The Spiteful Cat
We hear it all the time.
My cat gets mad when I (or my son/daughter or husband) leave the house and so he poops/pees right on my shoes (or bed or cloths). Or, perhaps the cat is angry about the new baby in the house and that’s why the owners thinks she’s choosing only the new baby’s items to substitute for the litterbox.
But are cats really this spiteful? They’re often are portrayed jokingly as manipulate and snotty creatures, but do they really do these sort of things out of anger or resentment.
The answer is NO.
Here are just a few of the reasons you cat may actually be choosing to “go” outside the litterbox.
The litterbox is too dirty. Many cats are very particular about their toilet habits. Dirty litterboxes smell bad and who wants to hold their breath going in there! As a side note many of the scents humans like cats do not. So that perfume scented litter you purchased may also smell really bad to your cat.
Your cat loves and misses you. That’s right, part of the reason may be because your cat is upset because you left but not in the way many people might think. Many cats do this because of separation anxiety not anger.
Medical reasons. Many cats can have medical reasons for these behaviours. Complex diseases such as idiopathic cystitis, urinary crystals, bladder stones, bladder infections, arthritis and constipation could all predispose some cats to going outside of their litterbox.
If you cat is repeatedly going to the bathroom in inappropriate places it is a good idea to have him into the vets quickly. Making sure he does not a an illness which would need treatment is important in order to try to stop the behaviour. In addition the longer the behaviour goes on, the more likely it will become habit and harder to stop.
