Why Do Cats Poop Outside the Litter Box and How to Stop It
Finding it hard to understand the behavior of your cat who tends to poop everywhere except in his litter box? Be aware that there are several reasons for this unusual situation.
Among the reasons, the cleanliness and the location of his litter box, a health concern, a psychological problem, even an instinctive habit. These 5 explanations can help you better understand why your cat poops outside of its litter box and be able to easily remedy it.
The cleanliness of the litter box
A first explanation for the fact that your little feline defecates outside his litter box can be linked to the hygiene of the latter. If your cat feels that their litter box isn't clean enough, they won't be tempted to use it for their poo break.
Maintaining his litter box in a constant state of optimal cleanliness will better encourage your cat to naturally favor his box for his needs. Consider clearing the litter box of droppings every day with a shovel. Also completely replacing the litter box at least once a week would be a good thing.
The location of the litter box
Poor location of the litter box can also explain the refusal of some cats to poop in their litter box. If your companion's litter box is inaccessible to him or if he has to relieve himself in inconvenient and reassuring conditions for his safety, he will be less inclined to reuse it for defecation in the future.
To encourage your cat to always favor its litter box, make sure to place the box in a place that is easy for him to access and on these passageways. It should be lighted, relatively calm and discreet. For the sake of hygiene for the cat, also avoid placing the litter box near its water or its bowl.
A healthhealth
problem Aproblem is probably not what you will first imagine, but it is a very plausible hypothesis. In this context, the uncleanliness of your companion will be less linked to a refusal to use his litter box than to his inability to be able to do so ideally, due to his physical condition or his state of health.
If your cat suffers from intestinal disorders, for example, or abdominal cramps that affect his mobility, it is possible that he relieves himself even before reaching his litter box or defecating on the spot because he is unable to move.
In any case, if you notice an unusual tendency to defecate everywhere in your cat who usually uses his litter box for his needs, do not rule out the possibility of illness and be sure to have him consulted to check his condition. health.
A psychological problem, stress, anxiety, etc ...
Stress, anxiety, behavioral problems and many other psychological factors cannot be excluded in the explanation and understanding of most of the behaviors observed in our four-legged friends. The same goes for the tendency to pee or poo everywhere apart from the litter box yet provided and well maintained for its hygiene.
Indeed, if your hairball has experienced a phobia or a fear while relieving itself in its litter box, it is possible that it has associated the timing and use of its litter box with a source of stress.
In this case the solution may be to simply move the litter box to another, calm and unconfined place.
An instinctive habit
What if the tendency to poop out of the litter box was simply due to an instinctive habit of your companion? By instinct, some cats do not like to urinate or defecate in the same place. An attitude that we still struggle to understand today.
We can nevertheless establish a connection with the known phenomenon of territorial marking. So your cat who defecates in different places around the house might be doing so to mark or expand his territory. In this particular case, the purchase of one or two additional litter boxes will be the ideal solution. You will take care to distribute them to the different places where he is now used to pooping.
