Expert: Ali - 12/11/2008

Question
Hello Ali,

I hope you can help me - I am out of ideas. I've done plenty of research and feel like I've tried everything. My older cat has been defecating outside of the litter box. It's all linked to the new kitten I got in February, thinking he would enjoy the company. :( The kitten definitely disturbed my older cat when he would try to use the box, she would hear him scratching in the litter and come running to investigate. He uses the litter box to urinate, but will not use it to defecate. I have 2 cats and 3 litter boxes that I clean excessively. I replace the boxes often as well. He waits for almost 3 days before he eventually relieves himself, so I know he is trying to avoid it. He usually doesn't go in the same place, I usually have to search around if I'm not home when it happens. I don't know what else to do and I'm starting to dread coming home. Does confinement work? Do anti-depressants work? I feel like the confinement will only stress us all out more, but am willing to try anything at this point. I would really appreciate any input you have. Thank you.  

Answer
J,

I would like to start off by letting you know that I understand your frustration and that you feel as though you don't know what to do next. I am going to provide you with some options that will hopefully turn this issue around so that you and your cat can get back on speaking terms. I would suggest that you check into some of  my previous answers on inappropriate elimination, but I have taken the time to send you the short version so that you have an idea of what you are working with. Inappropriate elimination is a very common issue and I have answered numerous questions on this subject. There are a few recommendations that I always make in this situation. Firstly the cat should be completely assessed by a qualified veterinarian including blood and urine testing to rule out any medical causes of the inappropriate elimination. Once the medical side of things has been ruled out then you need to look at the litter boxes and whether or not anything in or surrounding them may be the reason for the litter box avoidance. Despite what many pet parents believe the cat isn't going to the toilet outside of the litter box just to tick you off, there's a reason for it, if you find the reason you can find a solution that will work. Sometimes cats are sensitive to scents commonly found in kitty litters that are perfumed, if cats are sensitive to chemicals and scents scented cleaners, air fresheners or perfumes used in the area of the litter boxes they may opt to find other places to relieve themselves where they aren't going to be exposed to perfumes or scents. I usually recommend that pet parents try to avoid scented kitty litters, air fresheners, and scented cleaners around the litter boxes to avoid this problem. Some cats prefer specific types of litter boxes or specific fillers, you can experiment with both of these to see if this makes any kind of difference in the toileting issues you are experiencing. If your cat food is located near the litter box that can cause problems in the litter box as well - cats are very clean and don't like to eat where they use the toilet. You describe the problem kitty in your household as being an older cat - how old is he? Sometimes age can create issues with incontinence in cats just as it can in people so having more litter boxes, say one per cat plus one per level of your home may help things. Sometimes cats will eliminate consistently in the same spots, this can be remedied by using an enzymatic cleaner to permanently and completely remove any odor or stains left behind by organic matter such as urine, feces, blood, vomit, etc. I use an enzymatic cleaner called Petzyme which I purchase in the dog section by the gallon at Petsmart for roughly $25 CAN. It's quite possible that inappropriate elimination began because of the way that the new kitten was introduced, if you didn't follow a proper new cat/kitten introduction your resident cat may have seen the kitten as a threat and began to mark his territory in an attempt to communicate that this was his home. You could try placing this kitty into a room full of hard surfaces like a bathroom because it would make things easier to clean up, however it is likely to upset your older cat. You may want to try consulting with a holistic veterinarian - a vet that has been trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies like homeopathy, massage or acupuncture to name a few. I have seen incredible results with homeopathy when my family vet has used different remedies in different situations for my cats, it's certainly worth a try. You could also speak with your vet about a referral to an animal behaviorist, this would be an option that would work with your cat's behavior and trying to change it. It's quite possible since this has been such a long standing issue that you may have to resort to using anti-depressant/anti-anxiety drugs to treat your cat. I normally recommend that pet parents use this option as a last resort and that they take the time to do their research prior to starting any pet on these powerful psychotropic drugs - the drugs used are often small doses of human anti-anxiety/anti-depressant medications.