Help!! My kitty uses the litter box for pee but nothing else!! ~

[Anonymous]

I have an eight yr old male cat. I adopted him when he was eight months from a shelter. He always pees in his litter box, but never poops in it.

He did when he was younger, but for the last five yrs {!}, I would say he has only pooped in it a few times. What does he do?

Well, he will find a specific place in the house (i.e., a corner, a closet, etc.) and do his business there. He always poops on carpet..never on the vinyl flooring.

I am a neat freak and have always provided him w/a clean litter box. Even when his litter box is 100% cleaned, he still poops on the carpet somewhere. I have tried everything w/him. When he is done, I tell him sternly "NO!" so I know he knows I am dismayed at his behavior. I just don't understand why he prefers pooping on carpet rather than his litter box.

I love him so much and giving him away is definitely not an option.

[Anonymous]

Get 2 litterboxes. Some cats prefer to pee in one and poop in the other.

[Anonymous]

Yes, and maybe even get more than 2 litterboxes. Put litterboxes in all the places he likes to poop.

Also, cats use a diff. crouch to poop than they do to pee, and sometimes they're more sensitive to the litter material for this reason (they have to hold their tails up, it may hurt their muscles more, etc. . .I always imagine it like you're trying to hold a squat position .. you know how that REALLY makes your thights burn after a few seconds?!?) Anyway, have you experiment with diff. types of litter? One of mine likes smooth surfaces to poop on, so we have one litter box where we only have the smallest amount of litter in it, and I push that to the side, so she poops in the bottom of the box where there's virtually no litter, and then she swishes the litter around to cover it up.

Have you tried things like this?

[Anonymous]

10:29 poster back: since you said he likes to poop on carpet, I think you need to get a litter substance that is closest to what he likes to poop on. Have you tried all diff. types?

[Anonymous]

I had the opposite problem, but a similar solution might work. Like PP said, different material for different purposes. Because my cat was always peeing on fabric, I got an empty litterbox and put a few cheap washcloths in it. At the same time, I put a deterrent (SsssCat-- a can of compressed air with a motion sensor on it) in the places he was peeing. He started peeing in the pee-box, and stopped peeing anywhere else. Having to wash a week's worth of pee-soaked washcloths isn't my favorite thing, but it's better than getting rid of my lovely boy, or having to keep a rubber sheet over the futon!

[Anonymous]

I would put a carpet remnant IN an all-new litter box -- without any litter. Cut the edges down so it'll fit. Or set the remnant it on a big cookie sheet, which mimics the floor since it doesn't have "walls" like a litter box.

Stick that new box near his latest poop spot. Keep the "pee box" wherever it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would put a carpet remnant IN an all-new litter box -- without any litter. Cut the edges down so it'll fit. Or set the remnant it on a big cookie sheet, which mimics the floor since it doesn't have "walls" like a litter box.

Stick that new box near his latest poop spot. Keep the "pee box" wherever it is.

I think this is a great idea.

[Anonymous]

Is his litter box in an exposed location? If so, he might want a more private place to poop. Try putting a litter box in the closet or other enclosed space.