Senior cat won't poop in the litter Xbox

by Karen cross
(Knoxville tenn)

My 14 yr old cat is in good health. She will urinate in the litter box but not poop. I have 3 boxes and another cat. She poops all over the house. Help

RESPONSE:

I assume that your older cat hasn't always had this behavior so something happened to change it. As older cats age they can have medical issues that change their normal patterns. Or, while defecating in the litter box an incident occurred that upset your cat or frightened your cat that she now associates with pooping in the box. Urinating is quick and she isn't making the same connection to the litter box with that activity.

First, I would have your cat checked by your vet to eliminate a medical reason for this behavior. There are also animal behaviorists that specialize in resolving a variety of behaviors.

There are also cat diapers available.

Here are the links to a few pages that might give you some insight into causes and solutions that might fit your situation.

Senior Cat Health

Animal Behaviorists

Cat Diapers

I hope that you will be able to get some resolution for this problem.