8 yr old male pooing, Is it a reaction on my personal life?

by Angie

After reading more of your Web site, I now identify that my cat has a case of Middening.

Can you help me identify why? And / or what to do?

At first I thought he could be jealous of our 2nd, outdoor cat, with whom he seldom spends time, may be only a sniff through the door or a supervised 10 min close up. (they would normally fight). .. but this has been the regular activity for the las 2 years. Nothing new there.

A month ago he pooped close to the door. Days later -all through the hallway.(one lump here, one there... scattered). A week later, in the kitchen, then later under the bed... and last night on the bed WHILE I WAS ON IT (asleep).

My reaction is to confine him to the patio after he does that. He knows his action upsets me because now he poops and immediately runs (from me) as soon as I notice.

He has a personal inside litter box but usually prefers to poo in the garden (which I tolerate).

Maybe it is separation anxiety.. I am at the end of a divorce process and will move out of the house in a month.
But nothing has changed for him. He still gets a lot of attention from me, and I spend most of the day with him.

Any suggestions?

Thank you

Answer by Kate
Hi
well cats are very good at picking up on others emotions, so it well be that he senses change in your life and this is making him feel nervous or unsettled. perhaps you have started to pack things and this too could be affecting him.

It is often difficult for us to determine the exact reason for this behavior as even the smallest thing can upset a cat to make them feel like they have to carry out this sort of behavior to try and make themselves feel better. remember he is not doing it out of spite or to make you angry.

It will be a difficult time for you all over the coming weeks and so you will have to be prepared that this behavior may continue until things settle down again.

you may want to try the confinement method mentioned on the middening page as this can help to settle them down . https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-litter-box.html

best wishes kate

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