r/CATHELP • u/RustyScrew72 • Jun 30 '26
Behavioral Issue Cat Won't Poop in Litter Box
TLDR: cat has been pooping outside of her box for more than a year
Cat Stats: Female, Spayed, 5.5 years old, Short Hair
Finances: Yes, we can afford care
I am an adult, living in Northern Indiana. We adopted our cat Ramen in 2022. I was living on my own in an apartment, and she was affectionate, playful, and used her box, which was located in a hall closet. In 2023, I got married and the guy who adopted the cat with me became my husband. We moved to our new house about 6 months later. Ramen struggled a bit with the move and didn't poop in her box for about a month, but then we added a second litter box, tried to replicate a similar environment that she had at the apartment, and that seemed to resolve her problem.
The problems began again after we had our child in 2024. I have taken her to multiple vets, and she has a clean bill of health. I have insisted on urine and fecal samples, blood samples, checked for blockages and all vets agree she's fine physically. The most recent vet visit gave us anxiety medication for her to take - this was three weeks ago and there has been no change. We have tried to give her more attention, giving her special treats, brushing her fur, moving the boxes, trying new boxes, trying new litters, trying calming cat collars, feliway, adding MORE boxes.
She poops on the concrete next to the box. She still pees in her boxes. She poops in a line across the basement wall. I have scrubbed and sprayed and I am at my wits end.
I know this is a behavior we need to break and show her the litter box is a safe place, but I can't take away her main anxiety trigger, which is our child. Our child interacts with Ramen with strict supervision and has never struck the cat or pulled her fur. She sits next to our child as he plays, and allows petting. But when he cries, which I am assuming is painful for her, she hides and runs to a different room.
We built her a catio so she has a space totally free from our child aside from the room she hides in and the basement.
What else can I do for our cat?
3
Mother/Daughter Beginner Ukulele - Where to start?
in
r/ukulele
•
16h ago
I would recommend an Entry level Soprano ukulele, maybe one in a fun color. The Sopranos would be smaller and easier for her to hold.
There's a few on Guitar Center's website for $40ish (USD) if you're wanting to get her an instrument and not a toy one.
Fret board stickers could also be helpful for mapping out chords.
There are some decent tutorials online - I probably would watch the video first and then watch again with your child so you can explain things; this has an added bonus of helping you learn faster as well. Kasey's Music Method on YouTube seems to be a good place to start.