Why does my cat poop on the carpet?

Lapsed litter box users are usually the result of either a medical problem (have your cat checked by a vet FIRST) or some change in the environment or something causing the cat stress.

A few things to ask yourself:

Have you changed the brand, fragrance or type of litter you use in the litter box (note that sometimes a product can be changed by the manufacturer without any obvious difference in the packaging)?
Have you forgotten to clean it out daily?
Have you gotten a new pet, had a baby or gotten a new boyfriend/girlfriend?
Have you moved the furniture around, moved to a new home, or moved the location of the litter box recently?
Has your own schedule changed such as getting a new job or working different hours or different days?

There are a lot of things that can cause a cat to “forget” that it is litter trained, and it can be as simple as the cat developing an aversion to the scent or texture of the litter or being unhappy with the level of cleanliness of the box. Switch to an unscented, clay-based clumping litter if that is not what you are already using. This type is usually the least likely to cause an aversion and is the easiest to keep clean by scooping out clumps daily. If your cat doesn’t like clay litter then try the other types until you find one it will tolerate.

If your vet cannot find anything physically wrong with your cat, he will have to be re-litter trained. Confine him to a single room or small area of the house with his litter box and other necessities and keep him there until he has gotten back in the habit of using his box. If he “forgets” again, repeat the process until it “sticks”.

Another bit of advice: don’t punish your cat by pushing its nose in the mess or by slapping or hitting it, this doesn’t work and only confuses and upsets the cat. If you catch your cat *in the act* grab him up and take him to his litter box and set him down inside it. When he does his business in the correct place, give him a treat to reward the proper behavior. This is much more effective than trying to punish the cat in a way that will only confuse it.

Comments to Answer

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Also I forgot one other thing you can try - get a second litter box. Some cats like to pee in one and poo in another. It's very strange, but some are just like that.

By: telegramsam   1976

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Is your cat litter cleaned everyday? A lot of times cats don’t go in dirty cat litter and will poo and pee all over your house. make sure you clean it at least once a day and fresh litter at least once a week hope this helps

Maybe your cat is sick? Usually cats do that sort of thing to get your attention to tell you that they are sick

I agree with the person above.

i don’t know the answer, and i’ll look it up, but i think that if your cat is going on the floor or rug all the time then maybe it might be having some digestive problems or bowel problems. you could check w/ your vet or take your cat into show the vet and hopefully this problem will get solved.

also the cat maybe showing some symptoms of an illness.

My cat recently decided to poop on my beautiful oriental carpet, it’s scratches the best… who knows. He would pee in the box but not cover it. I have seen this behavior once before, when I changed the type of cat litter I was using. This time however, I did not change cat litter, I’ve been using Tidy Cat Scoop for multiple cats for years. Purina, the manufacturer, however did change their formula and my kitty apparently hated the new formula and he just wanted to let me know.

I spent hours on the phone with the Tidy Cat people and while they were as helpful as they could be.. there is nothing they can do. The product has changed and there is no surplus of old litter, I begged…

So, I’ve spent the past several days buying all sorts of litters, some they suggested like 24/7. Nope he hated it and let me know!! I finally came upon Cat’s Pride Natural. That was two days ago and so far so good. He’s back using his box and not the oriental and he’s happy!

Why these researchers think a cat will take to ‘new and improved’ is beyond me. I have found the cats are creatures of habit with regards to food, treats and litter.

If you have not changed anything recently like the litter. You should take your cat to see your vet. I did call mine and if my theory proved to be wrong that was my next stop. If I hadn’t gone thru with this before the vet would have been my first stop. Best wishes…

clean his/her litter box mabe. if it is clean than it might be sick and you should take it to the vet

force the cat to eat the poop thus repelling it from ever pooping again and then they explode