Possible middening? Help needed!

[Maudy]

Hi there,
I’m desperately looking for advice/help with our little Bengal and a behavioural issue that’s been ongoing for almost a year.

Around last October/November she began pooping on the suite in the living room. Initially we think she only did it if anyone came round to the house which is why I think it’s a territorial thing however now she’s doing it daily.

She will come over to any visitor and demand cuddles and purr away then she’ll nip off and poop on the suite (sometimes while looking straight at us).
She isn’t avoiding her trays, she’s still going in them.

We’re absolutely at our wits end with it as we’re now cleaning constantly and nothing we’ve tried has worked.

We have been chatting to the breeder who’s been great but works long shifts so regular communication is a little difficult and I now feel like I’m just nagging the poor guy to death! When we have talked he’s also a bit stumped on what to do.

She’s just over a year old.
She’s an indoor cat.
Neutered.
Fit and healthy (checked out by the vet regularly due to what’s been going on).
Eats and drinks well.
Loves people (she instantly sits on visitors knees and has a cuddle).
She has 3 large open litter trays.
Constant access to fresh water.
Is given loads of attention.
There have been no changes in the house.

Stuff we’ve tried:
Cleaning with multiple enzyme cleaners.
Different litter.
Different litter trays.
Confinement to one room (we had no luck with that but won’t be able to try it again due to the noise she makes driving our neighbour crazy and keeping her little one awake all night).
Feliway diffusers.
Calming tablets.
Covering the areas where she poops (she just finds a new area to do it).

We’re unable to stop her entering the room it happens in as other than the bedrooms and the bathroom the whole house is open plan.

I’ve looked for advice online but nothing fits as there have been no changes, she’s been neutered, she’s healthy etc and the advice offered doesn’t seem to work (mostly it seems to be relevant to cats not using their trays).

Our vet is also stumped. He thinks she may be “middening” but the advice given for that hasn’t worked either.

We’re absolutely desperate so any suggestions would be hugely appreciated!

[bobbys girl]

This is something I have not come across. But someone - I think it's Purdy, is STILL targeting the back of the cooker hob. Now I know why it is called a 'splash-back'! I have tried all sorts of things. They work for a while, then stop. The only thing that puts her off is a diffuser. I have one sitting on the counter top now and it is running almost all the time, especially over night. I use a mix of lemon and eucalyptus. The cats stay well away from it.

I don't think it will be much help to you if your cat is 'going' on the sofa! But perhaps you could try one, or a feliway diffuser near the sofa?

I am always careful when it comes to cats and essential oils. But a diffuser is a gentle way to use oils - very dilute.

[fjm]

I think it is telling that she is a Bengal - the wild genes are very diluted, but I suspect sometimes they come through. Is there any advice on the Bengal forums? The only things I can suggest are creating an outside area that she can access, which may help satisfy her urge to mark her territory, and feeding her on the furniture, placing very small meals on all the places she regularly chooses. Tilly middens outside, but never indoors, thank Heavens - in her case it is to send a message to other cats in the neighbourhood that this hill is her hill, but it sounds as if your cat is signalling the same thing to humans. Perhaps placing one or more litter trays in an exposed, elevated position might provide her with an alternative, if she is seeking a spot from which her scent will spread - if she is trying to claim the furniture from you and your visitors that won't help though.