Expert: Jessica - 1/24/2009

Question
I have two questions actually.  The first one has been occurring for quite some time.  My female cat will scoot
her dish across the kitchen floor.  Even after she has been
fed.  The second question I have is in regards to
defecation.  This morning she used the bathroom on my sofa!  
I checked the litter box and it was clean.  Could she have
been angry with me?

Answer
Hi Christi.  The dish scooting is very likely for entertainment.  If it's bothersome, a lot of pet stores carry some heavier food bowls with rubber bottoms to help put a stop to this behavior.  You can also find them online (here's an example -http://www.petstore.com/ps_ViewItem-idProduct-JP64248.html )

Defecating outside the litter box isn't supposed to be caused by vengeance.  Cats don’t think in those terms.  It could be because she’s having pain when she defecates, though.  If the last time she used the litter box it hurt, she could now associate that pain with the litter box itself, and has now avoided using it.  Gas or constipation might cause that.  

Another reason a cat might fail to use the litter box is anxiety.  Most often, they will urinate outside the box when feeling nervous, but some cats will have bowel movements outside the box instead.  If she has another accident, I would get her to the vet to try to find out the cause.  It would be best to bring a stool sample, just in case.  The vet may be able to determine if the stool seems hard enough that it could be constipation causing the problems, or if not, a fecal test could be run to check for parasites that might be causing gas and cramping.

Cat stool contains large concentrations of fat, and that is going to make any stains cling to your couch.  So you’ll need to use a degreaser to get rid of the stain, or the spot will smell like a litter box to your kitty and encourage her to use the spot again!  The best stain removers are those containing enzymes.  Greases Lightning Orange Blast is my favorite, available in the auto section in most chain stores, or Nature’s Miracle, available at pet stores.  Dawn or Palmolive dishwashing soaps are okay degreasers, too.  Most other cleaners won’t break down the fats, though, and therefore won’t remove the stain entirely.