Is household stress making my cat poop outside her litter box?

Question

Lately my husband and I have been going through a "seven year itch" not seeing eye to eye and definitely having relationship issues. One of my two cats, "Tess", has been displaying a less than acceptable moreso intolerable behavior. She has begun to deficate on top of the bed, on blankets, near her bedding, on the cat tree, in the VERY room she has slept in for YEARS! Why would she all of a sudden do this and make her "safety/ comfort" zone untolerarble and a "free for all" litter box!? Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 3 years and 11 months old | 10 lbs

Megan, DVM, CVA · Accepted Answer

Sometimes cats can feed off the stress in the household so this could be the reason. They will sometimes act up if something has changed in the household. If anything has changed or if the environment has changed, this could be why. I would consider using some feliway diffusers and vetriscience composure chews to help "de-stress" her. Feliway is a cat pheromone that can have a calming effect but not always. You can also add a litter box close to the area that she is now defecating to help redirect her. Finally, if this doesn't work I would talk to your vet about starting her on an anti-anxiety medicine to see if this helps. I hope this helps!

Is household stress making my cat poop outside her litter box?

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