Expert: Jessica - 8/11/2010

Question
Hi Jessica,
I have a 5 year old chocolate point male Siamese cat who has recently developed a disgusting new habit- he is pooping in the hallway outside of the room where his litter box is housed. This behavior had been going on for the past 6 months with a short break after we took him to the vet for testing about 2 months ago. When I took him to the vet, they ran a gamut of tests on him to see if it was health-related, but they ruled health issues out and told me it is behavioral. I have a hunch that he it may have something to do with the dog (Boxer) we got a year ago, though like I said, the behavior didn't start until about 6 months after we got the dog. Prior to our getting the dog, our cat never pooped outside of his box on a regular basis. However he did it a few times when I lived alone and would go out of town for a few days.
What can we do to get him to stop this? My husband is at the point where he wants to re-home the cat, but I do not want to do this unless it is absolutely necessary... the bottom line is that we cannot have a cat who poops in our home on a continual basis. Any help or advice you may have would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Erica,

Does the room that houses the litter box also house any supplies for the dog, such as the dog's food bowls or sleeping area, etc?  If this is a common area for the dog and cat, I would suggest separating the two areas.  Make one place for the cat and one place for the dog.  Cats feel very vulnerable when using the litter box, and he might be having a difficult time trying to corner himself in a room to defecate knowing the dog is likely to enter at any time.

If his litter box is in a quiet room of his own, I would recommend trying a litter called Cat Attract.  See www.preciouscat.com.  The litter is formulated with an herbal attractant to encourage problem cats to use the box 100% of the time.  It's money back guaranteed.  If you can't find a retailer near you, there is an additive you can order through many websites to have shipped to you, which can be sprinkled into unscented clumping litter.

I also would recommend trying a product called Feliway, which should help if his problem is related to stress.  This is a synthetic pheromone, a hormone which helps promote a sense of calm.  I use the plug-in diffuser in my own home to treat the whole environment.  Visit www.feliway.com to learn more.

If these measures don't help, talk to your vet about placing the kitty on an antidepressant.  There are several to choose from, and they are generally very successful.  Prozac is typically the most successful and has no side effects in most cats.  There are other choices including Elavil, Buspar and Clomicalm.  Most cats need treatment for about 6 months, and then they can be tapered off of the medication.  A few cats need treatment for longer, or even life-long treatment.  Cats treated with Prozac tend to have fewer relapses when the medication is discontinued than cats treated with the other medications, but Clomicalm is nearly as successful.

If you find you must give him up, I recommend trying to place him with Siamese Rescue, who will be more willing to work with a cat with behavioral problems than animal shelters will.  Visit www.siameserescue.org to learn how.

Best wishes.

Jessica