Cat keeps peeing/pooping in the basement

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youngsterat16

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I have a 12 year old cat who has been peeing/pooping in our basement. She has done this before a while ago but stopped the habit after changing her litter. Then this past summer we took down our shed and much of its contents are currently in our garage where her litter box is. Soon after, she started refusing to use the litter box. My mother got tired of cleaning up after her and put her outside for the summer. (She is an indoor/outdoor cat)

We’ve recently let her back in due to the cold weather (after 4-5 months I’d say) and us being out of town for Thanksgiving. It was easier to get someone to feed her that way if she’s in the house.

At first she seemed fine and had no issue. We were more careful to clean her litter box more often. And coming back from Thanksgiving we found pee/ poo in the house again.

We don’t want the litter box in the house because she is usually messy with it and there really isn’t any convenient space in the house for it. I don’t think it’s a urinary infection because she hadn’t gotten back into the habit until we tore down the shed. We aren’t going to get her checked out because it’s expensive and we are pretty positive its the stuff in the garage.

I am just not sure what to do anymore to correct this. She’ll get put in the garage for the winter if she doesn’t stop this act. I think come this next summer we’ll put up a new shed but until then I’m not sure what I can do. But if this keeps up she’ll be kicked out of the house again.

if any of you have any advice i would very much appreciate it
 
Generally, if the litter box is being cleaned often enough, it’s a medical issue. Email the vet, describe the situation, and see if he or she recommends the cat be brought in.
 
Well, the choice here is cleaning poop in the basement or getting another litter box down there. I know you dont want to have another but this is what the cat needs…🤷

I have 2 cats …if it continues see the vet.
 
Oh somehow I missed that detail. It’s been a rushed morning. Put a litter box in the house, not having one there is ridiculous.
 
Part of the reason cats do this is because basement concrete floors have a slight smell of dampness and earth, so the cats think they are pooping on the ground.
 
In my experience with cats they want a clean litterbox and they don’t like to share (I have a box for each cat plus a spare) that needs to be cleaned a minimum of once per day (twice is better).

I recently switched litters to the Arm and Hammer Clump and Seal. It’s softer (cats like the feel) and the way it forms a clump around urine is amazing. It’s a bit spendy but if you scoop at least once per day it actually lasts far longer than the non-clumping style and you don’t end up with the “sludge” at the bottom of the pan. It makes things a lot more pleasant for the cat AND you (as cleanup is much easier).

I have had cats that would go to the bathroom on anything that was laying around, particularly clothing. It necessitated that I keep the house clean. If I kept the things off the floor, they used the box.

Assuming you’ve eliminated all that, it probably does go back to a medical reason.
 
AClaire11 said:
Generally, if the litter box is being cleaned often enough, it’s a medical issue. Email the vet, describe the situation, and see if he or she recommends the cat be brought in.
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I second this. Older cats can have a variety of medical issues that make them inappropriately pee/poop. It’s best to consult your vet.

One thing that may help is a calming collar. Cats hate changes in their routine, which may cause anxiety. Our cat was peeing where he shouldn’t, too. We put a calming collar on him and he is fine–as long as we change his collar once a month.
 
AKDee said:
In my experience with cats they want a clean litterbox and they don’t like to share (I have a box for each cat plus a spare) that needs to be cleaned a minimum of once per day (twice is better).

I recently switched litters to the Arm and Hammer Clump and Seal. It’s softer (cats like the feel) and the way it forms a clump around urine is amazing. It’s a bit spendy but if you scoop at least once per day it actually lasts far longer than the non-clumping style and you don’t end up with the “sludge” at the bottom of the pan. It makes things a lot more pleasant for the cat AND you (as cleanup is much easier).

I have had cats that would go to the bathroom on anything that was laying around, particularly clothing. It necessitated that I keep the house clean. If I kept the things off the floor, they used the box.

Assuming you’ve eliminated all that, it probably does go back to a medical reason.
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Absolutely this ^^^

Plus, when they get older, they can’t help it. My one cat that pooped everywhere had to be put down. HE was VERY ILL.
Frankly, if it’s both pee and poo…your cat is really angry with you.
Angry that he/she is trapped inside, and angry that you keep it locked the basement, and angry that there’s no clean box.
Pet’s can’t be thought of as “things that I think about only occasionally”.
 
Your mother will want to murder me for saying this, but I think cats need love and socialization. Keeping it outside or in the basement doesn’t provide much together time. My thought is that cuddling with your cat may help somewhat.

We had a dog once who pooped in the basement when no one was home to take her out. It was no big deal. She went on the basement floor. My mother used to say she doesn’t stop pooping on the floor, that dog goes. Of course, she never gave up on the dog. Going in the basement is the least offensive thing. At least it’s not an Oriental rug.
 
Arizona_Fat_Gir said:
Your mother will want to murder me for saying this, but I think cats need love and socialization. Keeping it outside or in the basement doesn’t provide much together time. My thought is that cuddling with your cat may help somewhat.
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Nod My grandparents had a cat that they locked in another building because he didn’t use the litter box. He wasn’t allowed to go outside, and they only went there to feed him. I would go visit the cat when I was there and that poor cat would lock its paws around my neck in a fierce hug and didn’t want to let go. I never saw a lonelier animal in my life. That’s been like 30 years ago and it still breaks my heart to think of that cat.
 
