I have a male long hair who is pooping all over the house. Litter box is cleaned daily. What can I do?
I have a male long hair who is pooping all over the house. Litter box is cleaned daily. What can I do?
Hi there and I'm sorry to hear about this.
The rule of thumb is that there should be one tray per cat and one extra. This may seem ludicrous, but often cats will 'claim' a tray as their own.
Cats are often incredibly fussy and won't use a tray because it is dirty or another cat has used it before them, so keeping the trays as clean as possible will help. Some cats have a litter preference, so the answer can be as simple as changing the type of litter you use.
Make sure the lip on the edge of the tray is not too high- perhaps if he is an older kitty, he is struggling to stand in the tray and posture. The tray should also be nice and large.
If you think he may be stressed, consider getting a Feliway adapter plug-in; often stress is the root cause of toileting issues.
It would also be important to rule out underlying health causes. However, if the poos are solid, there is no straining and he urinates a normal amount, it is likely more behavioural than medical.
One final thought- if he has been slowing down or stiffening up lately, consider he may becoming arthritic. This can make it difficult for cats to posture within their tray, and can lead to more accidents as they are 'caught short'. Cats are masters at hiding any discomfort, so the signs of early arthritis can be subtle e.g. jumping less or hesitating before a jump.
You could always ask you vet to give him a check-over, or even consider adding joint supplements to his food.
