Casper pooped outside his litterbox twice in a week

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Joe_Danger
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Casper pooped outside his litterbox twice in a week

Post by Joe_Danger »

Hey guys it's been a while, all 3 Milla, Kala and Casper are doing wonderfully or at least they were until whatever possessed Casper to do this happened.

Within a week Casper pooped twice outside his litterbox and I don't mean his poop fell out by accident, he pooped in front of the front door which is NEAR one of the litterboxes but still ways off.
He did this sometime last week, on Monday or Tuesday and he did it this morning. Both times I didn't see him do it but I know it was him as his bum was the only smelly one after it happened.

I never thought it would come to this with any of my cats because from prior experience in the past, decades ago when I was a kid and had a cat who'd pee outside the litter box I know it could become an impossible to fix issue if all is well and is some kind of a psychological problem. Because of my cat Leo I had when I was a kid who'd pee outside his litterbox I've done EXTENSIVE research and reading on the subject over the decades.

Now Casper, his mom and sister get along perfectly, they're not under any kind of stress, there hasn't been a change in environment or the family, the atmosphere in our house is literally 100% of the time calm, there's no fights, no yelling, there is no reason for psychological stress from factors we can perceive.
Litterboxes are clean, Kala DOES try to assert her dominance and tends to chase her mom and brother after they use the bathroom litterbox but Casper rarely uses that one anyways, Kala may be the tiniest kitten but I believe she tries to be or is their Alpha who knows anymore :)
These are things that have remained unchanged for years now.

Medical issues need to be ruled out but he seems perfectly fine and I'm sure the vet is going to say the same as they tend to, I can't think of a medical issue right now he might have, he eats and drinks well, his poop is a tad dry but it always has been since he was a kitten, he poops easily and quickly unlike Kala who always seems to struggle a bit when doing so.

I just hope he doesn't start peeing there too, I can add another litterbox but that would be like THE most inappropriate spot for a litterbox smack in the middle of the entrance like that.

He despite his size is a cat who easily spooks, could be he got scared by something inside his litterbox and bolted out, I've seen him do it from mere noise or my getting up or my chair making a noise :(
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Ruth B
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Re: Casper pooped outside his litterbox twice in a week

Post by Ruth B »

My guess is that something spooked him while using a box and now he is looking for somewhere 'safe' to go although to me right in the middle of the entry way doesn't sound safe, it might to him. Is there anywhere near there you could put an extra box for a bit that wouldn't be that in the way, if not anywhere else you could put another one to give him another option. Alternatively I would suggest looking at the size and shape of the litter tray, covered or uncovered and different types of litter, it could be he has just decided he doesn't like what is on offer.

Like you when i was a kid we had a cat move in and then bring us 4 kittens. Having rehomed 3 kittens we were waiting a while as the last kitten was the smallest to give her time to grow a bit, we then notice that Mum cat was leaving solids where she shouldn't, and the kitten was following her lead. We spoke to the vet and were given three options, a pen in the garden for her, try and get her to mend her ways with little chance of success and risk loosing her and the kitten, or have her put to sleep and hope the kitten reverted to being clean. We took option three, we couldn't bare her being shut in a pen in the garden for all her days. The kitten did start to behave and use the tray and then the garden, but I have never forgotten what had to happen to her Mum, like you i have read a lot since then. Fortunately now we have moved on and understand a lot more about cat psychology and behaviour.

I really hope you can find out what caused Casper's indiscretion and sort the lad's problems out.
Joe_Danger
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Re: Casper pooped outside his litterbox twice in a week

Post by Joe_Danger »

The day I made this topic I swapped the litter boxes, put the one he wouldn't poop in into the bathroom and brought the bathroom one in the small ones place and so far so good, but considering it took him a week to poop outside the second time you never know.

He was definitely either spooked or since both those times he pooped around 5:40AM - 6AM when all three are normally rampaging around the house the two other cats might have ran past him while he was pooping and he bolted out after them.
As luck would have it the roof in our building is going to be reconstructed a month from now and it should last for about a week, we're on the top floor so here's hoping that doesn't cause him anxiety, normally he isn't bothered by that kinda stuff at all but you never know
Joe_Danger
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Re: Casper pooped outside his litterbox twice in a week

Post by Joe_Danger »

I think Casper wants one litter box for pooping and one for peeing now, why I don't know but he was actually about to poop in that spot again after peeing in the big litter box, I slowly approached him to pick him up but he changed his mind anyways and bolted to the one that's in the bathroom now where there was no pee no nothing just yet. He did his business there.

It seems I'm going to be scooping up pee as soon as they make it from now on, not just once a day, IF that helps.

He was never one to separate the two, maybe sometimes he'd pee in one and go poop in the other but these days he doesn't want to so much as smell pee in there even tho their pee doesnt even smell bad what with them beig fixed and all but he can sense it of course.

I need to figure out a way to deal with this before it escalates because even a new litter box wouldn't fix this, he just needs one that's 100% smell free.
Could his relationship with one of the other cats have changed?

EDIT: I must admit I'm very worried now that I witnessed it first hand how he wasn't too keen on using the litterbox which was clean, he peed in it before and there was another clump in there from another cat but nothing drastic.
I don't want Casper messing up when it comes to litterbox use, it'd be horrible
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