AKDee said:
Nod My grandparents had a cat that they locked in another building because he didn’t use the litter box. He wasn’t allowed to go outside, and they only went there to feed him. I would go visit the cat when I was there and that poor cat would lock its paws around my neck in a fierce hug and didn’t want to let go. I never saw a lonelier animal in my life. That’s been like 30 years ago and it still breaks my heart to think of that cat.
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Yup.
That’s it.
People think pets don’t matter sometimes. It’s “just a dog” “just a cat” …

but we care called to care for creation. Sad.
If folks don’t have time, then they shouldn’t have pets. 😦
 
My best advice, find a no-kill shelter or foster agency and give the cat to someone who will love it and care for it as a part of their family.
Cats are very social creatures, and it sounds as though it is not getting the love & attention it needs.
 
Della said:
I second this. Older cats can have a variety of medical issues that make them inappropriately pee/poop. It’s best to consult your vet.

One thing that may help is a calming collar. Cats hate changes in their routine, which may cause anxiety. Our cat was peeing where he shouldn’t, too. We put a calming collar on him and he is fine–as long as we change his collar once a month.
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Hi Della,

I was going to mention what you did, in that cats don’t like changes to their routines.

One of our vets had told us that they are also very sensitive creatures, and they also get stressed-out very easily.
 
Hi Youngster at 16,

I’m thinking that your kitty may be getting confused because of the changes to where her litter box is, too.

As I just mentioned in my post to Della, cats love a routine and are creatures of routine and habit, and if anything gets changed in their routine, they get stressed-out very easily.

From what you are telling us, her litter box keeps getting moved on her. It doesn’t stay long enough in one place, plus she keeps getting moved around her surroundings as well. She’s either left in one location or another, and she is not able to move around all that much inside, from what it sounds like. I would imagine that all of these continuous changes are adding to her stress.

Yes, cats will go outside of their litter box if anything stresses them out, if it is not related to a medical condition.

I would leave her litter box in one place where it will be routine for her to find it, and also leave her in one place too, where she can then find her litter box as well.

I think that you also need to make sure that her box is at least scooped out daily where her waste is removed daily for her, and then also that the litter is changed routinely, whether you use the clumping litter or the regular clay cat litter, or whatever type of litter you are using for her.

Cats are really clean creatures of habit too, and as others have noted, they will not use a box that is not considered clean to them.

As others have already noted, they will also go outside of the box if they are medically ill in some way, so there is also that to consider.

My old girl kitty that I currently have will do this and has issues with her GI tract and colon, and when she doesn’t feel well in this way and is having difficulty, she will have an “accident” outside of the box. She tries to go in the box, but doesn’t quite make it there.

She has been to the vet’s for a work-up though, so we know what is going on with her.
 
We do give her plenty of attention, even when she was outside. She’s used to being an outdoor cat so that wasn’t as huge of a deal.

The litter box has always been in our garage and she has never had an issue going in there to do her business. We do not have any other cat.

Putting one inside would be nice but there is just no spot for it. She has free range in the house but our house is small and really there is no spot aside from the middle of the floor.

I have not completely erased the thought of it being medical related but until i can absolutely eliminate all else- meaning we’d have to wait until the shed contents are out of the garage- I am going to assume its stress-related.

which makes sense. We haven’t moved the spot of her litter box at all, but the stuff next to it probably causes an issue. I did move it the other day close to the original location of the box but away from all the shed junk.

we let her outside all of the time, although with winter those opportunities will be significantly less.

we dont have a door to our basement where she pees which would be nice, although she may decide to pee elsewhere then.

My guess is it is just stress related/angry. but i am keeping the medical issues in mind.
 
Keep in mind the cat is getting older. Maybe there are other medical conditions, but maybe it’s just age and infirmity. I’m not sure what your house is like, but if it’s possible to make it easier for the cat, that may help.
 
If the collar is something you can’t put on the cat then I would suggest defusers that you can plug into the wall. I don’t know if your basement has any outlets but if you do then that would help make the basement a less stressful environment if not remove the stress completely.

It could just be a coincidence with the shed since you said the cat is usually outdoors. Due to the age and how you say the cat has been fine for many years with this set up then I would lean towards a medical issue. I could be wrong but in my mind the cat has access to being around the shed (if not inside) and should know the smells associated with it since it was outdoors.

Maybe you can talk to family/friends about helping with the vet bill in return for some kind of service/chore you can do for them…or something…
 
It may be stress … and it’s not entirely impossible to find space in a house for a litterbox. I live in a house which was built pre-WWII (so quite small by today’s standards), and I have five cats (one was an accidental acquisition–she showed up in front of my house last winter and was emaciated and sick–I had to take her in and get her well, the other four I got from a rescue) and four litterboxes. Two litterboxes are in bedrooms (mine and my daughter’s), one is in a bathroom, and one is in another room that’s kind of hard to describe, it’s kind of like a fat hallway. I’m working on re-arranging furniture for a fifth one in my living room. I’ve also considered putting a cat door into the door to the utility room to get a sixth box (it is better to have n+1, where n is the number of cats).

I’m sure that a basement has more than adequate room for a litterbox … it’s just a matter of finding a spot and keeping it clean, and keeping the access clear.

For a cat, 12 is definitely getting up there (my oldest cat is approaching 9–I adopted her when she was 6.5), so there may be some physical issues (old age/infirmity, not something terrible, just something chronic). It’s worth it to try to make things easier for the cat. Another thing that might help in the house is a few Feliway diffusers.

And yes–deodorizing things to manage litter smell is no substitute for cleaning the box. Cats have much more sensitive noses than we do, so if you can smell it, it’s 100x stronger to your cat (and really, does putting another scent over the top of it make poop smell better? No, it doesn’t … cats feel the same way.)

A foster agency might be a good alternative, but even a no-kill shelter would be horribly stressful for a senior kitty.
 
I live in a small studio apartment and we have room for a litter box. So do you. If you can’t afford to give your cat medical care, you can’t afford to have a cat. I hope her vaccines are up to date and she is on flea prevention.
 
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