Why is my cat only pooping in the bathtub and not her litter box?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed
My cat will use her litter box to pee but will not poop in it. She will only poop in the bathtub no where else
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on July 11th, 2016
That has to be frustrating for you! Even if you’re absolutely certain that the problem is behavioral, you need to have your cat examined by the veterinarian to make sure there isn’t an underlying medical problem. There are a number of medical issues that could be causing your cat to feel uncomfortable about pooping in the box. If she experiences constipation, for example, she may associate the box with her discomfort and attempt to go somewhere else. If your cat is older and has arthritis, it may be difficult for her to perch on the litter substrate in order to eliminate solids. If you have a covered litter box, she may feel cramped in there while perching in position to poop. There are a number of intestinal problems (inflammatory bowel disease for example) that commonly result in cats defecating outside of the box. Sassy may experience cramping and the discomfort causes her to try to eliminate wherever she is at the time. She may also become so uncomfortable that she can’t make it to the box. I recommend taking her into your vet to rule out a medical reason behind this, and if it is ruled out, your vet can discuss behavioral techniques to get her to poop in her box. Take a sample of her feces with your for the vet to examine.
27Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on August 1st, 2017
You are doing all the right things. I would try putting aluminum foil in the bath. Cats don't like stepping on something crinckly and generally avoid the area. You can also leave some water in the bottom of the bath that will also make it unpleasant for her, or keep her out of the room altogether. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Nala.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My cat poops in the bath tub. I tried 2 litter boxes. I tried keeping water in the bath tub (which made mold). Even with water in the bath tub, she stopped using 2 litter boxes and started dropping her poop right out side the box. People have suggest
Unfortunately, it is very common for older cats or cats with any medical problems to have changes in their bathroom habits. I have a few suggestions for you.
First, even if a cat has been tolerant of a slightly dirty litter box previously, sometimes this changes as they get older. That may mean that if there is ANY urine or stool in a box, then they won't use it. Why this sometimes involves only stool and not urine, we can't always tell. But the first step in any inappropriate elimination case is to make sure that there are the "correct" number of litter boxes in the house which is the number of cats plus one, so that would be 2 boxes in your house if Helena is the only cat. Those boxes must be cleaned at least once daily. Some people use an automatic cleaning litter box for one of their boxes to make sure that there is always a clean box. Cats tend to dislike covered or lined litter boxes, so I would eliminate those if they are as issue. As far as litter, I currently use Wor
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have 2 cats, A large male who can sometimes be a bully and a smaller, female cat. The female cat is very skiddish. When we first got the female cat she had difficulties using the litter box. I got an additional litter box and both cats were sharing
Inappropriate elimination can be due to either medical or behavioral problems. I always recommend having the cat examined by a vet to rule out any medical problems first, like GI disease, intestinal parasites or a urinary tract infection. If everything is normal on exam then you can consider this a behavioral issue. Cats will sometimes go outside the box if it is not cleaned frequently enough, if the litter or location of the box has been changed, or if there is something new to the environment causing the cat stress (like a new housemate, a recent vacation, a change in food, etc). In an older cat you need to consider pain/discomfort when defecating, either due to posturing or getting in/out of the box. The discomfort could be from hip/hind leg arthritis. You may want to consider adding an extra litter box or two to your home, making the box very easily accessible (i.e. no stairs to travel up and down etc) and getting a box with lower sides to make it easier for your cat to get in and
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My female cat will poop in the litter box but not pee, she pees whenever she feels like it. Could there be something physically wrong
Inappropriate elimination in cats is often a behavioral problem rather than a medical problem, so the first step is to have him seen by your vet to eliminate any kind of illness or condition as a cause for his defecating outside the box. Once medical issues are ruled out, take a look at other explanations. Has there been a lot of activity that wasn't normal? Were you away and your cat was left at home or boarded? Is the litterbox located in a busy area? Has anything happened recently in this area to make him reluctant to use it again? Is there another cat, pet or person that is preventing him from getting to the box? Have you changed it from a hooded to an open box, or vice versa? Have you changed the brand of litter or kind? Is there something about the spot he has chosen to use that is attracting him in some way? Cats dislike disturbances to their routine and may act out to express their dissatisfaction. The litter box may not be big enough. The general rule of thumb is one litte
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
In the past few days Dexter has pooped in the tub. He pees in his litter box regularly and also pooped in it. I though it wasn't clean enough so I've been extremely thorough with cleaning it. I use recycled paper litter and he seems to fine with it.
