What i mean by that is not just removing the clumps of piss/shit because over time they can smell it and don't wish to use it. I would try what K said, and also fully clean his litter and box.

[Corrderio]

couple questions, 1. does it look like he's having trouble pooping? Like constipated when he does. If so def take him to the vet. Other things to try is yes the cleaner to see if he just smells it. Also, another thing to try is to just put the litter box over where he normally does it and see if he goes in there instead. This can let you know if it's the spot or something else.

If it's not the spot, are you cleaning the litter box regularly? And I don't just mean the litter itself but actually scrub the box. Even if the litter is clean if he smells poop (from the box) he might think it isn't and so doesn't want to go there.

Oh and how old is he? XD

He's pretty healthy, so I doubt it's a medical issue since he doesn't look like he's in pain or anything. And yes I do clean his litterbox at least once a day. I do think it's just the way the rug feels, since it's kind of a rough texture so maybe he's drawn to it?

As for age, around 12.

[OWS_Tonx]

Throw it outside

[SubzeroDiabolos]

I was waiting for this one.

Throwing it outside don't help, i've tried.

[Swarley]

It sounds behavioral. Cats are picky bitches, so you'll have to experiment a bit to find what it's pissed off about. Examples...
1. Open boxes vs. Closed boxes: Some cats dislike the feeling of being closed in. Solution: take the top off.
2. Food nearby: Some cats dislike pooping where they eat. Solution: move one or the other to another room or across the room.
3. Minimal litter space: The general rule of thumb is to have as many boxes as you do cats PLUS one extra. Solution: grab another box.
4. "But I wanna poop HERE": Cat pees or poops in one general area outside the box for reasons beyond anyone's thought. Solution: Move the litterbox to that area (in your case, move it a few feet over) until the behavior changes.

Health problems related to stool issues would generally involve other symptoms: straining, pain, loose stool, etc. This just seems like a typical cat.

[Ksandra]

He's pretty healthy, so I doubt it's a medical issue since he doesn't look like he's in pain or anything. And yes I do clean his litterbox at least once a day. I do think it's just the way the rug feels, since it's kind of a rough texture so maybe he's drawn to it?

As for age, around 12.

12 is on the older side, so it could be just age, but like I (and others) have said try a few things to see if they help. Try first really cleaning (replacing the litter) the b ox, scrub it down, or just get a new one. Then put it ontop of the spot where he's going. You may have to leave it there, but if he starts going in it again then you can try moving it back after a couple weeks.

For sure though get a animal rug cleaner spray and really rub the spot out. The problem is with cats, no matter what, if they've smelt that they went there before, they'll keep doing it. And sometimes without meaning to. (like hearing water can make you want to pee, smelling it may make them want to go even if they weren't planning on it).

[Corrderio]

Okay thanks Ksandra, I'll try that when I go into town Friday. Kind of tight on space so I doubt the 2nd litter box idea would work.

[Max™]

Put the litterbox where the poop spot is, as was mentioned.

Set down a cardboard box under it first, it won't look super awesome, but if he DOES crap on it, easy cleanup, and he might dislike the texture.

It might help to put a box next to it too, for an older cat, he might not like stepping in/out of the box after he pees, and he might prefer to poop from the side.

He might also like to wipe his ass on the carpet, Alfie does that shit sometimes, fucking jerk.

[Amelya]

What exactly are you doing to punish him...?

[Lyrai]

^ Can't punish an animal for going to the bathroom, they don't understand.

It seems like it'd be constipation, and that the pain has driven him away from the litterbox. Consipation in cats can be caused by age, but hairballs are another really common reason.

Make sure he's on a senior-type food, and there's a product called Laxatone that helps hairballs. It contains Cod Liver oil which would helpfully lubricate things enough to help him out. It might be worth it to switch to a different type of litter, like recycled paper if he's preferring the carpet, because it'd be softer on his feet. I've heard you can use things like Metamucil, but I don't know how good of an idea that'd be. I'd still suggest taking him to a vet just to make sure there isn't anything else going on, because cats are good at masking their own health issues.

[Draylo]

I don't think that's true, if they are doing it in the wrong spot they know it. At least that is how it has been for all the dogs i've trained. Punishment to discourage the behavior does work.

[Corrderio]

What exactly are you doing to punish him...?

Pretty much just yell at him and give him a slight tap on the head with one of my fingers, however he does know it's wrong since like I said he will hide when he does it. Also if it is constipation, what signs should I exactly look for?

Anyway for pet spray, got any decent brands to look for?

[zoobernut]

I don't think that's true, if they are doing it in the wrong spot they know it. At least that is how it has been for all the dogs i've trained. Punishment to discourage the behavior does work.

It only works if you catch them in the act. Even with dogs you can't rub their noses in it or anything if it has been too long since the accident happened. If you see them actively going in the wrong spot and you stop them then it works. At least that is how it has been with all of my dogs and my cats.

[Draylo]

It only works if you catch them in the act. Even with dogs you can't rub their noses in it or anything if it has been too long since the accident happened. If you see them actively going in the wrong spot and you stop them then it works. At least that is how it has been with all of my dogs and my cats.

Yep this is true.

[Ksandra]

I don't think that's true, if they are doing it in the wrong spot they know it. At least that is how it has been for all the dogs i've trained. Punishment to discourage the behavior does work.

well 1 I don't like the master techniques with dogs (I'm all about positive reinforcement techniques), BUT that is besides the point. Cats do not take training the same way dogs do. Especially since dogs are trained from puppies with the "rub their nose in the poop and a smack on the butt" technique. Cats were never trained that way to use the bathroom. They do it by smell. All you basically do is put them in the litter box maybe 2-3 times and your golden. So when you punish a dog they know because they learned about it when they're little. When you have a cat for 12 years who all of the sudden is getting smacked, they don't necessarily associate it with the crime.