Erica in PA Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 We adopted two kittens in May, and they have been wonderful. Not a single problem. We thought we were the luckiest cat owners in the world!! Then yesterday, after more than a month of not a single toilet accident, we found that one of the kittens had a toilet accident right in the middle of the living room. We wrote it off as a very strange fluke, because neither cat has ever gone anywhere else but in the litter box. Then tonight, same thing. Different spot, but still right out in the open on the other end of the living room!!! (hate to specify, but in case it matters, it was #2) What would make a kitten suddenly not go in the litter box? (which btw is only right across from where they went in the living room.) I scoop out the box every morning. Is that enough? Also, we had a dog come visit us yesterday, and he left shortly before the first accident occurred. The kittens were very scared of him. Could this have contributed to the problem? Any other ideas? I want my perfect kitties back!!! :Angel_anim: Erica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Okay, this may sound dumb, but are you sure it's poop and not hairballs? If you haven't had cats before, hairballs are easy to confuse with poop. Hairballs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 I hope Soph the Vet anwers, but my from my limited knowledge of cats (I did have them growing up!), cats will often have "accidents" when they are sick or injured. Is your kitten sick? The stress of the dog encounter could do it, too. Other than that, I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhondaM. Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Okay, this may sound dumb, but are you sure it's poop and not hairballs? If you haven't had cats before, hairballs are easy to confuse with poop. Hairballs Yes they are. And you do know not to make your cats mad, right? They will leave you hairballs right next to your bed, so that when you have to get up in the middle of the night...in the dark...you well...FIND the hairball. They know how to get revenge. Yes, they do. I'll tell you something else that has happened in my house before...more than once...with cats. I have long hair. The cats (accidently, on purpose..who knows) ingest my hair. When they poop...my ingested hair is mixed up with it. The poop comes out, the hair does not. So the cat is like desperately running around the house in crazy confusion trying to escape the poop that is following him around the house. :lol: It eventually comes out. Most of the time nowhere near the litterbox. Awww, the joys of pet ownership. Err...I mean...of letting a cat own you. Sorry. My mistake. Mia Culpa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in PA Posted June 27, 2008 Author Share Posted June 27, 2008 No, that was a good suggestion, but this was not a hairball. Thanks for the idea, though! Erica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Often if they start "eliminating inappropriately" it means they have a UTI. Sounds like time for a trip to the vet. Hope she's better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 We adopted two kittens in May, and they have been wonderful. Not a single problem. We thought we were the luckiest cat owners in the world!! Then yesterday, after more than a month of not a single toilet accident, we found that one of the kittens had a toilet accident right in the middle of the living room. We wrote it off as a very strange fluke, because neither cat has ever gone anywhere else but in the litter box. Then tonight, same thing. Different spot, but still right out in the open on the other end of the living room!!! (hate to specify, but in case it matters, it was #2) What would make a kitten suddenly not go in the litter box? (which btw is only right across from where they went in the living room.) I scoop out the box every morning. Is that enough? Also, we had a dog come visit us yesterday, and he left shortly before the first accident occurred. The kittens were very scared of him. Could this have contributed to the problem? Any other ideas? I want my perfect kitties back!!! :Angel_anim: Erica Erica, After our move, my kitty of four yrs. decided she was not going in the litterbox anymore. She would go right outside of it. We changed litter. Took off the hood. Did everything. After a while in house, she stopped. Like your kitty, she was scared. They are very emotional creatures. Super sensitive. I can remember one time we had puppy in house for short time and our one cat would hiss at whoever would come in room. He was like that for days. Go figure. Jet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soph the vet Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Hi Erica, Couple of thoughts. It certainly could have been prompted by the dog's visit. If you notice things just go back to "normal" this was probably it. It could be you need two litter boxes in different locations. Even though you scoop it daily, for two cats, it may not be enough if one is really sensitive. The poster who mentioned a UTI could be right on, but usually they are peeing outside the box, not just defecating. It is worth getting checked, especially in males as they can get blocked from crystals in their urine. Having them on a diet with urinary acidifiers is a good idea. Was the poop normal looking? No blood or worms? No diarrhea? A fecal is always a good idea in young cats to rule out parasites. If for any reason your kitten is not eating/drinking well or is not playful you should take him in. Hope whatever it is clears up easily. Soph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Did you change cat litter brands recently? Sometimes even minor changes to the litter or placement can upset cats. You might also scoop more often because even though it may not seem to need it, cats can be finicky. I have to scoop after every deed because mine are adamant about not going if the other has left something behind and will leave a 'calling card' to remind us if we forget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhondaM. Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 This is true about the worms! Last year my kitten started going out of the box...but her stomach was obviously very upset. There were no visable worms in the stool...but she did have them. Cats can be so darn picky about where you put the box and even what type of litter they use. Sometimes one cat will guard the box from letting another cat use it. Or if the box if not in a private enough spot they can avoid it. You'll get it figured out. Rarely does a kitty just go on the floor for no reason. They'd much rather cover it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 We've been there! I'm voting that it was the dog. My vet's cat poops outside the box when she's mad at their dog, as a matter of fact -- I know this because I've discussed this issue with the vet. I had taken our cat in to rule out medical causes such as others have mentioned. When we had the problem, we switched to Cat Attract cat litter, we enzymed any spot she went outside of the box, we added even more litter boxes (we have 5 boxes for 2 cats; they are in a variety of locations and feature various types of litter for their pottying pleasure). Finally, I did the old "shut cat in a small room with food, water, and litterbox until she proves she can use the box". That last one did the trick. I had discovered it while googling litter box problems, and the vet concurred that it was the way to go. It only took our cat a few hours to figure out what we wanted and, ahem, work up the necessary body waste to prove that she knew what to do. Once she was out of the small room we reinforced by giving a treat when she used the box and covered nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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