# Old cat started pooping in living room!!! Help!!



## Jojetski (Jan 13, 2014)

We have a 16 year old cat who has a couple of teeth left but otherwise in decent health. She uses a litter tray in a washroom or goes outside to do her business. At least until a couple of months ago. She has started pooping in our living room, either when we are out or not looking. It's an open plan house so we can't shut a door to prevent this.

We have tried blocking the area she is pooping in but she just does it as close as she can get. It's a laminate floor but with young children in the house, this can't continue. She does use the litter tray sometimes (wee and poo) but it's now practically every day that we find a poo in our living room.

Somebody help!!!!


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## Tails and Trails (Jan 9, 2014)

Lots of old cats and dogs start toileting in doors

They arent any different than humans; bladders muscles start to give way

Best person to talk is your vet, he has probably had countless cases like this


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi Jojetski, welcome to Pet Forum Cats as they get older may develop health issues that affect their bowel or bladder function making it less reliable than it used to be. It may accompany the development of one of the chronic illnesses that often emerge in the senior years of a cat's life 
e.g. kidney disease, or hyperthyroidism, though your cat is in good health at present. 

It is possible your cat does not find it as easy as he once did to pass his stools, and is maybe a bit constipated, perhaps because he is not as active as he used to be. If he is finding it less easy to open his bowel, he may be feeling discomfort. When this happens the cat associates the litter tray with his discomfort and looks for somewhere else to poo away from the tray.

I had a cat (RIP) who at age of 17 suddenly decided he no longer wished to use either of the litter trays in the kitchen for pooing, only for peeing. He began pooing in the corner of my sitting-room, and the only thing that would stop him was to shut the door. But then he would poo right outside the door, which happened to be by the front door, so not a very pleasant welcome to come home to, if he had a poo whilst I was out! 

In the end I bit the bullet and put a litter tray for him in the sitting room in the spot he had chosen. I bought a fire screen to put in front of it to disguise it. Once I responded to his wishes he used that tray for his poos for the rest of his life, and there were no more "accidents".

I don't know how practical it would be for you to put a tray in the spot your cat has chosen - perhaps a covered tray maybe? 

Other than that I can only advise you to ensure he is passing stools easily and not straining and that the stools are not hard and dry. Make sure he is getting plenty of fluids, add a little water to his wet food and do not feed him any dry food. That way he will find it easier to have a bowel movement.

Also ensure you clean up the soiled areas with an enzymatic cleaner such as Simple Solution or Urine Off. Or make a solution using bio laundry liquid. Otherwise your cat will still be able to smell a trace of the scent where he toileted and will keep going back to the same place. 

If you don't want to put a tray for him in the place he has chosen, then I'd advise putting out a couple of extra trays for him in places you don't mind them being, as he may just decide to use one of those. Though tbh I rather doubt it as he may have made up his mind exactly where he wants his 2nd toilet to be located.


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## Jojetski (Jan 13, 2014)

What a great response. Thanks so much for the advice. We'll try a second litter tray in her "chosen" location. Thanks again


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## ForeverHome (Jan 14, 2014)

I was also going to suggest either newspaper or a tray in the chosen location. We had an elderly girl who did this for about the last 2 years of her life and just accepted that caring for a very elderly cat does mean making some adjustments, not all of them pleasant to guests but tough poo! 
In our case she was deaf, almost blind, thin, and probably senile. But she was a happy girl and as long as she was we could never have handled her old age any differently. She died in her sleep one night with no sign of trauma or distress. We know we did exactly the right thing for her. If visitors didn't approve well they can stay away.


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