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Cat pooping on bed

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Taz

watch your- fingers, i'm- eating		 
 
Purred: Tue Nov 20, '12 3:40pm PST 
I was wondering if anyone might be able to provide some insight as to why my 10.5yo female cat Taz has suddenly decided that my bed is a nice place to poop.

For background, I'm currently about 7 months pregnant with my first child and my husband and I took a week-long babymoon during which Taz was home alone. We left on Saturday morning and my friend was supposed to drop by on Wednesday to make sure she still had food/water and change her litter box but he ended up going on Thursday. He said her automatic feeder was fine and he scooped the litter. He said he checked on our bed because he couldn't find her at first and he didn't see anything there (i.e. no poop). He forgot to check her water though so my dad ended up coming back on Saturday and he said she was running low on water but still had some and he said she had a little bit of food left so we figured maybe she was in between feedings and had just eaten everything.

BUT my dad said there was tons of poop all over the bed, he cleaned it up for us but when we got home Sunday night there were a few more piles waiting. And it seemed like her feeder was somewhat jammed, or at least not giving out the entire amount it was supposed to. She ate a LOT when we offered her food but other than that she seemed okay.

Then she was fine for about a week until suddenly yesterday (a week since we got home) I came home to find poo on our bed. It was a little bit soft but not exactly diarrhea. I was really hoping it was a one time thing but I just got home and found two piles on the bed, one on my husband's side and one on mine frown Again, it's soft and almost diarrhea-ish but still has some shape and slightly firm.

I don't know what to do! I don't want this to become a habit. I was really hoping to get home and snuggle up with her and take a nice nap but instead I'm doing another load of laundry. Is this all still from us going on the trip? Could she be sick? Should I take her to the vet or does this seem like more of a behavioral problem? There is still poo and pee in the litter box so I know she's using that too, in fact after I came home I saw her eat and use the box and drink some water. I wonder if this is related to us being home with her all weekend but then being gone again for work yesterday and today triggering some sort of stress/anxiety about us being gone on our trip? I don't know...I just want to get this problem stopped before it becomes too big...especially before the baby comes.
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Shade

If your lap is- available, I'll- be there!

moderator		 
 
Purred: Fri Nov 23, '12 3:22pm PST 
Just to rule out any medical problems I recommend taking her to the vet. Something may be going on with the slight diarrhea. But if she has a clean bill of health my thought is that she was scared by the men coming into her home and the stress of her food and water routine being changed.

Is closing the door to your bedroom and denying her access an option? If not, although someone may have a better idea I would put a kitty litter box on your bed. It may not be a picture for Good Housekeeping magazine, but if she insists on pooping on your bed, at least the box would be available for her.
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Batfink

1254481		 
 
Purred: Sun Nov 25, '12 11:59am PST 
Was reading this article on line earlier and this popped up Quote..

Faeces is also a scent-laden marker. Although common wisdom is that cats fastidiously bury their wastes, they may use faeces to mark territory - a behaviour known as middening. Middening cats deposit their faeces in a prominent spot (often on top of a tuft of grass or the middle of a path), often choosing the same place again and again to advertise their continued presence. Middens are usually located at disputed areas of territory where challenges are likely to occur. Sometimes this is indoors, the usual place being the bed. A cat which has been upset by an intruder or unusual event middens in the place which smells most strongly of its human family, reinforcing the family bond. Humans don't see it the same way.

Heres the link hope it helps....http://www.messybeast.com/cat_talk2.htm
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Beatrice- (Miss You!- '94-'12)

The very Beast- of all

moderator		 
 
Purred: Sun Nov 25, '12 6:50pm PST 
I agree with Shade that you should see the vet to rule out a health problem.

I wonder if it might be an anxiety problem? I can imagine her getting freaked out by being left alone for a week with only sporadic check-ins by strangers and a dwindling supply of food and water, with no way to know if her humans were ever going to come back. frown

She could also be feeling some stress over the impending arrival of the baby. She may not sense exactly what's going to happen, but she knows that things are changing and it might be adding to her anxiety.
shrug

You can try a product like Feliway to help calm her and reduce the urge to scent mark, but I would definitely get her to the vet as soon as possible.

Good luck! Keep us posted! hug

Edited by author Sun Nov 25, '12 6:52pm PST

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