Expert: Dear Tabbi - 5/21/2008

Question
Dear Tabbi,

You may have answered something like this before, but my case may be a bit different.

I've had my cat Remy since he was a small kitten. He is 9 months old now. He has never had a problem with pooping outside of his litter box until now. For the past couple weeks he will occasionally poop in our leather arm chair. We keep the litter box scooped and change the litter every week. There hasn't been any environment changes for him, and he does not really show any signs of illness. He eats and plays like normal. Is there anything we can do to stop him from going in that spot? I have seen sprays at Walmart that claim to prevent them from going elsewhere and take away smell.

Any input you have is appreciated.
-Kristin

Answer
Kristin,

When there is a change in a cat's elimination habits it is always good to be on the safe side and take the cat to the vet to check for a medical issue relating the cat's behavior before addressing it as a behavioral problem. Intestinal parasites and constipation are among the possibilies that could cause improper elimination. If it is painful when he uses the litterbox he will go elsewhere because he would associate the pain with the litterbox.

A cat will quit using the litterbox also when they are upset at you or stressed over something in or around the home. Are there any stray cats that he can see out the window but can't get to to defend his territory? Have you left him alone for a couple of days? Have you not been paying attention to him as much as you used to or not playing with him as often? Is he neutered?

Sometimes too, cats don't like where their litterbox is located. They like privacy. They also may decide they don't like the litter you are using, or the litterbox becomes too small for their liking. As cats grow they need more room and don't want to get in a litterbox that they feel is too confining. Try getting some children's play sand from Home Depot or a building supply store and see if he prefers that along with a bigger litterbox with deeper litter in it.

Punishment should be avoided because cats cannot associate a punishment given after the event. Attempting to reprimand during the act will cause stress and probably cause the cat to toilet secretively so as to avoid the owner’s aggression.

Clean the area with a solution made with two cups warm water and one tablespoon vinegar. Apply a stain and odor remover that is a bacterial/enzyme cleaner. High-quality pet odor neutralizers are available at pet stores.

To keep the cat from going on the chair again use something with a citrus smell. Cats hate the smell of citrus. Put a cover on the seat of the chair and put some orange or lemon peels on it. You can put orange or lemon peels in a blender with some water and sprinkle the mixture on a waterproof cover on the chair seat. Or you can even use a citrus based household cleaner and spray the seat. Your cat should avoid the chair in the future.

I am including a couple of links that have informational articles on improper elimination that you may find helpful. Copy and paste or type the whole links into your address bar:

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/pointe/9352/litterboxhelp.html
http://cats.about.com/cs/behavioralissues/a/outsidebox_two.htm

I hope this helps.

Tabbi