My Pet World: Some pet illnesses incubate before showing symptoms

Cathy M. Rosenthal, Tribune Content Agency on Mar 22, 2023

Dear Cathy,

My wife and I are frustrated. We have a rescue cat that we have had for about 10 years. She started pooping on the bedroom floor. At first, it was occasional. Now, it is daily. She pees in the box just fine, but when she has to poop, she gets in her box, digs a hole, then steps out of the box, and goes on the floor.

Her stool has blood in it, but several vets have run tests and can find nothing. We have tried different litter at different depths and extra boxes around the house, but nothing has changed. We installed new carpet yesterday, thinking that if the smell were gone, she would use her box. She pooped on the new carpet today. Do you have any suggestions?

— Larry, Turlock, California

Dear Larry,

If the vets have ruled out serious health problems, then it could be something as simple as constipation, which can impact a cat’s litter box habits and cause blood in the stool. She wants to go in the box, but associates the box with the discomfort and therefore poops outside it.

If you see her struggling to poop, she may need more water or fiber. You can add water to her food to increase her water intake. Fiber can come from a teaspoon of canned pureed pumpkin or an over-the-counter hairball medication. Illness doesn’t always present right away in our pets, so be sure to talk to your vet before doing this as an increase in fiber could also aggravate an underlying, undiagnosed health problem.

As animals get older, they can have physical aches as we do, which can cause a cat to forego using the litter box. Cats can get stressed about changes in the household or are startled while inside the box. Sometimes, cats want to perch on the edge of the litterbox while pooping and they can’t do that in a closed box.

Use unscented litter in an uncovered litter box located in a low-traffic location. Add a litter box attractant (available online and in pet stores) to lure her back to the box. Plug in feline pheromones in the rooms with the litter boxes and get her a feline pheromone collar to wear. Something is bothering her, and these things may help bring her back to the box.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)