Getting desperate :(

[Riyo]

Hey all..

I really hope I don't get slammed for this but I'm running out of ideas

I adopted my cat Skia back in October. He's very sweet and loving, I couldn't ask for a better cat except he's been developing some nasty habits out of no where.

First off, he won't stop pooping on the floor. Not only does he poop on the floor, he poops RIGHT NEXT to his litter box. I have cleaned that thing out thoroughly, tried different litters, and it's not like I leave poop in it - I clean it daily (he sometimes decides to poop in it). He doesn't pee on the floor (thank god) but the pooping thing is driving me crazy!

Second of all, he is a hairball maniac. He is constantly throwing them up. I have tried the hair ball remedy stuff to no avail, and I do groom him (he's a short hair) but it doesn't seem to be having an effect on him. On top of the hairballs he seems to eat way to fast and then immediately throws that up too .

I'm sure he's getting enough attention. Both my roommate and I give him lots of it. I wish I knew what was bothering him.

What am I doing wrong? I have had cats all my life and I've never had this much trouble! This behavior has started within the past few months and I just wondered if anyone had any input. I really, really, don't want to have to rehome him. I don't want to put him through that again (after his first owner was going to put him in the pound.) I take MUCH better care of him than she ever did..but if he keeps this up I think my parents will make me rehome him.

Thanks for any input..

 

[nrich]

Do you have a lid for your litterbox and is it situated in a secluded area? Perhaps he is feel uncomfortable using it out in the open?

I had a similar experience with one of my cats. She would refuse to use the litter box at all. I wound up having to lock her in the bathroom with it. She was not allowed in the rest of the house until she could use the box on her own. I also began taking her to the box at least five times a day. Get up in the morning, take her to the box. Feed her, take her to the box. Before I go to bed, take her to the box. It was hard work, but eventually she got the idea.

I'd say that your cat was just being stubborn, except for the vomiting part. I would suggest taking your cat to the vet to get checked for a urinary tract infection.

Are you actually seeing hairballs in the vomit, or is he just throwing up undigested food? It could be that the food you are feeding him is upsetting his stomach, not so much that he has hairballs or that he has an infection of some sort, which could also account for the poor bathroom habits.

On a side note, I have a cat that will throw up on my stuff to tell me how unhappy he with me. It's something that I have come to live with. Some cat's are just buttheads...

 

[Riyo]

I'll try getting a hood or something for the litter box, thanks for the advice!

And yes, I find hairballs 99% of the time. It's usually just hairballs and no undigested food though every so often he eats too fast and harfs afterwards. I'm going to take him to the vet again and see if he can find something wrong..

 

[HugeGenes&LoLa]

My cat does the hairball thing too. I was at home depot the other day in the flower section and there was a pot that said something like "kitty plant". The label said it was to help indoor cats digest their food/hairballs better and would reduce this problem. I didn't get it, but I'm going to do some research on it. For the eating too fast problem, I got my cat one of those food bowls that you fill up once a week and it keeps food out all the time. Now she only eats what she wants when she wants and doesn't scarf it down.

Not sure how to help with the litter box problem... hope you can figure it out Good luck!

 

[ariana]

-hairballs can come from stress, something might be stressing him out.
-only give him a SMALL handful of food at a time so he cant inhale it.
-lid for box, my cats did the same thing till we got lids.

i wish you the best of luck and if things still dont turn around try confining him to a room, preferably linoleum, with multiple litterboxes with lids, and only a window or 2, the outside could be frightening him

 

[Riyo]

I wonder what could be stressing him.. hmm. And I will be getting the lid for the litter box very soon!

Thank you all for the great advice, I'll let you know how it goes

 

[ariana]

doors opening and shutting literally scare the pee out of one of my cats, could be doors windows dryer/washer/fridge/heater/AC sounds there are a number of things that could be stressin him out, just give him some tiem

 

[RampantReptiles]

My cat does the hairball thing too. I was at home depot the other day in the flower section and there was a pot that said something like "kitty plant". The label said it was to help indoor cats digest their food/hairballs better and would reduce this problem.

That is probably cat grass. You can get it at any petstore. Grass is good for cats especially when their tummys are upset. I would try that for an indoor cat.

good luck!