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Why is my cat pooping outside the litter box, vomiting, and has diarrhea?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 1 year old

My cat is no longer pooping in her liter box, she pees in the house and she just pooped in the hallway and i just saw that she has diarrhoea. she is eating very well. She is active on the day and she goes out and plays. She has vomitted and she has been doing it for a while. I took her to the vet and they gave her injections which helped for few months only.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 22nd, 2018

Liky may be defecating outside the litter box because of the diarrhea. Diarrhea could be related to intestinal parasites, eating something that caused stomach upset, or a food sensitivity. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian again - they may want to check a stool sample for parasites or run some other tests and can also prescribe medication to help the diarrhea.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Shaneez Wallani, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 24th, 2019

    Urination outside the litterbox can be caused by stress or behavioural issues, but can also be due to urinary tract infection, crystals in the urine, stones in the urinary tract, or trauma to the area. Defecation outside the litterbox can be due to infection, gastrointestinal issues like the diarrhea you described, difficulty getting into the litterbox due to pain, or other reasons. It is important that you make an appointment to have Cookie seen by your veterinarian as soon as you can to help determine the cause of her behaviour and to start treatment. They will likely want to test her feces due to the diarrhea, so I recommend you take a fresh sample of her stool in with you. If you notice her straining to urinate/unable to produce urine, this is a medical emergency and she should be seen by a vet immediately. It is also possible that Cookie is exhibiting signs of stress in her home environment. You can do the following to help make sure Cookie’s environmental needs are being met. Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com. Good luck!

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