# HELP! Cat Won't Use Litter Box To Poop!!



## marquita188 (Jul 28, 2009)

I'm at my wit end, with this cat(Spunkie) i had her for over a year, and she just don't like using the litter box. i got her in may of last year she was 6 months old, unfixed at the time(i got her fixed later on), her former owner would like her outside, by the time we got her, we didn't know she was pregnant. after she had the 2 kittens(Coco & Tigger) she'd started pooping outside the litter box. I've tried everything i could think of, but nothing is working at all! like using different litter boxes, litter hoods, scooping the litter 3 times a day, went from conventional to clumping litter, stated using that very expensive litter called cat attract. i care about her and i want to keep her, but i just don't know to do anymore. oh yeah, she also eats weird things like plastic too!!!

Spunkie
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/MARQUITA188/DSCF0230.jpg












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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

What a beautiful cat! It seems like you've tried a LOT. 

Does she have any specific places that she tends to poop the most? Such as, a specific corner?

If she tends to use the same places, maybe add a litterbox in those places.

How many litterboxes do you have? And where are they in your residence? Some cats don't like the place of a litterbox, like if it's in the laundry room (because of the scary noises), or near a room scent plug-in that they don't like the smell of, or in a place where they don't feel they are safe or private.


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## marquita188 (Jul 28, 2009)

paperbacknovel said:


> What a beautiful cat! It seems like you've tried a LOT.
> 
> Does she have any specific places that she tends to poop the most? Such as, a specific corner?
> 
> ...


thank you, she really is too
i have 5 litter boxes, they mostly stay down stairs in the basement or the kitchen. she poops under the stairs, in corners, under tables, behind the trash can, or on the middle of the floor, when those others places are blocked off from her.


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

Hmmm...when was her last vet visit? She may be telling you something is wrong. If you bring her to the vet (and maybe with a fresh stool sample) you can at least rule out medical issues. Make sure to tell the vet she's eating plastic...by the way, what kind of plastic are you talking about and how much?

Is the poop normal (tootsie-roll shaped) or runny/loose? Any blood or worms that you could see (or maybe pieces of the plastic)?


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## marquita188 (Jul 28, 2009)

paperbacknovel said:


> Hmmm...when was her last vet visit? She may be telling you something is wrong. If you bring her to the vet (and maybe with a fresh stool sample) you can at least rule out medical issues. Make sure to tell the vet she's eating plastic...by the way, what kind of plastic are you talking about and how much?
> 
> Is the poop normal (tootsie-roll shaped) or runny/loose? Any blood or worms that you could see (or maybe pieces of the plastic)?


umm last year. like trash bags, grocery bags, things that are wrap in plastic, and one time a balloon string was sticking out of her butt ewww! i had to pull it out. 

it mostly look like tootsie rolls, i never seen worms, once in a while i would see some small pieces of plastic in the poop. oh, she would have the poop covered up with plastic bags or pieces of paper most of the time.


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

Call the vet and explain what's going on. They may be able to help decide whether she needs to be brought in or if her stool needs to be checked for anything. I don't know for sure, but the plastic does not sound good. Could you limit her access to plastic by making sure all grocery bags are put away immediately (we keep ours in the pantry) and that trash is inside a hard container with a lid? I don't know how bad it is for her to eat the plastic, but it's definitely not good and it's definitely not helping the situation.

If you ever see a string sticking out of her butt again, *DON'T PULL IT*. Strings are dangerous for cats to eat because they can get knotted up inside the cat and cause lots of damage to their intestines. Pulling on string when the string is tied inside them can cause serious damage. I thought my cat ate a string a month or two ago and the other members here made sure to warn me NOT to pull on anything that was sticking out of him. Instead, CALL THE VET ASAP if your cat eats string, especially if it's sticking out of her.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

@ paperbacknovel: Thanks for the warning on strings.

@marquita188: is her butt fur too long and the poops get caught in it? that could be something.

also, did u try different brands of clumping litter? do u change the enter contents of the box?

was there any stress going on? like u going on vacation? or a new piece of furniture? introduction of new pets?


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## marquita188 (Jul 28, 2009)

paperbacknovel said:


> Call the vet and explain what's going on. They may be able to help decide whether she needs to be brought in or if her stool needs to be checked for anything. I don't know for sure, but the plastic does not sound good. Could you limit her access to plastic by making sure all grocery bags are put away immediately (we keep ours in the pantry) and that trash is inside a hard container with a lid? I don't know how bad it is for her to eat the plastic, but it's definitely not good and it's definitely not helping the situation.
> 
> If you ever see a string sticking out of her butt again, *DON'T PULL IT*. Strings are dangerous for cats to eat because they can get knotted up inside the cat and cause lots of damage to their intestines. Pulling on string when the string is tied inside them can cause serious damage. I thought my cat ate a string a month or two ago and the other members here made sure to warn me NOT to pull on anything that was sticking out of him. Instead, CALL THE VET ASAP if your cat eats string, especially if it's sticking out of her.



