I have poop on my carpet and paw prints on my counters...going crazy!

by ap
(auburn hills, mi)

We recently moved over a month ago, the first few weeks that we were in the new place the cat did just fine. All of a sudden for about 2 weeks now he will go poop and when he gets out he has it still hanging from his bottom. He is then sitting down on the brand new carpet and getting it all over the place.

Please help, we love our cat but he never did this before and I m not sure it is something that I can live with as he never used to do it. He is about a year old.


He has also recently just started jumping on the kitchen counters. I love cats but I love food too....any way to break this new habit he is starting to partake in?

Answer by Kate
Hi
well I think there could be several issues here regarding the litter problem. Firstly the fact that it is still hanging out of his behind suggests to me that he may be having some constipation/diarrhoea issues. In which case you my want to consider having him checked by a vet to rule out any underlining illness. You could also check his diet (please see my pages about cat food
/ cat
constipation / cat
diarrheo pages for more information

If he gets a clean bill of health from the vet it may be time for some re litter training again, this is common when a cat moves as it can take them some time to settle into a new home with new smells etc. the litter training process is found on this page https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-litter-box.html

As for the walking on the work surfaces. well this can be a problem as once they are used to doing it the habit can be hard to break. you will either have to restrict him from the kitchen by closing the door if that is possible or you will have to try and change his behaviour by removing him quickly and quietly from the surface when he first gets on it. if this is done every time then he will eventually learn that this is not a place he should be. Also wipe the surfaces with a strong citrus cleaner. cats don't like this strong smell and it should help to prevent him going on the work surfaces. I have a page about cat deterrents for scratching furniture and there are some products on that page that may also help with your situation https://www.our-happy-cat.com/scratching-post.html

Hope some of this advice will help as I know myself how distressing it can be with situations like this.

best wishes Kate

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