Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: spud on November 07, 2009, 16:24:28 PM
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Spud has everything and more he could want I never see any signs of stress, plenty of hiding places cat posts toys etc. We have given him 2 litter trays plenty of water bowl fountains around the flat and he is feed well. The only issue is at night and early morning he has a habit of doing a poo at our front door... we used Urine off to clean it properly and started placing bowls of water at the door which either confused him or put him off for a bit but then started doing it just a bit further away.
The only thing I could think of was it must be stress from noise at night of people coming through the entrance to the flats, or the smell of peoples dogs outside our flat door when they take them for a walk. He only does it early morning or night never else. He uses the tray always for pee and for a poo during day time.
It is getting frustrating but I don't want to shout at him as I think this would make a nervous cat but ARGHH!
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Have you tried putting a littertray there?
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as uncovered poo is often left as a 'keep off my territory' warning, it might well be something going on on the other side of your front door which he interprets as a threat
can you keep him away from the door at night?
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I haven't tried with a litter tray there as I didn't want him to get use to doing his business there. I do have a feeling it is down to the fact that people going out at night, people coming in, dogs walking past. We are the first flat you walk past to come into the flats, so I think this is his prob. The only way to keep him away is to lock him in the living room at night but he usually sleeps outside my door at night and to get upstairs he would have to walk past the corridor where he keeps pooing.
But if this is the only option then... I guess no other choice?
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If he is only doing this on a night time and early morning I would put a litter tray there! He will use his normal place on through the day! ;)
Early morning and at night, would they be the high traffic time's then? :shify: If so he is marking his territory! ;)
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if it's a territory thing just putting newspaper down might be enough, as he is not going to bury his poo anyway - then you can just chuck it away in the morning
poo is actually easier to deal with than wee in a situation like this
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Yeah every cloud lol I did think I was happy it was poo not wee. I'll try some newspaper tonight but I don't want him to feel he needs to mark his territory... does it mean he is unhappy?
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no - he's just doing what a boy cat has to do
and he'll probably stop in his own good time
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Feliway spray might help. You can target the area he is using (after clean up to remove any trace of smell that might attract him back) and in the general area around the front door.
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Yeah I might give that ago see how he reacts
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Toiletting on a door mat is classic behaviour from a cat insecure about the smells comming in, all kinds of aromas come in on your feet and they are strongest on the doormat, makes sense to him!
I think feliway to try and make the area less of a threat and id put a tray there, if hes doing it there anyway you arent encouraging him iyswim, if the feliway helps you can then try moving the tray inch by inch away and see if he follows it...