Missing the litter pan – bad aim?

Question:

I recently adopted a 1 1/2-year-old cat. She’s as sweet as can be but she defecates just outside the cat box on the floor so I named her Lou. She tries to cover it up but she’s pawing at the floor! She urinates in the box. I’ve tried different litters and different boxes but the behavior continues. There are 2 other cats in the house but they live in their own sunroom.

Dr. Nichol:

Your new kitty knows how fortunate she is in her new home but she needs to get her %$&# together. There can be a variety of reasons for this conundrum. A sudden thumping or buzzing from a laundry appliance, while Lou was blissfully using the loo may have startled the you-know-what out of her, resulting in an immediate and permanent fear association with that bodily function in that room.

Cats can be fastidious. Clumping litter is generally best but of it isn’t scooped twice daily and the pans dumped, washed, and refilled weekly fussy felines can perceive a hygiene problem and dump elsewhere despite routinely urinating on target.

Our kitties are domestic pets who belong in our homes. They also need us to support their innate behaviors. In the wild they eliminate in a variety of fresh locations. Equip your house with one litter pan per cat, plus one more. Spread out those 4 feline latrines in different rooms. Size matters too. Provide sweater storage boxes with part of one side cut down for access. Older plastic pans retain odor and should be recycled and replaced.

Stress-related anxiety may be another driver of Lou’s lapses in restroom etiquette. Ugly pheromone insults among any or all of your cats can be derailed with environmental enrichments to their home. Visit my website, drjeffnichol.com for a good list. Visiting neighbor cats can be a major driver of stress. They’ll need bus tickets to Poughkeepsie.

With repetition, house soiling can become a deeply entrenched behavior, making if really difficult to treat. Safe antianxiety medication, like fluoxetine, should not be reserved as a last resort. Catch Loo doing the right thing every chance you get but never punish. Set her up for success.

For help with behavior problems, you can sign-up for a Zoom Group Conference on my website, drjeffnichol.com.

Dr. Jeff Nichol is a residency-trained veterinary behaviorist. He provides consultations in-person and in groups by Zoom (drjeffnichol.com). Each week he shares a blog and a video to help bring out the best in pets and their people. Sign up at no charge at drjeffnichol.com. Post pet questions through my website, drjeffnichol.com/contact/ or by US Post to 4000 Montgomery Blvd. NE, Albuq, NM 87109.