Defecation Problems: Litter Box Problems

by a reader

Litter Box Problems are common with cats and especially older cats. The following question illustrates how behavior can change as a cat ages.


I have a cat that is about 12 years old that my wife and I have had for about 2 years. She is not a very friendly cat. She is very shy around strangers and tends to hide.

Her litter box is located in the garage. She has to go through a cat door to get to it. She always urinates in the box but sometimes poops on the garage floor. I have actually witnessed her get out of the box after she urinated and then proceed to poop on the floor.

We have changed brands of litter a few times and it does seem to help, but we never seem to go a full week without at least one accident on the garage floor.

The problem is we just returned from a week long trip. While we were away, a family member came over and fed her and cleaned the litter box. When we came home we found that she pooped 4 times on a really nice rug inside the house. She even did it again our first night back.

The next morning we were going to take the rug outside to do a major cleaning and discovered that she had urinated on it as well. Keep in mind she has never urinated anywhere but the litter box before this.

We can handle an occasional 'accident' on the garage floor, but this has really crossed the line and we just don't know what to do. Please help.

Jeff and April


Dear Jeff and April,

I certainly appreciate your frustration. I have some suggestions for you that may help.

First of all, it sounds like you only have one litter box in the garage. Add another one. Some cats do not like defecating in the same box they urinate in.

Keep the litters meticulously clean. Scoop them every day.

As she ages, it may be more difficult for her to go though the pet door. Are there any options? Can it be larger? Does she have to step up to go through or step down after she is through the door? She may be having some arthritis.

Likewise the litter boxes. Are they standard litter boxes? Does she seem to have any problem stepping into or out of the litter box?

Have her paws been examined? If there's anything wrong with her paws or nails, it may not be comfortable stepping in litter or covering.

Does the litter box have a lid? Get rid of it. Do you use liners? Don't. Even if you had a lid and it was ok before, things change. Again, her age and possible arthritis or just slowing down may make it more difficult these days to get into the box through a hood.

Also, some cats have certain postures they want to assume when urinating or defecating. It could be that her posture from her younger days isn't suitable now and if the box in any way keeps her from finding a comfortable position, then she may not go in the box. Another reason for not having hoods or liners.

Many cats want one paw on the edge or two paws. I even had a cat once that perched on the edge of the box with all four paws!!

On top of all of the above, you left her. I don't say that accusingly, I'm just describing it through her eyes.

In summary, there are things you can do with the litter box situation and access to the garage that will probably help the situation. However, at her age, she may very well be suffering from constipation, kidney disease, or other disorder that can only be diagnosed by having a good vet exam and bloodwork and urinalysis. Many different medical disorders can lead to litter box problems and that certainly needs to be ruled out before it is assumed to be behavioral.

Make an appointment as soon as possible with the vet and meanwhile address the issues I have mentioned above. Above all, do not blame her or punish her with negative punishment (yelling, hitting, throwing a newspaper, etc.) That doesn't work with cats at all AND she doesn't deserve it. Something is bothering her and you need to find out what.

Good Luck,
Dr. Neely