# Help! New kitty pooping on carpet!



## texasgal15 (Jan 21, 2007)

Hi! I'm new here and this looks like a great place to find some info. I'm hoping you guys can give me some advice with my newly adopted 2 year old male kitty. He keeps pooping on my carpet. He has no problems peeing in the litter box. When he's locked up in the bathroom, he'll poop in the litter box but if I let him loose in my apartment, he poops on the carpet in my living room. I've tried putting things in his usual poop spots to discourage him from going there but he'll just find a new spot. I've tried taking the hood off of my litter box but it still happens. And last night, I tried a second box in the living room...and again...he'll pee in it but there was fresh poop on the carpet. Help!!! I'm really running out of ideas and am desperate!


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## jennifer2 (Mar 5, 2005)

have you tried cleaning the areas with an enzymatic cleaner such as nature's miracle? A cats sense of smell is much greater than ours and as long as he can still smell where he has gone before he will continue to go there.


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## waiandchris (Jan 17, 2007)

I can understand your concern! 

You said he was a newly adopted kitty...Has he been to the vet since you adopted him? Also, has he always had his bowel movements on the carpet (except for in the bathroom) or is this new?

The first thing I would do after ruling out a medical problem is checking that the litterboxes are clean (it's good that you have 2) and that he has enough room to go to the bathroom-usually double the size of the cat. Also, check the placement of the boxs to make sure they are not near any eating or sleeping areas. 

Have you checked with the shelter or person you adopted from to see if this has happened before, and if not, what litter were they using? If it was a shelter, they should be more than happy to help you with this.

You may also have to think what happened at the time to trigger his first going out of the box. Was he disturbed while he was having his bowel movement (loud noise, barking dogs, etc)?

Sorry for so many questions!!


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## texasgal15 (Jan 21, 2007)

When I first brought him home, he had a cold so he's already been to the vet twice in the two weeks I've had him. His cold is still there but he is MUCH improved from when I first got him. At his last checkup yesterday, the vet said he looked pretty healthy but still had a touch of that persistant cold so he gave me a presciption that I'm suppose to pick up tomorrow. I told the vet about the poop situation and he recommended taking the hood off of the box and having two boxes...which is what I started doing yesterday. But poop was still on the carpet this morning when I woke up.

This has been going on since I brought him home. He actually did not poop for the first couple of days because his cold was preventing him from having much of an appetite. But once he started eating more, he pooped once on the carpet. From that point, I confined him to the bathroom until he had successfully pooped a couple times in the box. But now that I let him loose again, he is only pooping on the carpet again. If I confine him, he only goes in the box. If I let him loose, he only goes on the carpet.

His box is kept very clean and he has one gigantic box in the bathroom and another large box in the living room. I have now moved his food to the kitchen and his bed to the opposite wall from his box in the living room. I haven't done any changes to his bathroom box, but I have replaced the litter in his living room box to Cat Attract so we'll see how that goes.

Sorry for the long info, but I really want to give you guys all the info so I can get any suggestions or help you've got. Thanks!!!!


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## waiandchris (Jan 17, 2007)

How is your kitty doing once you moved the food and added different litter? Have you had a chance to thoroughly clean the areas with an enzyme cleaner?

This is certainly a mystery to me. Can your adoption agency help you in any way?

I'm sorry I can't be of more help, maybe others can shed more light on this one. 

Hang in there


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## texasgal15 (Jan 21, 2007)

My kitty is pooping in the box!!! I cleaned every spot thoroughly with Nature's Miracle, moved his bedding and food farrrrr from his boxes. And used Cat Attract. All this stuff combined solved the pooping issue. Thanks for all the help!!!!


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Congrats...hope he keeps it up :lol:


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## waiandchris (Jan 17, 2007)

Hooray, Hooray-Never thought we'd be so glad a cat is going in the right place!

It is still a good idea to keep both boxes around. GiGi has 2 boxes and that way when my children are near one of the boxes, he can go upstairs where it is quiet and use the other one. 

When he is firmly established with the box after a long while, you can start to edit the cat attract litter and in stages add a similar litter underneith until you are completely changed over to the new litter. 

Keep us posted!


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## texasgal15 (Jan 21, 2007)

Thanks soooo much!!!!!


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