My cat will poop on the dining room rug. I have had her on meds (gets pricey), tried different litter, and litter boxes, had her checked out by the vet. She will use her box when she can't get to the rug. I have another cat and they have never been friends even after 4 years. I am running out of patience.
Any suggestions would help.
I also keep litter boxes separate.
Hi Karen,
The fact that your two cats have not really warmed up to one another after 4 years is a good indication to me that your one cat is likely stressed about the other ones presence - which results with her elimination on the rug. If she uses the litterbox when she can't get to the rug, also suggests to me that she would use the rug if she can't get to her litterbox. So perhaps the other cat is blocking her from reaching it on these occasions.
Medications do get rather expensive. What is she on medication for? Some medications have side effects that can cause certain behaviours to change.
In a household that has multiple cats who are not friends - I recommend a product called Multi-Cat Feliway. It is a synthetic copy of a feline facial pheromone that can induce a state of familiarity and security within the environment allowing for the cats to remain more at ease around one another.
@Nicole Van Andel This caught my eye because I have a similar situation. Shadow was a stray who showed up at my farm about 17 years ago. He and a feral became good friends, lived in my barn for a while, then in my basement via a pet door. Smokey passed to the Bridge 2 or 3 years ago. About a year ago, I brought Shadow into the house, asI will be moving into a community where he cannot roam free, though he stays close and doesn't wander. He uses the litter box to urinate, but defecate on the carpet in the middle of the room. He and my other cat, Blue, don't fight but are not fast friends, either. I have 3 very large litter boxes for them. Shadow uses one; Blue, the other two. I've been putting scatter rugs over the spot that Shadow uses, and he,'ll use those as long as they have a very short nap. Anything else I can try? I thought of adding a litter box, but my small house lacks the space.
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Hi Dalton,
Now that Shadow is in his senior years, could be the reason for his defecation on the carpet. He could be confused or there may be an underlying medical condition. If he uses his one litterbox and Blue uses the other two - then there should be no need to introduce another litterbox into the home. By placing scatter rugs over the spot that Shadow uses to poop - will still allow his scent to remain in the area and therefore he will continue to associate this space as a place to go. Try removing these scatter rugs - clean the area vigorously with citrus and vinegar (no bleach as that will attract) and see if that makes any difference. Keep litterboxes in their known areas to avoid any future confusion.
If a trip to the veterinarian determines there is no medical condition, then you could also try the Multi-Cat Feliway pheromone. Even though Blue and Shadow tolerate one another, Shadow may still be abit stressed by Blue's presence. This can help to allow for a more comfortable environment for the both of them.