Dexter is adorable! Thanks for including a picture and giving such a thorough history. Unfortunately, it is very common for older cats to have changes in their bathroom habits. The first thing I would recommend would be to have your vet examine Dexter and check a fecal sample on him to make sure that there isn't a medical cause for him to be defecating outside the box. Older cats commonly have arthritis along their back which may interfere with their comfort getting into the litter box or squatting to defecate. If Dexter has ever had pain associated with squatting to defecate, he may associate it with the litter box and may avoid the litter box for defecation. So, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Dexter to see if they find any signs of arthritis that may benefit from medication or other treatment. If your vet can't find a medical reason, then the next step is to look at litter box issues. Even if a cat has been tolerant of a slightly dirty litter box previously,
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
We found out our 6 month old ragdoll was peeing in the bathtub which is less than 1 metre from the litter box. We then covered the bathtub with a glass table top and he seems to still jump up and pee on top when we're not around. He drinks plenty of
Inappropriate elimination in cats is often a behavioral problem rather than a medical problem, so the first step is to have him seen by your vet to eliminate any kind of illness or condition as a cause for his eliminating outside the box. If medical issues are ruled out, take a look at other reasons. Has there been a lot of unusual activity? Has your cat been left at home or boarded? Is the litterbox in a busy area? Has anything happened recently in this area to make him reluctant to use it again? Is there another cat, pet or person that is preventing him from getting to the box? Have you changed it from a hooded to an open box, or vice versa? Is it big enough? Have you changed the type or brand of litter? Is there something attractive about the spot he uses? Cats dislike disturbances to their routine and may act out to express their dissatisfaction. The general rule is one litter box per cat in the household, plus one. That way each cat can have a place of their own to go in case t
Updated on September 24th, 2025
New Pet
My kitten pooped right beside the litter box today even though I'd removed the dirty litter from the box. Even a few days back, she pooped on my floor even though the litter box was right there. She's never done this before, why is this happening?
There are a few things to consider; some cats will go in the corner of the litter box, so they end up hanging their tush over the edge and it goes out of the box. You could try a litter box with a cover or with high sides to see if that helps. The size of the box and ease of entry is something else to consider. If she is still small enough that she has to leap into something that she can't see into, getting in the box may be a bit daunting. Make sure the has an approachable entry for her. Also consider if you changed the type or brand of cat litter. Some cats can be very picky. Go back to the old brand if you have switched. If you have not made a change it cat litter, you can also try a cat litter called Cat Attract-- its a brand of cat litter that most cats accept very well. Another thing to keep in mind is other cats and the location of the boxes. If you have multiple cats, make sure that you have enough litter boxes. If you have 2 cats, have 3 boxes. If you have 4 cats, h
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
Hello, My 12 year old cat is pooping outside of her litterbox. Funny thing is, she does poop inside the box, but then will poop out of the box on the carpet I'm the house. I am not sure what would be causing her to do this. There are times when she
I'm sorry that you are dealing with this frustrating problem! I'm glad to hear that she is reliably peeing in the box, but pooping outside the box is also, of course, problematic. Have there been any changes in the home that she might perceive as stressful? Any new pets, a major change in your schedule, holiday visitors, etc. All of these things could contribute to this type of behavior. Make it a point to spend a few minutes a day with her, just giving her attention. Engage her in play with a wand type toy, or just sit and pet her and chat to her. Sometimes some reassurance can be really beneficial. Also, make sure there is a litter box on every level of your home, (every story--basement, main floor, upstairs, etc) and if you have multiple cats, the number of litter boxes should be the# of cats plus 1. ( so 3 boxes if you have 2 cats). If she's not been to the vet for this issue, take her in. If she has arthritis, etc or is otherwise painful, pooping may be uncomfortab
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Why does my cat poop on the floor but pees in the litter box?
There could be a few different reasons for this. It's possible that your cat has a medical problem causing him to poop in inappropriate places, especially if his stool is loose or runny. This may also be a behavior issue caused by a litter box that isn't large enough for him, or a type of litter that isn't comfortable for digging and burying feces. In some cats, pooping outside the litter box can also be a stress-related marking behavior, although this is less common than urinating outside the box. If your cat has not been checked by a vet recently for any medical issues that could be causing this problem, this is the first thing I would suggest. Your vet can do a fecal exam and may also recommend blood work to screen for common problems that can cause this behavior. If everything comes back normal, then it's likely that you will need to address this from a behavioral standpoint. In that case, feel free to post again with more details about your litter box, where your cat tend
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
We have moved and our cat will come into the room we are in, look at us and defecate. We have tried different litter and we clean the litter box daily. He urinates in the box and has not been urinating in the house. We are ready to throw him outs
Hi there! I am happy to help answer your question. Cats can defecate outside the litter box for many reasons. Sometimes it is due anxiety from a recent change the cat has experienced like construction in the home, an owner's schedule change, or a move (like you!). Other times, defecating outside the litter box could be due to having an unpleasant experience around the litter box and will instead take care of business outside of the litter box. Changing the type of litter, placement of the litter boxes, cleanliness of the litter box, and/or number of litter boxes can contribute. Of course, there can be medical causes such as constipation that can lead to a less than desirable litter box experience which may cause him to defecate outside of it. I would take Snap to a visit to you veterinarian soon to discuss all of these options and determine what the exact cause is. An appropriate treatment plan can then be determined.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is 10 years old and she is pooping on my worktop and refuses to use litter tray and I can't seem to stop her
Inappropriate elimination in cats is often a behavioral problem rather than a medical problem, so the first step is to have him seen by your vet to eliminate any kind of illness or condition as a cause for his eliminating outside the box. If medical issues are ruled out, take a look at other reasons. Has there been a lot of unusual activity? Has you cat been left at home or boarded? Is the litterbox in a busy area? Has anything happened recently in this area to make him reluctant to use it again? Is there another cat, pet or person that is preventing him from getting to the box? Have you changed it from a hooded to an open box, or vice versa? Is it big enough? Have you changed the type or brand of litter? Is there something attractive about the spot he uses? Cats dislike disturbances to their routine and may act out to express their dissatisfaction. The general rule is one litter box per cat in the household, plus one. That way each cat can have a place of their own to go in case t
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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