Mine does the same thing....heaven forbid that poo should go in the litter box mixed with pee. I put a cheap dollarama type plastic sheet down beside the litter box to solve this problem.

Do you have two cats? If you do, I would suggest two litter boxes if you don't already have two. Yes,put the box on top of something waterproof.

jasdip, have you seen her pooping outside the box? It could be that she's pooping inside the box but it's "hanging on" and dropping off outside the box. My cat has that problem sometimes.

If you see her doing it, check to see if she's straining. She might be having some difficulty in the box but it works itself out when she gets out of the box.

I know....not the image you want with your coffee!

You my dear are fighting a looseing battle.I had that problem .Tried everything.Had to take her to the pound.

Oh Heather! You've had this from the beginning, by the sounds of it! She must be a princess. LOL

Dees, I saw her squatting yesterday and immediately put her in the litter and held her there till she pooped. She squawked and howled, but she did it. I then praised her and petted her, but soon as she was done, she raced down the hall. But this is normal for her, she runs out here,
as if she might miss something.

She just started doing this, out of the blue. I'm going to set up a second litterbox. Not sure if I should put it near the existing one, or maybe in a totally different room, like the bathroom.

Glad to see that she's not alone, but I sure fell all of your pain.

My overly sensitive neutered male cat does this once in a while. I blame it on separation issues; however, even when I am here, he will start doing it. No amount of attention or clean litter boxes will stop it indefinitely.

I have cleaned the area (which is in the center of the carpeted living room..sigh), placed throw rugs over the area and have placed toys in the same area. Dodson will not poop on the rugs covering the original area, but will pick out a new spot near by.

The only thing that has helped since this started again recently is moving the litter boxes. His sister is a good girl and has no problem even with him leaving his scent.

With 2 cats, I've even added a 3rd litter box in a different room...that seems to have helped also. However, I'm not holding my breath and won't be surprised if Dodson starts this again one day.

The standard approach for litter boxes is one more than the number of cats you have. They should be in different rooms to avoid litter box aggression. If you put them side by side and someone decides to defend, well, they've got both of them.

I don't see this as litter box aggression. If she whooped and hollered, you should make sure she's not in pain while pooping. If so, you know a trip to the vet is in order. It's not a losing battle, by any stretch.

Thanks Dees.
We've always had 2 litters, then went down to 1 when we moved here. They've always gone in the one, with no problems, and it gets cleaned often.

She was just yelping because she can be a bi*ch. I was holding her against her will, that's all. I have seen her just finished pooping (on the carpet) once, so she's not in pain. She also pees normally in the litter. She's active, running around and jumping on top of the cabinet in the kitchen, and terrorizing her brothers.

I have set the other one in the bathroom and will watch her diligently.

Often times when cats pee or poop outside their litterboxes it can be a sign of a urinary tract infection. They associate the litterbox with pain so they go elsewhere. I would take her to the vet to have her health checked out.

My 2 older cats have 2 litter boxes. They poop in one and pee in the other. Never ever pee in the poop box or vice versa. Don't know why they do that...LOL! And the litter boxes are only about 2 ft apart. If I don't have the poop box there,they will go on the floor instead of in the pee box. Cats are weird!

One of my two cats began to do that: on a rug near the litter box. I finally took up the rug (tile underneath) and added a second litter box. The problem stopped. If you can put some surface on top of the carpet near the box that the cat doesn't like, it may help. I also recommend two litter boxes.

It is not at all a losing battle and certainly not worth abandoning your cat at the pound for.

SIGH Two litter boxes didn't work for me.

Sometimes older cats have difficulty getting in. As mine become seniors, I cit out a section for easier entry. Your post brings smiles to my face remembering Samson who at the end just put his front paws in. As he was a known sprayer (rescued from euthasia), I was pleased to see him at least making the attempt. He had renal failure and passed at eighteen. It's been years but I still miss that special cat. I had him with me for eight years.

A cat who's always used the litter box and suddenly starts defecating on the floor instead of using the litter box is trying to tell you something. There's something wrong and my personal experience as a cat owner has taught me that a visit to the vet for a thorough examination is the best advice. I never would have suspected the extent of my cats health issues had she not brought it to my attention by misbehaving...and my taking her to her vet for a check up.

HTH

Anne

I agree, the first thing I would think of is some kind of illness, take Roxie to your vet. I don't think cats really have bad "intentions" against their owners when they pooh or pee in forbidden spots. She may just be sick. I had a cat who started urinating outside the box, turned out she had a Urinary Tract Infection. Treatable with antibiotics and after she was well, she used the litter box without accidents. She made it to age 18.

A friend has this happening with one of their cats and they refuse to take her to the vet. The cat is usually trying to tell you something. Here's some info from Catinfo.org:

Top reasons for a cat to stop using the litter box:

â¢Dirty litter box(es)
â¢Poor choice of litter form (using pellets/crystals/non-clumping litter which are uncomfortable to walk on and do not allow for complete urine removal)
â¢Poor location of litter box(es)
â¢Blocked from the box by a dominant feline housemate
â¢Unable to relax and get to the box, or use it, due to fear of a strange human, dog, active child, loud noise, etc., in the house environment
â¢Box size is too small
â¢Too few boxes
â¢Medical problem(s) - This should always be a serious consideration. Many medical issues such as diabetes, cystitis (painful bladder inflammation), bladder stones, and a partial urethral blockage (always an emergency!) can cause a cat to stop using his litter box. Please see Feline Urinary Tract Health for more information.

Some more from there:

Do:
â¢Scoop the litter box twice daily - at a minimum.
â¢Use clumping litter - except for kittens younger than 7 - 8 weeks of age.
â¢Use unscented litter.
â¢Keep the litter deep enough.
â¢Use large litter boxes.
â¢Have enough litter boxes available.
â¢Have litter boxes placed in a quiet area.
â¢Use a litter mat that is comfortable for your cat to walk on.
â¢Seek veterinary attention if your cat stops using the litter box.

Do NOT:
â¢Use litters that do not clump - except for kittens younger than 7 - 8 weeks of age.
â¢Use pelleted (pine or newspaper) or crystal/white pearl litters.
â¢Use scented litters or any deodorizers.
â¢Use hooded litter boxes if your intent is to prevent odors from reaching your nose.
â¢Use plastic 'grass' mats.
â¢Punish your cat for not using the litter box.
â¢Put a child in charge of litter box maintenance.

There's also some good info there about those enclosed litter boxes and why you should avoid them. I don't agree with everything here but there's a lot of good, common sense info there.

It does sound like she may need to see the vet.

I use a big, shallow Rubbermaid Tote for a litterbox;
if you can't find the shallow one, get the bigger one & cut it down;
it seems like it's more comfortable, & it also keeps the litter from flying quite so much.

Another chiming in about taking Roxie to the vet. Obnoxious, stubborn, or not, cats like to be clean. They don't suddenly start pooping inappropriately without a cause.

My 9-y-o male suddenly started doing this, and it turned out he has megacolon - persistent constipation. He would strain in the box, nothing would happen, but then as soon as he moved to exit the box, it did. We are now managing this disease, and he now rarely has accidents.

It originally started when I put a different kind of litter in the box, mixed with their usual stuff. I blamed it on that. There's still a skiff of it in it, but it's almost finished. I scoop as much out as I can.

I also have a second box set up in the bathroom. It's smaller, so poor Smudge's poop ends up over the edge. You guys wanted to know that, didn't you.

Last nite Roxie sauntered down the hall and back again, and there was poop in the box. When I got up, there was some outside it again. I'll look into getting her to the vet.