My cat doesn't always poop in his litterbox

[Megkm]

I've had my Oscar for 4 years now and off and on he will go through stages where he will poop on the floor instead of in his litter box.  He always does it in front of it.  The litterbox is cleaned everyday and sometimes this happens after once it has just been cleaned.  When he was younger he had a bad declaw and had a hard time walking and  using his litter, could this be a trauma that still affects him?  I'm worried about him and was wondering if there is anything I can do for him when he is going through this stage. He's naturally a big cat and is 20lbs.

Thank you,
M. and Oscar

[Piparskeggr]

Good evening;

The semi-famous Miss Teia Honey went through a similar bout recently.

We believe that she was injured in her front shoulders when she was a street cat before the people we got her from in June last year rescued her back in 1999 at age 6 months.  She has a limp in both front legs.

For a couple of weeks she peed in her box, but pooped just outside.  It started after we'd been gone for a week and she had a "dust-up" with our youngest, Chesapeake (who is as subtle as a tire iron across the forehead).

I cleaned, every time, with pet odor/stain neutralizer.  The pattern would be broken for a day or so, as I'd put the stools in the regular box.  But, back to the carpet...

Finally, I placed a box with lower sides by her other box.  Since I placed the lower box, no "presents" on the floor.

Teia's a sweetie, come a very, very long way since we took her in, from the half-wild, "vampire" kitty with which we were presented.

Breaking a bad habit can be done.  You just have to be kind, patient and persistent.

God luck - Pip

[skepticalpeach]

My cat started doing this. My hubby took her to the vet and it turns out her anal glands were blocked. It was a quick, cheap fix and she feels a lot better now. She uses the litter box just fine now. She was so miserable and it wasn't even anything that bad. I hope your kitty feels better soon!

[opus88]

he is somehow associating PAIN to his litter box....either bowel &/or bladder pain could be the culprit.
He needs to see a Vet and I would start there and ask the Vet to do a urinalysis to rule out a UTI &/or crystals in the urine..male cats especially are very prone to this. Its very important NOT to feed dry food especially to male cats....they need to have tons of fluids to be able to flush out their bladders and prevent crystals.
Please Keep us posted and Welcome to our Cat Forum.
♥Opus

[nancyjac]

Yes, it could be from declawing.  It could also be a recurring urinary tract infection, anal or paw irritation from the litter, constipation or diarrhea, or his weight.