cat starting to poo in the house

by Naomi
(UK)

My cat is eleven years old now, so I'm wondering if this could be to do with old age? But anyway, he has always been trained to cry at the door if he needs to go to the toilet, and has always done this. However over the last few months he has begun pooing in the house more and more! At first I thought it was because nobody had been in to let him out at that time, so it was just an accident, but it's getting to the point where only 50% of the time he's doing to the door, and the rest of the time he just does it where he stands! He's even done it straigh in front of me, without giving any indication of what he was about to do!! I've found poo behind the sofa, on my dad's bed and all over the carpets. Recently I've even found it in my washing basket!!! My dad thinks he's becoming incontinent with old age but I'm hoping this isn't the case. What do you think?


Answer from Kate
Hi well 11 isn't that old for a cat so i dont think it would be age related.

Normally when this behavior occurs it is behavioral and is called Middening. Please see this page for more on this issue here

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

However i think it could be worth you having him checked over by a vet first before you put this down to a behavior issue as normally this behavior is carried out in certain areas over and over again. So it may be an idea to eliminate a possible health issue first.

I hope you can find the cause for this change in behavior soon.

best wishes Kate

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Cat Poo
by: Sherie

We had a Persian cat named Allie. She had a constipation problem. She started to poop in the tub and other spots around the house. We took Allie to the vet. She was x-rayed. Her colon was full of feces. In time she had to have surgery as her intestine was filled with hard feces. She had her colon removed. We had to change her food to a prescription diet of wet food versus dry food. She was a very picky eater. It was difficult to train her to eat the canned food. The canned food has more moisture. Moisture is important and helps prevent constipation. We even used a syrunge filled with water that we squirted in her mouth two or three times a day. Sadly we lost Allie a year ago to a tumor in her mouth. When a cat starts going outside their litter box there is a reason and it is usually due to the cat being sick or a major change in their life. Take your cat to the vet. Good luck!

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