Cats, our cleanest friends among pets, often instinctively know where to go to the toilet. Although these clever moves always put them one step ahead of other pets, sometimes things don’t go as planned.
Even though your cat is taught to poop in the litterbox, sometimes they make the unfortunate mistake of pooping beside it or in a different spot.
5 Reasons Why Your Cat is Pooping on The Floor
Cats are smart enough to always take care of their cleanliness under normal conditions. However, every cat, whether using a litter box or soil, tends to cover it up after they are finished pooping. If your cat does not behave in this manner and, on the contrary, they are defecating outside the litter box, there are some reasons for this.
These are the five likely reasons why your cat is pooping on the floor:
1. Your Cat Might Have Health Problems
First thing first, you have to rule out if there are any medical issues. Not using the litter box at all or using it only occasionally may indicate that your cat has a medical illness.
However, if your cat has diarrhea more frequently or produces different colored stools, you should consult the veterinarian as soon as possible. Your little friend’s health needs to be checked with a veterinary if your cat’s poop is white or contains blood.
These stools can be a result of more severe health problems like:
Colitis and Inflammatory bowel disease.
2. Diet Changes or The Wrong Diet
The proper diet will help a lot, so your cat can have more control over its pooping habits.
Especially having a different meal than they always eat can have a harmful effect on your cat’s intestines. Milk, yogurt, cheese, and similar foods with high lactose content can trigger diarrhea.
If you suspect your cat has stiff joints, which can make the cat not use the litterbox as intended, it can be a sign of arthritis.
Arthritis is inflammation in the cat’s joints, usually caused by the wrong diet. The same goes for humans, of course, but to combat this horrible disease, you need to make some changes in the cat’s diet.
Luckily enough, dietary changes are a proven way to fix this so that the joints can heal themselves. Here are some quick tips for reducing the inflammation in your cat’s joints:
- Feed the cat good quality animal-based protein
- Fish oil (omega-3 fatty acid)
- Feed the cat just enough to keep the cat at a skinny/healthy weight
- Avoid carbs and ultra-processed ingredients as much as possible
3. Fear, Stress, and Anxiety
Cats pooping on the carpet or floor can also be caused by fear and anxiety. If your cat feels stressed or anxious, it will inevitably poop without thinking about the litterbox.
In addition, the perception of various risks due to not being comfortable in their living space will cause them to poop.
Litterbox in The Wrong Location
To prevent your cat from pooping on the carpet, you should try to reduce the potential risk factors that might cause anxiety and fear. Especially if the cat does not go to the litter box and poops on the floor, you can make the cat more relaxed by changing the litter box’s location to a more suitable area.
Household changes
One of the situations that cause cats to poop on the floor is that there are strangers in the house that will make them nervous. If an unfamiliar guest comes to your home, your cat might have difficulty going to the litterbox because of disturbances.
The cat reacts to smells from the litterbox
As I mentioned in the introduction, cats are very hygienic and can poop elsewhere if their litterbox smells of urine and feces. Their cleanliness standards can be out of the ordinary sometimes.
4. Displacement – New Environment for The Cat
If you just got your new little friend, relocation is one of the most common reasons cats defecate in other parts of the house besides the litter box. However, your cat may not feel safe or comfortable with relocation yet. In addition, adoptions and situations where the cat’s location is changed may cause the cat to poop on the floor without fault.
5. Your Cat Is Getting Older
The fact that older cats poop on the floor is due to their age-related physical condition. Older cats are reluctant to go out, especially in a garden.
In addition, they may have difficulty taking steps or moving due to joint stiffness in their bodies, which might indicate your cat can have arthritis. This problem is more noticeable when your cat is getting older.
Older cats can also develop self-confidence problems and begin perceiving threats from different sources around them.
Conclusion
So now we looked at the 5 most likely reasons your cat is pooping on the floor. Keep these reasons in mind if it keeps happening over and over. Also, as a last note, consult your veterinary if you suspect there might be some medical issues involved in this involuntarily pooping on the floor.
