Expert: Kate Tilmouth - 6/16/2009

Question
I have a 4-5 year old calico cat. Her name is Scarlett. I really love her but she keeps pooping in the house and i don't know why. It is so frustrating.We try yelling at her and telling her it's bad. It all started after she got fixed when  she was 6-8 months old. Normally she would do it once a month for about a week. After that week she would stop then a month later i would wake up and there would be poop on the floor. As i sat and thought about it even though she is fixed maybe this is the time of month she is supposed to get her period? Maybe instead of getting it like a normal period she poops on the floor instead. We have not changed anything with her litter box, or food, or her environment. I am guessing it is depending on her mood where she will poop because it is always different. Right now it is right outside the bathtub. Hope you could help me and my cat. Thanks.
From
Bri

Answer
Hi
There is always a reason for this behavior and it is never because they are being naughty etc.

cats use their poop in a similar way to their urine ie as a scent marker. this behavior is called Middening and is normally associated with something which is making the cat feel insecure in the home and so they feel that they have to scent mark to help make the home smell more like them which in turn helps to calm them down.

unfortunately it is not always easy to know what is the cause and it can take lots of experimentaion to find the reason.

i have written a web page about Middening which you may find of further interest here

http://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-poo.html

Be patient with her, shouting etc will only cause her anxiety to be worse and she will not understand the connection between you shouting and the poop.

Try the procedure mentioned on my web page when ever this behaviour occurs it may over time help her to settle down.

best wishes Kate
http://www.our-happy-cat.com