OK thanks. yes the trash can is a hard-soft plastic with lid.


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## marquita188 (Jul 28, 2009)

Alpaca said:


> @ paperbacknovel: Thanks for the warning on strings.
> 
> @marquita188: is her butt fur too long and the poops get caught in it? that could be something.
> 
> ...


no i don't think so, yes cat attach and petco, yes i do. well when i first got her, she would use the litter box with no problem, but then after she had kittens she started pooping outside the litter box it got worst after she got fixed. no she four cats.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Hey Marquita. I feel like I can relate to your situation, because I also have a female spayed cat who won't poop in the litter box. I too have tried almost every solution I could think of, but to this day, she still will poop right next to the box instead of in it. At least she pees in the box, but let me tell you what I've been doing these past few weeks, because it's been helping.

I have discovered that Chica likes to poop outside. Since Spunkie used to go outside, she might prefer this too. Once or twice a day I take her out with me. She never runs away, but if she was that type of cat I would be using a long leash. I have a bunch of sand under my back deck and I let her go under there. She likes to do her business in that sand. I figure, better out there than inside. If she hasn't pooped outside that day, and because she often poops at night, she unfortunately has to sleep in her cage, where she has a litter box and just enough room to lay down. Cats are clean creatures, and usually won't soil where she sleeps. I'm going to keep doing this, so that she learns to either go outside, or else is forced to use her box if she gets the urge to go at night. 

I've been doing this routine for two weeks, and she hasn't had any accidents in that time. I know that if I didn't take her outside, or put her in the cage, she would definitely poop on the floor.

Another thing I've noticed is that some cats want their very own litter box. Would you be willing to isolate Spunkie for a while, perhaps in a bathroom with her own private box. If she was given a smaller area for a while, she might be able to "re-learn" her habits. The problem with our cats if that they've taught themselves to poop on the floor. It's become normal and habitual, and it's hard to break the cycle. 

Don't loose hope!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Ooh and don't forget to use "enzymatic" cleaners, such as Nature's Miracle, to clean up the areas she has soiled. Any lingering smell will bring her right back to pooping in her old haunts.


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## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

She's adorable!

I agree with the previous comments about taking her to the vet. My girl poo'd on the floor for quite some time. I tried every brand of litter, various litterboxes and locations, etc. And just assumed she was a very stubborn kitty that preferred the floor.

Eventually, I realized it wasn't just a preference, but a health issue. She had developed chronic constipation and was associating the litterbox with pain. I didn't notice that was was constipated for a long time, because she was getting her stool out, and I never actually caught her in the act to know that she was straining so much. But the minute I started giving her meds to relieve her constipation, she immediately started using the litterbox again.

So I learned from that experience, anytime my cats stop using the litterbox, I take them to the vets to rule out health isssues first.


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## marquita188 (Jul 28, 2009)

Kattt said:


> She's adorable!
> 
> I agree with the previous comments about taking her to the vet. My girl poo'd on the floor for quite some time. I tried every brand of litter, various litterboxes and locations, etc. And just assumed she was a very stubborn kitty that preferred the floor.
> 
> ...





RachandNito said:


> Hey Marquita. I feel like I can relate to your situation, because I also have a female spayed cat who won't poop in the litter box. I too have tried almost every solution I could think of, but to this day, she still will poop right next to the box instead of in it. At least she pees in the box, but let me tell you what I've been doing these past few weeks, because it's been helping.
> 
> I have discovered that Chica likes to poop outside. Since Spunkie used to go outside, she might prefer this too. Once or twice a day I take her out with me. She never runs away, but if she was that type of cat I would be using a long leash. I have a bunch of sand under my back deck and I let her go under there. She likes to do her business in that sand. I figure, better out there than inside. If she hasn't pooped outside that day, and because she often poops at night, she unfortunately has to sleep in her cage, where she has a litter box and just enough room to lay down. Cats are clean creatures, and usually won't soil where she sleeps. I'm going to keep doing this, so that she learns to either go outside, or else is forced to use her box if she gets the urge to go at night.
> 
> ...


i don't know, i might try that. or maybe bach flowers remedy, feilway. my other girls don't poop outside the litter boxes.

Kazine, age 6, girl. the queen bee 


Coco - 1 year 1 month girl


Tigger - 1 year 1 month boy


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