# Kitten Keeps Pooping On The Carpet



## mum2crystal (Jul 5, 2011)

Hi folks. this is driving me crazy so I'd appreciate some tips please.

Our 10-weeks old Kitten Crystal started pooping on the carpet at the top of our stairs last week. She uses her litter tray to both wee and poop but more often than not she is pooping on this particular piece of carpet. It's the only place in our house that we have carpet but I'd really like to stop this from happening. Any suggestions?


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## mimitabby (Apr 20, 2010)

I'd put her in the cat litter more often; clean and remove the carpet for a while. She's still very young, but there is the danger that this habit will not go away. Clean and hide that carpet for a month and then put it back!


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## mum2crystal (Jul 5, 2011)

Hi. Removing the carpet isn't really an option. We have hard wood floors all through the house except for the carpet on the stairs. I've scrubbed the whole carpet down and I've covered it with Pepper. I've also put a litter tray on the ground floor so she doesn't have to go all the way past the stairs to get to her tray. The house is also rented. Any other advice?


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

She's very young, do you have more than one box? She may be TRYING to poo in the box but just can't hold it long enough to get there.


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## mum2crystal (Jul 5, 2011)

Yes. I have two boxes. One in the kitchen which is where my stairs are and then one in the hall upstairs. Until today I had just the one box upstairs because i wanted to try and keep it as quiet and private for her as possible. The place where the other tray is is quite busy so I didn't want to do it. As it happens she goes in both trays for wees no problem. It's just her poo. I thought, like you that she might not be able to make it so I put one at the bottom of the stairs for that very reason. We had the top of the stair full of plastic boxes last night so she couldn't go there but today my daughter moved them and almost straight away she went there. I really don't want to have to get rid of her because she's a lovely affectionate cat but I just can't be doing this every day. If she continues to do this over the next week I'll seriously have to consider giving her back to my friend where she came from.


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## praline (Jun 3, 2011)

I am no expert but I do have 2 little kittens a little older then yours.

A two story house is too much freedom for a kitten that age. Its kind of like toddlers or puppies. She gets a small area and when she is responsible with her small area you gradually grant her more freedom. Since she is not using the litter correctly, you should bar her from using the stairs and going upstairs. Once she is using the litterbox religiously, then give her the upstairs but with every door shut. Once she is good with that, open 1 door..and so on... until she has full run.

An 18 month old human child would not have full run of a home without close supervision, and a 8 week old puppy would be kept confined to a certain area until old enough to be trusted. Same thing goes for kittens. Not just because of litter training but also safety. Kittens will chew just like a dog and can get hurt extremely easy ... trust me :?


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## mum2crystal (Jul 5, 2011)

Hi. Thanks for your suggestions. My kitten isn't allowed in any of the rooms upstairs but I also have a dog which means that I have to try and make sure the litter isn't near where the dog eats or she will eat it (She's a labrador). i chose initially to put a litter tray upstairs as its quiet and there's no options (or so i thought) for her to do it elsewhere. I'd have real trouble blocking off my stairs as they are in the kitchen with no door at either the top or the bottom. I've been looking around and have found some possible natural cat repellents that I can put on the carpet to discourage her from going there. Like I say, this behaviour only started a week ago last Monday and it was the day I went away but She wasn't left on her own as I had someone house sitting and they had literally just come to the house. This person is familiar to Crystal as she's a teenaged neighbour and spends a lot of time with my daughter so I didn't think that this could be it. Also, when she started this, she wasn't aware that I was gone as i had only left that morning so is it likely to be that?


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## praline (Jun 3, 2011)

Cat repellants don't work in the home :? waste of time and money.

There are a few ways you can handle the stained area. She smells the pee and poop and will keep going there as long as she can smell it. Remember cats have much more sensitive noses then we do.

Some people say regular laundry detergent with enymes in it (like Tide) will work. You soak and blot the carpet so it wets the jute under the carpet. You let it sit for an hour or so then start blotting it dry. The enzymes will take out the odor as its a biological agent.

The other thing you can do is buy a product such as Nature's Miracle. They are supposed to get rid of the smell as well. 

Until your properly treat the carpet she will continue to go there regardless of the reason that she started.

She most likely will continue to use the area out of habit unless you can restrict her from being near it for a few weeks. It is a habit for her now and she needs to be away from the area so she can forget it is a potty.
Can you place a babygate at the stairs? Just a thought...

After cleaning it like I explained above, can you place a large piece of furniture on the spot for a few weeks? It might look odd but it would keep her from using the area she smells. 

Your best bet is to rid every last teeny tiny scent of urine or poop in that area. I have had really good luck using an enzyme laundry soap but not much luck with my dog when he was a pup with nature's miracle.


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## praline (Jun 3, 2011)

Oh on a side note sort of..

Those who have watched "How Clean is your house", they talk about biological washing powder a lot. They use it for pet stains especially along with ..well just about everything.

I got tired of hearing about biological washing powder as I could not find it in any store lolol
I wanted to get me some of that stuff :wink

After googling and research I learned in England its called Biological washing powder but in the USA its called laundry detergent with enzymes


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## mum2crystal (Jul 5, 2011)

Hi. Yes. I did try to put things on the stairs where she was going but choosing my daughter's things was not a good idea.  However, we've had a little success this morning. she's pooped in the litter tray which was not only the newest one i put down but was also past the spot where she usually poops and also the biggest tray of the two. My daughter has found her old twister mat so I might well put that down over the area and leave it there to see if that makes a difference. I did clean the carpet yesterday and put baking soda down also as apparently this is supposed to eliminate the odour but I might well get down and do the whole stair carpet again just to be sure. I live in the UK and we don't have tide. Would washing detergent that we have here be just as effective? Is it a particular ingredient in the detergent I have to look for?


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## mum2crystal (Jul 5, 2011)

Ok. Carpet is now thoroughly drenched with water and biological washing powder. I've I'll blot it up in a while but will keep you posted on how it's going. She did go in her litter tray today which she got lots of praise and reinforcement for. I've also got my daughter's twister mat. Considering putting it down for a few weeks to see if that discourages her. Apparently they are supposed to like going on slippier or harder survices less so i'm hoping this might help. Thanks for all your feedback and suggestions guys. i'll keep you posted.


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## praline (Jun 3, 2011)

Yup in the UK its biological washing powder. The girls from "How clean is your house" swear by it.

It drove me nuts because I couldn't find it in any store here lolol

After it soaks, blot blot blot it up. 
The reason for soaking it rather then sprinkling baking soda is you are soaking the jute as well. Any odor or bacteria went down to the padding under the carpet. Many people forget this and think just using a surface stain remover is fine. Cats go where they smell a potty lol

Good luck! I am glad she used the litter box today. sometimes small kittens sometimes forget where they need to go if they are too far from their litter box. Within a year you will easily be able to run the house with 1 litter box. Just pick the one she uses more


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## mum2crystal (Jul 5, 2011)

6 days and Crystal has a 100% record. A litter tray on each floor and still got the toy box at the top of the stairs. plan to leave it there till after the summer to ensure I break her habbit if there is one.  Thanks for your help with this one guys.


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