My cat has been shitting infront of the litterbox for a while now but the strange thing is, its always on the same place, and she still does shit in the letterbox, but also outside.
Many days i wake up and stand in shit and its been so annoying
Make sure your litter box is clean, and that your cat thinks it’s clean. Cats want to be able to bury their waste, and if there’s too much in the box for the cat’s liking, they’ll go somewhere else, and it’s often right outside the box if there isn’t something else they could use. It’s important to understand that it’s the cat’s opinion that matters here, not yours: you may need to scoop it every day, even if there’s only a little in it.
You may also need to move the litter box and clean the previous area, including and most importantly the place outside the litter box that gets used. Use vinegar if you can: it has a strong smell that cats don’t like, but it won’t hurt them like bleach can. Lemon juice works well for this, also. What this will do is make sure that this area doesn’t smell like a place they have used as a litter box before.
This is generally good advice but I’d use https://us.feliway.com/products/feliway-classic-spray-60ml?variant=33417856155783 (If it’s available in your region) to spray on the spots instead of vinegar. Cats don’t typically eliminate where they’ve scent marked, and the spray is full of marking pheromones from their feet.
So does that mean peroxide to remove the waste scents and then later this to discourage the associations?
We have an ‘ongoing’ problem and having some fresh ideas is great!
Is your cat declawed? Sometimes cats that are declawed might not want to use the litter box. It’s one of the problems with declawing.
Declawing cats is a horrible practice and should never be done.
I am surprised many countries didn’t make it illegal yet.
Of course not, there was never even a need to do that because shes really really really well behaved, she only claws when youre a stranger (outside, but shes not and outside cat anymore) So no, but i agree, declawing cats sounds horrible
It’s also possible she doesn’t realize she’s missing the box… we had an older cat that started doing this… she would get all her feet in the box, squat and shit on the floor right next to the box, then try to bury it. Got her a bigger box with slightly higher sides (still low enough she could easily access), and it fixed the issue
Yup, it’s not their fault they have stormtrooper aim - they literally can’t see what they’re doing
Nope, too far from the box and someone already saw her doing it outside
What kind of car does the cat drive? Maybe its time for a new clutch?
We had this problem recently; we took her to the vet because we thought it was a medical issue, but they found nothing wrong with her. Instead, they said it seemed like she was depressed and anxious, so they gave her a prescription for a teeny tiny cat-sized dose of Prozac every night, and it totally cleared the issue up. Turns out she was just really down a lot and didn’t know how else to communicate it to us.
Maybe try changing her litter? Sounds like she doesn’t like it.
Our 16 year old cat with worn out hip joints started doing the same a while ago. A much bigger litterbox solved the problem.
the cat is about the same age so i might consider that
in addition to what others have said: this is also a classic symptom of territorial insecurity so maybe there’s a stray cat spraying the outsides of the walls of your home.
That is also indeed the case, i didn’t think those were related but a cat is being really really annoying, trying to fight with her
Is the cat older? My oldest cat couldn’t step up into the litter box anymore so I ended up cutting the front of it so the step over was much smaller. You could also put a brick or build a wooden step which makes it easier for her to step into the box. It has to be heavy and sturdy enough to where it won’t move when the cat steps on it.
Also check that the box is clean. I would dump qll the litter and hit the inside with a hose to make sure it is clean. Dey it, and then refill it with fresh litter. And make sure you scoop out all the poop out of it every day. Cats tends to be very clean animals and don’t like a dirty box.
Another thing to consider is if the box is too small for them. One of our cats is rather large so we had to get a larger litter box for them.
Well it is older but they do shit in the litterbox too so they are able to step up into it
I might try doing that with the hose or something but it is scooped out every day ofc
They might still have mobility issues. If you don’t want to cut the front of the litterbox open to make it lower and bigger, than maybe get a piece of wood or a brick or something else to act like a step to make it easier for them to get into the box.
Also, I assume the litterbox isn’t just the bottom. Those are usually terrible. I am guessing that there is a top/cover to it, right? They could be pooping in the box near the edge and it just falls out if there is no cover.
(something like this: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/so-phresh-geometric-covered-cat-litter-box)
I might try doing that, thanks
No its without a cover (probably, i can’t click the link, 404 error)
But its too far away to be the reason
If this continues with a new litterbox with a cover, then you should consider bringing them to a vet. Cats are very clean animals so if they are pooping outside the box, it is usually for a good reason.
I would also recommend that if you know there is going to be kitty poop in front of the litter box then you should avoid standing in it
Kinda the worst suggestion, but to be fair you cant know that the bathroom is really small. too small to not stand in the poop when ur sleepy
